bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nutritional states of male tsetse flies (Glossina spp.) (Diptera: Glossinidae) caught in odour-baited traps and artificial refuges: models for feeding and digestion
Authors: Hargrove J. W. , Packer M. J.
Published: July 2009

Male Glossina morsitans morsitans Westwood and Glossina pallidipes Austen caught in artificial refuges in Zimbabwe had ca. six times as much haematin and up to 32% more fat than flies from odour-baited traps, but haematin-specific fat levels did not differ significantly between methods. G. pallidipes estimated to have fed < 9 h prior to sampling contained ca. 3.3 mg fat - only 10% less than peak levels. A differential equation model for blood-meal metabolism was developed which described well the changes in fat levels of laboratory G. m. morsitans and the relationship between fat and log haematin in field data. The model predicts a mean feeding interval (T) of 54 – 65 h and mean fat levels of ca. 2.8 mg for G. pallidipes at feeding. When haematin frequency data were analysed as suggested in the literature, estimates of feeding rates and intervals, and of the non-feeding phase, varied with sampling method. Published estimates of activity levels related to feeding suggest a model where feeding rates increase approximately linearly during the trophic cycle. For T = 58 h the model gives good predictions of mean fat levels and variances in both species, with starvation rates < 1% / day. Models with long non-feeding phases predict fat levels up to 40% lower than observed and with smaller variances. For constant feeding rates, fat levels were well predicted for T = 54 h, but predicted death rates (> 5% / day due to starvation alone) were impossibly high. It is suggested that a proportion of tsetse flies with high fat levels feed on mobile hosts early in the trophic cycle and that this effect is more marked for G. m. morsitans than for G. pallidipes. Over-estimates of T result from the failure to consider these tsetse flies and not to errors in the assumed time scale, nor failure to catch high-fat tsetse flies which visit stationary traps.
Effects of lunar phase on light trap catches of the Malayan black rice bug, Scotinophara coarctata (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae)
Authors: Ito Kiyomitsu , Sugiyama Hachiro , Nik Salleh Nik Mohd. Noor b. , Poon Min Chang
Published: July 2009

Daily light trap catches of Scotinophara coarctata (Thunberg) were analysed from mid-September 1986 to December 1990 and the physiological status of the trapped adults was examined. The catch size fluctuated synchronously with the lunar phase; large catches occurred around the full moon period and very few adults were trapped around the new moon period. Seasonally, the catches were large from January to March and from July to September, while they were small from May to June and October to November. The seasonal fluctuations of the catches seemed to be related to the growth stages of the rice plants on which the adults multiplied. The sex ratio of trapped adults was biased toward males, unlike that of the cage-reared insects which was 1:1. Most of the trapped females showed undeveloped ovaries and some of these females appeared to have oviposited previously. Light-attracted adults showed a considerable tolerance to starvation and survived for 20–30 days when they were given water, but for only two days in the absence of water. When the light-attracted females were supplied with food, their ovaries developed rapidly and females with mature eggs were produced after nine days. When the starvation period was prolonged, the ovaries remained immature and the fat bodies reduced in size. The nocturnal take-off of the adults was not triggered simply by the full moon illumination. Adult eclosion did not synchronize with the moon cycle.
Plant density and wheat stem sawfly (Hymenoptera: Cephidae) resistance in Syrian wheats
Authors: Miller R.H. , Masri S. El , Jundi K. Al
Published: July 2009

Bread and durum wheat varieties varying in wheat stem sawfly resistance were sown at different densities in northern Syria for two seasons to examine the effect of density on plant characteristics related to infestations of the wheat stem sawflies Cephus pygmeus (Linnaeus) and Trachelus spp. Plants sown at low densities had a longer interval between developmental stages and had higher stem solidity than those sown at high densities. Stem solidness was negatively correlated with the percentage of sawfly-infested stems. Plant height and grain yield were neither strongly nor consistently correlated with wheat stem sawfly infestation but were influenced by variety and density. These results differ from those of previous studies in North America where widely spaced plants suffered higher infestations than did closely spaced plants. Results of our study suggest that stand density should be considered when recommending wheat stem sawfly-resistant wheats to farmers in west Asia and North Africa and when designing screening trials for wheat stem sawfly resistance in the field.
Observations on the parasitoid complexes of budmoths (Lepidoptera: Tortricoidea) on larch in Europe
Authors: Mills N.J.
Published: July 2009

This paper reports the results of a survey of parasitism of budmoths on larch in Europe as part of a programme to determine the potential of European parasitoids for the classical biological control of the North American defoliator,Zeiraphera canadensisMutuura & Freeman. The parasitoid complexes ofZeiraphera diniana(Guenée),Exapate duratella(Heyden),Ptycholomoides aeriferanus(Herrich-Schäffer) andSpilonota laricana(Heinemann) are determined from field-collected samples of host larvae and pupae. The parasitoid complexes are characterized by their component guilds and the mean apparent parasitism of the individual species. Host phenology appears to affect the parasitoid complex of the larch budmoths. Parasitoids that attack the young larval instars are better represented from hosts that overwinter as larvae, while parasitism is dominated by the guilds that attack the late larval instars in hosts that overwinter as eggs. The study identifies the ichneumonids,Phytodietusspp.,Chorinaeus cristator(Gravenhorst) andPhaeogenes osculator(Thunberg) for further experimental investigation as potential candidates for the biological control ofZ. canadensis.
Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) trap catches in a cassava field in Côte d'Ivoire in relation to environmental factors and the distribution of African cassava mosaic disease
Authors: Colvin J. , Fishpool L.D.C. , Fargette D. , Sherigton J. , Fauquet C.
Published: July 2009

African cassava mosaic virus (ACMV), vectored by the whitefly, Bermisia tabaci (Gennadius), is considered the most damaging pathogen of any African crop. Information about vector movement is important for understanding the epidemiology of this disease and the experiments reported here were designed to examine B.tabaci flight activity both in and around a cassava crop in relation to time of day, crop growth stage, wind direction and speed, and to the resulting pattern of infected plants within the field at harvest. At wind speeds of <0.4 ms−1 adult B. tabaci approached the yellow traps by flying upwind. At greater wind speeds, significantly fewer B. tabaci adults approached the traps from downwind, thus reversing the directionally of the catch. When the direction of the prevailing south-west wind reversed, so did the directionality of the catch. Bemisia tabaci adults were flight active throughout the day and the greatest percentage were caught above the canopy between 06.00–08.00 h, when wind speeds were lowest. Trap height and position significantly affected catch with the greatest numbers caught on the lowest traps. More than three times as many B. tabaci adults were caught on traps situated downwind from the field compared to those upwind. Suggesting that the field was acting as a source of whiteflies. In both years, Africa cassava mosaic disease (ACMD) incidence was highest and lowest, respectively, on the edges and in the middle of the trials, with the highest incidence occuring on the edges facing the prevailing wind direction. These results are discussed in relation to the epidemiology of ACMD and to potential cultural control methods such as the use of ACMD-resistant guard rows to protect a mainly susceptible crop.
Seasonal abundance and parasitism of Mesoclanis seed flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) in South Africa, and implications for the biological control of Chrysanthemoides monilifera (Asteraceae) in Australia
Authors: Edwards P.B.
Published: July 2009

The seasonal abundance and rates of parasitism of three species of Mesoclanis seed flies was studied in South Africa. The three species occur on Chrysanthemoides monilifera, and were recorded during most months of the year, whenever C. monilifera was flowering. At three sites in KwaZulu-Natal, numbers of eggs per capitulum of Mesoclanis polana Munro were highest on C. monilifera rotundata between June and November (winter/spring), towards the end of the main flowering flush. Parasitism of M. polana was between 50% and 90% for most of the year. Two other species of Mesoclanis (M. magnipalpis Bezzi and M. dubia Walker) occurred together on C. m. rotundata in the Eastern Cape (St Francis Bay), where parasitism during the year was between 55% and 95%. Peak numbers of eggs per capitulum (M. magnipalpis and M. dubia combined) occurred in May/June (winter), in the latter part of the main flowering flush. Mesoclanis magnipalpis was the only species recorded on C. m. pisifera in De Hoop Nature Reserve (Western Cape), where there was only one peak of oviposition (May/June), coinciding with the short and discrete flowering period of this subspecies. Parasitism was between 50% and 65%. At least nine species of parasitoid were reared from immature Mesoclanis stages. Eurytoma sp. (Eurytomidae) was a dominant parasitoid at all sites. Results are discussed in relation to the possible effectiveness of species of Mesoclanis seed flies as biological control agents of C. monilifera in Australia.
Effect of early season insecticide use on predators and outbreaks of spider mites (Acari: Tetranychidae) in cotton
Authors: Wilson L.J. , Bauer L.R. , Lally D.A.
Published: July 2009

The Australian cotton industry relies almost exclusively on synthetic insecticides for control of early season pests. These insecticides often disrupt predatory insect activity in the field. Potential predators of the twospotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch, in cotton, identified in field and confirmed in laboratory experiments, included a theridiid spider, a phytoseiid mite, a lacewing larva, predatory thrips, several Coccinellidae and several Hemiptera. These predators were mostly generalists, having previously been reported as predators of aphids or caterpillars of Helicoverpa spp. The effect of insecticides on T. urticae and its predators was evaluated in three field experiments. Cotton was artificially infested with T. urticae then sprayed five times at seven to ten day intervals with either dimethoate (140 g ai/ha), thiodicarb (750 g ai/ha and 187.5 g ai/ha), endosulfan (735 g ai/ha and 367.5 g ai/ha), methomyl (169 g ai/ha) or amitraz (400 g ai/ha). Tetranychus urticae populations reached higher densities in dimethoate, thiodicarb and methomyl treated cotton than in untreated cotton. Population densities of T. urticae in cotton treated with low rates of endosulfan or thiodicarb were similar to controls, while those in cotton treated with amitraz were lower. All insecticides caused significant reductions in at least one predator group. Significant negative relationships were found between early season abundance of predators and the mid-season abundance of T. urticae and positive relationships between predators and the lag-period for T. urticae outbreaks to develop. Predation is implicated as a key factor influencing the early season survival of T. urticae. The implications for developing integrated pest management strategies in cotton are discussed.
Ecological distribution of East African Culicoides Latreille (Dipt., Ceratopogonidae) as shown by light-traps
Authors: Khamala Canute P. M.
Published: July 2009

Sixty-one Culicoides spp. were collected in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania between January 1966 and December 1967 using light-traps at 35 stations on a NW-SE transect from the Indian Ocean to central Uganda to evaluate the distribution of Culicoides spp. among ecological zones. Most species were confined to one or at least very few similar habitats. The largest number of species (30) occurred in the forest zone, probably because of the many suitable breeding sites, whereas only three species were recorded from the dry bushland zone. Forests also contained more exclusive Culicoides spp., whereas savanna species showed a wider distribution, suggesting that the forest species are less adaptable than others. The disease vectors C. grahamii Aust. and C. pallidipennis C, I. & M. were among the most abundant and widely distributed species.
Observations on the ecology ofSaccharosydne saccharivora(Westw.) (Hom., Delphacidae) in Jamaican sugar-cane fields
Authors: Metcalfe J. R.
Published: July 2009

Between 1961 and 1967 intensive and extensive field studies on the sugar-cane pestSaccharosydne saccharivora(Westw.) were carried out in Jamaica (with supplementary observations from British Honduras). Egg populations were scored for size, and egg mortality and nymph-adult parasitism were estimated directly. In epidemic, but not endemic, populations, successive generations of the pest were segregated and their development was synchronised over areas of up to 80 miles2despite its 6½—7-week life-cycle and potential for continuous breeding. Segregation was due to the sterilising action of the parasiteStenocranophilus quadratus Pierce (Halictophagidae); in the drier months this spread so rapidly through the nymph and adult population that oviposition ceased until the first adults of the next generation reached maturity. In the wet season this effect was complemented by the entomogenous fungusMetarrhizium anisopliae. Synchronisation was ensured by the dispersal of parasitised adultSaccharosydne saccharivorabefore oviposition. In ratoon cane there were six or seven generations between successive annual harvests; egg populations were highest in generations 1–3 (up to 1·0×106/chain-row (≡2O·2-m row-length)), and declined in old cane irrespective of season. In plant cane, egg populations did not show a decline with age and sometimes increased. In epidemic areas a factor associated with older cane sometimes caused over 90% egg mortality; elsewhereTetrastichussp. (Eulophidae) was the leading cause of egg mortality (ca30%). Data from extensive surveys showed that the early stages of outbreaks were invariably associated with plant cane; heavy infestations rarely occurred on cane subjected to adverse growing conditions; and populations were smaller on the variety B42231 than on B4362 and B41227. Outbreak periods since the 18th century have been associated with periods of prosperity within the sugar industry, when presumably more attention was paid to improving production. Rainfall, in that it improves cane growth, is beneficial toS. saccharivora, whereas drought is detrimental; published records of outbreaks in dry periods are due to the preference of migrating adults for young cane which is most prevalent in the dry season. It is concluded that the essential prerequisite for an outbreak is plant cane growing under favourable climatic and agricultural conditions; present conditions, namely the long harvest period, high standards of cultivation, irrigation and fertiliser practice, and favourable cane varieties together offer the minimum chance for a natural end to outbreaks.
A remarkable new species of Cicadulina China (Horn., Cicadelloidea) from East Africa
Authors: Ghauri M. S. K.
Published: July 2009

A distinct black species of Cicadulina from sugar-cane in East Africa is described as new, and notes on the distribution of other Cicadulina spp. are given.
Two new species of the genus Ketumala Distant (Hom., Flatidae), one attacking tea in South India
Authors: Ghauri M. S. K.
Published: July 2009

Ketumala thea sp. n. is described from tea and the shade trees Erythrina lithosperma and Glirididia sepium in South India. Descriptions are also given of K. singapurana sp. n. and K. nigropunctata (Distant) comb. n.
Sterility and the mated status test in tepa-treated male sheep blow-flies, Lucilia sericata (Mg.) (Dipt., Calliphoridae)
Authors: Pollock J. N.
Published: July 2009

Laboratory experiments showed that the mated status of male sheep blowflies (Lucilia sericata (Mg.)) can be reliably detected a week after mating, but subsequently the test is less accurate. Injection of 4–36 Ϝg tepa/male fly induced approximately 95% sterility. Tepa-injected flies mated freely, and the treatment did not interfere with the mated status test subsequently performed. The test has potential value in sterile male release studies.
An experimentally tested model of the cumulative mating frequency curve forLucilia sericata(Mg.) (Dipt., Calliphoridae)
Authors: Pollock J. N.
Published: July 2009

When virgins of both sexes of the sheep blow-flyLucilia sericata(Mg.) are placed together in cages, the cumulative mating frequency curve has a regular form: the shape of this curve is believed to be largely a consequence of the progressive decrease in the density of flies available for mating. A model based on this hypothesis is successfully tested against experimentally obtained data. A mating rate coefficient is proposed.
Larval movements of Chilo partellus (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) within and between plants: timing, density responses and survival
Authors: Berger Amelie
Published: July 2009

Four dispersal phases occur during larval development of Chilo partellus (Swinehoe) on young host plants, phase 1, ballooning of newly hatched larvae when moving from egg batch to plant whorl, phase 2, ballooning of first and second instars which leave the plant whorl in the week after egg eclosion, phase 3, walking prior to stem penetration, and phase 4, walking after stem penetration. In laboratory experiments larval dispersal was density dependent during dispersal phases 1, 3 and 4 and there were clear differences between maize and sorghum in the percentage of migrating lavae and time of migration. Maize plants accommodated many more pupae than sorghum plants which suggests that the distribution of older larvae in the field can be more clumped in maize than in sorghum. Pupal weight descreased with infestation level on sorghum but seemed less affected on maize. Resistance to starvation in four combinations of temperature and relative humidity increased with age. All hatchlings survived six hours′ starvation but with considerably reduced crawling capacity. Seven- and 15-day old larvae were descreasingly affected. Older larvae survived and maintained their mobility after 48 hours. Successful dispersal will depend on host-plant, egg load, and costs of migration; these costs will change with larval age.
Comparison of microplate esterase assays and immunoassay for identifying insecticide resistant variants of Myzus persicae (Homoptera: Aphididae)
Authors: Devonshire Alan L. , Devine Gregor J. , Moores Graham D.
Published: July 2009

Insecticide resistant Myzus persicae (Sulzer) employ increased esterase activity to detoxify insecticides by hydrolysis and sequestration. The amount of esterase, and hence resistance, in individual aphids can be determined by measuring either overall naphthyl acetate hydrolysis in crude homogenates, or the specific enzyme responsible (E4 or FE4) after electrophoresis or immunological isolation. The ability of a total esterase assay, done in microplates, to discriminate between susceptible (S) aphids and resistant variants (R1, R2) with different amounts of E4/FE4, was compared with the resolving power of the more elaborate immunoassay technique. The immunoassay gave the better discrimination between variants, resolving them all with greater than 95% confidence, with particularly good separation of R1, from S. The microplate assay using crude homogenates, although a poorer discriminator, identified most of the very resistant (R2) aphids, and provided a robust and widely accessible method for broadly representing the resistance of field populations.
The behavioural responses of three different strains of Musca domestica (Diptera: Muscidae) to Alfacron bait in the laboratory
Authors: Freeman Z.A. , Pinniger D.B
Published: July 2009

A study was carried out to investigate the behavioural components of resistance in the Standlake strain of Musca domestica Linnaeus. The flies were collected from a poultry unit where azamethiphos spray-on-bait (Alfacron), had been regularly used to control the fly population. A no-choice laboratory cage test was used to observe the responses of the Standlake resistant strain to baits and compare it with two other strains namely, Sparsholt resistant and Cooper susceptible. The baits used were, Alfacron, sugar and analytical grade azamethiphos, sugar alone, and a blank target as control. Only female flies were used, each strain was exposed separately to each bait over a 50 minute period and the responses were recorded with a datalogger. The responses (per fly) recorded during each test period were: the number of visits to a bait; the time spent on a bait; the number of feeds and time spent feeding on the bait defined as the number of proboscis contacts and the length of time of proboscis contact with the bait. Knockdown of flies was recorded at the end of each test. All strains showed differences in their responses to baits. The Standlake strain showed the greatest difference to responses to Alfacron, with inhibition of proboscis extension when flies landed on the bait and a lower proboscis contact when extended, resulting in fewer flies being knocked down by Alfacron than by the sugar and azamethiphos bait. This suggested that inhibition of feeding on the Alfacron bait by the Standlake strain was caused by formulation components or contaminants and not the active insecticide ingredient, azamethiphos.
Differences in life history traits between isofemale lines of the aphid parasitoidAphelinus abdominalis(Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae)
Authors: Haardt H. , Höller C.
Published: July 2009

Six isofemale lines of the aphid parasitoidAphelinus abdominalis(Dalman) were compared for life history traits related to parasitism of three cereal aphid species. The lines differed most in the number of hosts parasitized in 24 h and the developmental times of females and males. Cluster and discriminant analysis showed that these differences were pronounced between line I, line II and lines III-VI, but not between lines III, IV, V and VI. Cross-breeding experiments revealed reproductive barriers between the lines which proved to differ most in life history traits, indicating the possible existence of morphologically similar species. Given the variability in life history traits between lines ofA. abdominalisrecorded in this study, we suggest a careful selection of candidate strains for biological control will be rewarding.
A rapid visual field screening technique for resistance of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) to the legume pod borer Maruca testulalis (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)
Authors: Oghiakhe S. , Jackai L.E.N. , Makanjuola W.A.
Published: July 2009

A rapid visual field screening technique for resistance of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) to the legume pod borer Maruca testulalis (Geyer) was developed. The methodology involved measurement of two damage parameters: field examination of flowers for signs of M. testulalis injury or larval presence (i.e. rapid visual technique - flowers) and/or a pod evaluation index, from the ratio of pod load to pod damage (i.e. rapid visual technique - pods). Highly significant (P <0.01) correlations were obtained between the rapid visual field screening technique and the existing field screening technique. The latter is recommended as a fast and precise method for initial screening large collections of genotypes while the former should be used for more detailed selection and other resistance studies. The technique described here uses fewer variables than the previous method and thereby reduces costs while improving efficiency and precision.
Two methods of estimating competitiveness of chemosterilized males of Musca domestica (Diptera: Muscidae)
Authors: Saiful Islam M. , Port Gordon R.
Published: July 2009

Mating competitiveness and sexual or total competitiveness of males of the house fly, Musca domestica Linnaeus, treated with 1.0% hexamethyl phosphoramide (hempa) were measured quantitatively from direct observations and ratio test methods, respectively. From direct observations, treated males of Cooper and Boxted strains of M. domestica were found to obtain more first matings than untreated males (P <0.01 and P <0.05, respectively) when competing for untreated females, whilst by using the ratio test method under laboratory conditions, total competitiveness values (C) of treated males of the two strains were estimated to be 0.72–0.89 and 0.75–0.97, respectively, at three different ratios from 1:1:1 to 3:1:1.
The effects of sublethal doses of hexaflumuron on the feeding behaviour of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae)
Authors: Vasuki V.
Published: July 2009

This paper presents the first report on the sublethal effect of an insect growth regulator (IGR), hexaflumuron, on the feeding behaviour of vector mosquitoes, Culex quinquefasciatus Say, Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus) and Anopheles stephensi Liston. Percentage engorgement and feeding behaviour of the adults of the three species emerged after sublethal exposures at the larval and pupal stages were markedly affected. Depression in blood feeding was significantly higher in Aedes aegypti with lower blood engorgement ratio. The proportion of females that failed to take a blood meal was higher in A. aegypti (30.2%) than in the other species when pupae had been exposed to 0.05 mg/1 hexaflumuron. Depression in blood feeding was probably due to abnormalities in the functioning of the mouth parts and feeding behaviour. No adverse effect on the feeding activity was noticed in the F1 generation of the treated species.
Calibration of trap catches and net catches for estimating population densities of the bush fly Musca vetustissima (Diptera: Muscidae)
Authors: Vogt W.G.
Published: July 2009

Population densities of male and female Musca vetustissima Walker were estimated from recapture rates of marked flies in baited fly traps. Marked flies of laboratory and field origin were equally trappable. Trap catches of field flies were also compared with net catches for which the human collector was the source of attraction, and relationships are presented for estimating population densities based on both sampling methods. Estimates of fly density from trap and net catches at fixed locations have similar precision, coefficients of variation being approximately 55% for both males and females of M. vetustissima. Comparison of estimated fly densities (flies/ha) and annoyance indices, estimated numbers of flies approaching a collector each minute at 29.5°C, in ‘good’ and ‘bad’ fly years suggests that M. vetustissima is a potential nuisance whenever population densities exceed 1000 flies/ha.
Disruption of Glossina morsitans morsitans (Diptera: Glossinidae) eclosion behaviour: a novel method for evaluating the action of neurotoxic agents
Authors: Ždárek J. , Denlinger D.L.
Published: July 2009

As the tsetse fly, Glossina morsitans morsitans Westwood extricates itself from the puparium and moves upward through the soil the ptilinum expands and contracts rhythmically and thus generates a stereotypic behavioural pattern that persists for up to 10 h if the tsetse fly remains confined. The response, which is easily recorded tensometrically from the movements of the ptilinum, can be exploited as a tool for evaluating the behavioral response of tsetse flies to various neurotoxic agents. The behavioural assay proves useful in providing precise information about the latency of the response and lethal time, and can suggest likely modes of action. For example, sublethal doses of pyrethroids reversibly suppressed the contraction cycles, a response consistent with the peripheral action of this insecticide. In contrast, chlorinated hydrocarbons greatly increased contraction frequency, a result consistent with the action of these agents on the central nervous system (CNS). Assays utilizing eight commercial insecticide preparations (Pybuthrin, K-othrin, Vaztak, Reldan, Safrotin, Acetellic, DDVP, Antrix) demonstrate the utility of this method for detecting subtle perturbations of the CNS and neuromuscular system.
West African Hemiptera injurious to Cocoa
Authors: Dudgeon Gerald C.
Published: July 2009

In the Bulletin of Entomological Research, Vol. I. pp. 60–61, I gave an account of the ravages of a cocoa bark-sapper (Sahlbergella theobroma, Dist.), which was found destroying cocoa trees upon plantations in some parts of the Gold Coast and Ashanti, where, by reason of its wide distribution in 1909, it promised to affect the industry seriously.
Some further observations on the Scale Insects (Coccidæ) of the Uganda Protectorate
Authors: Newstead Robert
Published: July 2009

Mr. C. C. Gowdey, the Government Entomologist of Uganda, is to be congratulated upon the number of interesting forms which he has forwarded to this country for identification from time to time. Many of the species, if not all, are of economic importance, and, judging by their numbers, must have sorely taxed the plants upon which they were found.
Remarks on Coccidæ from Uganda
Authors: Green E. Ernest
Published: July 2009

In Prof. Newstead's paper “On Scale Insects from the Uganda Protectorate” (Bull. Entom. Res. Vol. I. pt. 1) is a description and figure of the male larva of Stictococcus dimorphus. This remarkable larva is said to have no mouth parts. It is also unique in differing completely in form and structure from that of the female larva of the same species. Its anal aperture is not only in a different position, but of a different character—having a setiferous ring similar to that of the Dactylopiinæ. Stictococcus is (rightly or wrongly) placed in the subfamily Lecaniinæ.
A synopsis of the Fleas found on Mus norwegicus decumanus, Mus rattus alexandrinus and Mus musculus
Authors: Rothschild N. Charles
Published: July 2009

The three species of the genus Mus mentioned above follow in the wake of civilised man and may be looked upon as more or less domestic animals. Moreover, when they appear in any new locality, they seem to possess the power of eliminating the previously established native species of rats and mice, and they thus obtain for themselves a wider field and the opportunity for a rapid permanent increase in number of individuals. Of the three, Mus rattus alone habitually infests ships, but by accidental transference in vessels from port to port all three have become distributed throughout the world. Australia is especially rich in peculiar local species of rats, abundantly distinct from, but to some extent resembling, Mus rattus. This circumstance renders it not improbable that on occasion animals from Australia may have been incorrectly identified with that cosmopolitan species.
A short survey of the more important Families of Acari
Authors: Oudemans A. C.
Published: July 2009

Mites or Acari belong to the class Arachnoidea, which also contains the Scorpions, the Spiders, the minute False-Scorpions, the long-legged Field Spiders and some other curious eight-legged creatures. They are at present considered as a degenerating branch of the Arachnoid trunk. Their larvse are six-legged, their nymphs eight-legged, but deprived of genital apertures.

Apart from the Ticks (Ixodoidea), mites have been generally very much neglected by collectors and systematists alike; but seeing that they comprise a considerable number of species of undoubted economic importance, it has seemed desirable to call attention to them by this brief account of some of the more striking forms. A fuller investigation of their habits and lifehistories, especially as regards tropical species, is certain to yield much information that is likely to be of both practical value and scientific interest.
Characters and general morphology of the Lebbek Scale
Authors: Newstead R. , Willcocks F. C.
Published: July 2009

Ovisac of female (see fig. 2, p. 124). White, or rarely pale buff. Usually more or less reniform, rarely quite globular or more or less hemispherical; surfacewith well-marked transverse, flutings and sometimes also with faint longitudinal striæ. The waxen plates and mealy secretion of the female are often visible on the exterior, more especially so in the earlier stages of the formation of the ovisac. When quite intact it has a closely felted appearance, but on the least disturbance the material is capable of stretching out into long, viscous, elastic threads interwoven with a granular or mealy secretion, which latter disperses in the form of a little cloud of white smoke.

Length 3–5 mm.; rarely attaining a length of 7 mm.
The chemical analysis of the secretionary covering of Dactylopius perniciosus
Authors: Hughes Frank
Published: July 2009

The scale [scale here means both the insects and their ovisacs—F. C. W.] contains a small amount of wax which can be separated by solution in boiling alcohol, or better, petrol. From solution in the latter it yields, after recrystallization, a considerable proportion of a hard wax melting at 83°·5 and having a density of 0·970 at 15° C. This is in all probability Cerylcerotate. There is present a mixture of waxes of lower and indefinite meltingpoint.
On the chemotropism of insects and its significance for Economic Entomology
Authors: Trägårdh Ivar
Published: July 2009

In a highly interesting article in a previous number of this journal (vol. iii, p. 343) J. Dewitz discussed “The bearing of physiology on economic entomology,” and gave in this connection, amongst other things, an account of the various kinds of tropisms and their use, besides which he also pointed out the necessity for studying these for the purpose of discovering weapons for fighting noxious insects. It strikes me, however, as if the importance of chemotropism had not been emphasised in this survey as in my opinion it ought to have been, and the purpose of these modest lines is partly to draw attention to two important researches in this branch of science, recently carried out independently of each other, partly to point out that with the aid of chemotropism we shall in all probability be able to discover new weapons for the fight against noxious insects.
Entomological pests and problems of Southern Nigeria
Authors: Peacock A. D.
Published: July 2009

The account of the entomological work carried out by the writer in Southern Nigeria falls naturally into three sections, October-December 1911, January-June 1912, and June-October 1912. During the first period, work, principally on cotton pests, was carried on at the Agricultural Headquarters, Ibadan, particular attention being devoted to the Red Cotton Stainer Bug. The second period was given to travel (fig. 1), when the entomological problems of the different districts were studied on the spot, and lectures were given en route to meetings of native chiefs, native agricultural societies, schools and school teachers. The third period was spent in dealing with the insects of nursery cocoa, cotton, maize and yam. Lectures and demonstrations were given to agricultural pupils. A small amount of work with insecticides was attempted. In conjunction with the Mycologist, rules were formulated for conducting the three first Fumigatoria of the Colony.
A list of Uganda Coccidae and their food-plants
Authors: Gowdey C. C.
Published: July 2009

Uganda is a particularly favourable country for the development of insect life, as vegetation grows very luxuriantly and there is no great variation of temperature for any length of time, and insect growth and1 multiplication are therefore continuous throughout the year. This is especially true with regard to the COCCIDAE.
Disease-bearing Insects in Samoa
Authors: Doane R. W.
Published: July 2009

A short stay on the island of Upolu, German Samoa, during the summer of 1913, afforded an opportunity to make a few observations on mosquitos and flies, which I wish to record. As practically all my time was taken up with another problem, only fragmentary notes could be made on these insects.
Report on a search for Glossina on the Amala (Engabei) River, Southern Masai Reserve, East Africa Protectorate
Authors: Woosnam R. B.
Published: July 2009

Leaving the Government post on the Amala river, at an altitude of 5,500 feet, on 25th July, I moved down the west bank of the river and camped at a spring known as Ol-otu-lomot, at an altitude of 5,200 feet (see accompanying sketch-map). The next day I moved further down the river in search of an old Masai native, by name Ol-botor-ol-joni, who was reported to be familiar with the places in which tsetse-fly (Endorobo of the Masai) was to be found. I found this old man at the place marked on the map and camped there at an altitude of 5,100 feet.
New African Tabanidae.—Part IV.
Authors: Austen Ernest E.
Published: July 2009

The types of the seven new species described in the following pages are in the British Museum (Natural History). The subjoined list shows the countries in which the species have been obtained.
A note on the action of common salt on the larvae of Stegomyia fasciata
Authors: Macfie J. W. Scott
Published: July 2009

It has been pointed out by Graham* that measures designed to bring about the destruction of mosquito larvae may be divided into (a) measures intended to destroy the larvae, and (b) measures intended to destroy their food supply. He points out that very little attention has been paid to the second method, which entails an exact knowledge of the freshwater algae. Graham found that the suspended matter in water in which the larvae of Pyretophorus costalis were breeding could be precipitated by the addition of 3 per cent, of common salt, and that then the larvae became cannibalistic and destroyed one another. He considered that this phenomenon was due to the larvae being deprived of their natural food, the algae, which had been destroyed by the addition of salt. “In lesser concentration,” he concluded, “salt appears to inhibit the growth of very young larvae, probably by diminishing the supply of food, but the development of fully-grown larvae appears to be hastened in a hypertonic medium, and they pass into and through the pupal stage with unusual rapidity.”
A list of the more important insect pests of crops in the Nyasaland Protectorate
Authors: Ballard E.
Published: July 2009

The following paper gives a list of those insects of economic importance which have been collected or bred from various crops in Nyasaland during the first three months of the planting season 1911–12 and the whole of the season 1912–13. No attempt has been made to describe the various species mentioned, but their actual economic importance is stated in each case, so far a3 it has been possible to ascertain it during so short a period. All insects have been included as pests which have been found to feed en any particular crop in sufficient numbers to justify their inclusion in that, category. In many cases the actual damage done may be slight, but at any time one or all of those species which feed regularly on crops may assume the position of dangerous pests, and so insects of apparently minor importance are included with those of definite and proved powers of destruction. The insects of first-class importance, which annually inflict heavy losses on the planters, are ten in number. These ten are confined to cotton, tobacco and maize, of which cotton is the worst sufferer, since it is attacked by a greater variety of insects than any other crop that has come under the writer's notice. Except where the contrary is specially mentioned, insects included in this paper are from the Shire Highlands.
On a new species of Lecanium from Northern Nigeria
Authors: Green E. E.
Published: July 2009

Adult female reddish or brownish ochreous with a dark marginal zone, to uniform dark castaneous. Broadly oval to sub circular; flat; margin evenly rounded, without trace of stigmatic clefts (fig. 1, a). Anal cleft completely fused, its position marked by a slight ridge and thickening of the derm. Anal operculum approximately central, the distance from posterior margin of body to anterior extremity of operculum being equivalent to nine-twentieths of the total length. Valves of operculum (fig. 1, d) elongate; basal edge nearly twice as long as outer edge; inner edge more than twice the length of the outer edge. Antenna (fig. 1, c) 7-jointed: formula, 3,7, (2, 4), 5, 6, or (3, 4, 7), 2, 5, 6. In some examples there are traces of a division in the third joint.
A preliminary report on the problem of controlling Glossina in Nyasaland
Authors: Lamborn W. A.
Published: July 2009

On initiating this investigation my first aim was to discover a small isolated fly area, such as those described as “ primary fly centres ” by Dr. Shircore (Bull. Ent. Res., v., pt. 1, p. 87), with a view to carrying out experiments in the clearing of bush and endeavouring to reduce the numbers of the fly by systematic capture on a large scale.
Chalcidoidea bred from Glossina morsitans in Northern Rhodesia
Authors: Waterston James
Published: July 2009

In connection with investigations into the life-history, etc., of Glossina morsitans in Northern Rhodesia, special efforts have recently been made to secure parasitesof the fly. As a result, a considerable number of Chalcidoids have been bred frompuparia collected between August and December of last year at Kashitu (LI. Lloyd)and Mwengwa (R. A. F. Eminson). These interesting Hymenoptera have now beenforwarded to the Imperial Bureau of Entomology by Mr. Lloyd, Chief Entomologistin Northern Rhodesia, with the parasitised puparia and some relevant notes. Onthis material the present report is based. The collection contains three species, representing as many widely separated groups in the superfamily Chalcidoidea.Two believed to be new are described below, the types being deposited in the British Museum.
Observations on the bionomics of Stegomyia fasciata
Authors: Macfie J. W. Scott
Published: July 2009

So far as could be determined from laboratory experiments the sequence of events relating to blood feeding and the laying of eggs in the life of Stegomyia fasciata was found to be as follows:—

On the second or third day after emergence from the pupa the mosquito takes her initial feed of blood. If she has previously been fertilised she lays her first batch of eggs on the sixth or seventh day, and is ready to feed again on blood a few hours later. Thereafter she lays eggs regularly every third or fourth day, and feeds on blood once only after each batch is laid in preparation for the next batch. The female continues to lay batches of eggs throughout her life, and in this way at least fifteen may be deposited. In order that eggs may be laid at all, both fertilisation and a meal of blood are required, and it is necessary that the fertilisation should precede the blood feed. Once fertilised, the female may continue to lay batches of fertile eggs for at any rate 37 days without being reimpregnated. If the eggs are laid in the early morning, she feeds during the day-time; if in the afternoon or evening, she feeds at night; but sometimes she refuses an offer to feed in daylight in favour of the next opportunity to feed in the dark.
A blood-sucking species of Pericoma in Queensland (Dipt.)
Authors: Taylor Frank H.
Published: July 2009

Hitherto no flies of the family PSychodidae have been recorded from Australia. However, during the year 1913 three specimens of a single species were taken in Townsville, one of which was subsequently submitted to Mr. E. E. Austen, who informed the author that it belonged to the genus Pericoma and was probably a new species. As I have been unable to determine it as one of Brunetti's Oriental species, I now describe it as new.
A preliminary note on the identification of sandflies
Authors: Howlett F. M.
Published: July 2009

Some form of short-period fever, apparently sandfly fever, seems to have been giving trouble in the Gallipoli area. This fact, together with the small amount of information at present available on the life-histories of the species comprising the genus Phlebotomus, has led me to publish the present note in the hope that it might be of use to medical officers by giving them easily-seen characters by which the early stages of three species may be differentiated. In collaboration with my assistant Mr. Patel, I have been engaged for some time in collecting material for a complete account of the life-histories of these species, but as the publication of this memoir must be deferred to a later date, the present article contains merely a few points which are likely to prove useful under practical conditions of working in the field, and a note on the very curious larval tail-bristles.
Chemical reactions of fruit-flies
Authors: Howlett F. M.
Published: July 2009

There are certain smells remarkably attractive to male flies of the genus Dacus and by the employment of these smells the movements of the flies can to a great extent be controlled, in any given direction. The reaction is strictly confined to the male sex, and different species exhibit a variation as regards the smell which is most attractive to them. It is uncertain whether the females emit similar smells; on the whole improbable.

Three of the commoner species of the flies (D. diversus, ferrugineus and zonatus) normally breed respectively in (1) anthers of Cucurbitaceae, (2) fruits of Solanaceae and mango, and (3) peach, guava, mango and other fruits. D. diversus (1) is most strongly attracted by iso-eugenol, zonatus (3) by methyl-eugenol, and ferrugineus (2) by both methyl and iso-eugenol. The smells of these substances have not yet been identified with those of the plants which constitute the normal breeding-places, but male flies have been found attracted to mango, Papaya, a Cycad, and Colocasia. plants with a very characteristic smell similar to that of eugenol-derivatives. Females have never been seen to frequent these plants or to breed in them, but more extended observation is required on this point before it can be definitely said that they never do so. The males give the impression that they might visit these plants for food, for they suck the surface of the flowers, though they do not seem to exhibit any very particular avidity. One species (ferrugineus?) has been bred from a Eugenia at Bangalore.

Three explanations suggest themselves:.—

(a) The smell is a direct sexual guiding smell emitted by the female.

But young crushed females did not attract males.

(b) The smell is not emitted by the female, but may be termed an “indirect” sexual guide to the plants where the females are accustomed to congregate
for breeding purposes.

Under these circumstances it is difficult to see why females should not also be attracted by the odoriferous chemicals.

(c) The smell is a food-smell.

It must then be a food attractive only to males.

Two other species of fruit-flies, D. caudatus (breeding in fruits of Cucurbitaceae) and an unidentified species, were captured by means of an amyl-vanillin solution and of eugenol respectively. The rarity of the flies and the small numbers caught (four and one) make it advisable, however, to postpone detailed comment on these two cases, and future work may give more definite information as to their chemical relations. No substance attractive to male cucurbitae has been found.

All the observations described were made at the Pusa Research Institute, India.