Search

The powder and crude extracts from five plant species, namely garlic (Allium sativum), manjack or drum tree (Cordia millenii), African or calabash nutmeg (Monodora myristica), negro-pepper (Xylopia aethiopica), and ginger (Zingiber officinale) were tested for their repellent activity against Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) adults through the cup bioassay technique and filter paper repellency method in the laboratory. C. millenii was the most superior repellent against C. maculatus. Results indicated that the repellent efficacy of the botanical materials followed this trend: C. millenii > Z. officinale > A. sativum > X. aethiopica > M. myristica. The former two plants generated a repellency of 66.0% and 65.4%, respectively; Class IV repellency (60.1-80.0%). Whereas, A. sativum, X. aethiopica and M. myristica caused a repellency of 50.3, 49.9 and 45.5%, respectively; Class III repellency (40.1-60.0%). The repellent effect on C. maculatus at the application doses of the powders of the selected plant species were statistically significant. There was also a significant difference in repellency due to various concentrations of the extracts of selected plant species with high correlation coefficients and positive significance compared to the powder treatment. Thus, % repellency increased according to doses and concentrations of the tested botanical products and due to the increase in the exposure period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a correction notice for a paper published in the journal Insects. The original paper did not comply with the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, which requires online taxonomic papers to be registered in the Official Register of Zoological Nomenclature (ZooBank) and contain evidence of registration. Because the paper was not registered in ZooBank, the new taxonomic names proposed in the paper are not available under the Code. This correction notice aims to make those names available by registering them in ZooBank. The document provides the new taxonomic names and their descriptions, as well as the necessary bibliographic references. [Extracted from the article]

To improve performance in terms of overshoot and motor response speed when a permanent-magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) with a proportional–integral (PI) controller is subjected to external disturbances, this paper proposes a speed control strategy based on an enhanced Beetle Antennae Search algorithm, which allows for adjustable parameters of the PI controller within a certain range. Firstly, to enhance the global and local search capabilities of each individual beetle, the step size was improved by linearly decreasing it. Secondly, a simulation model of a PMSM closed-loop control system was built to verify the effectiveness of the improved Beetle Antennae Search (BAS) algorithm. Finally, a linear feedback shift register model that generates four random numbers was developed on a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The improved BAS algorithm for the PMSM control system was implemented on an FPGA using the Verilog hardware description language, and the feasibility of the system was verified through hardware simulation. Additionally, the hardware resource consumption on different FPGA platforms was analyzed. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed new speed control strategy can reduce the overshoot and improve the motor response speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: Beetles in the superfamily Scarabaeoidea are one of the most important groups of Coleoptera. They are found in various ecosystems all over the world and belong to coprophagous, necrophagous, saproxylophagous, phyllophagous and rhizophagous types. The aim of the study is to describe the fauna and distribution of Scarabaeoidea in the Republic of Mordovia (central part of European Russia); (2) Methods: The study was conducted from 2003 to 2023. Collection material (specimens from 1972 and 1986) was also used. Specimens were collected using traditional Coleoptera collecting methods (manual collecting, light trap, collection of rotten remains and pitfall traps). For each observation, the coordinates, number of specimens and dates were recorded; (3) Results: The dataset contains 3198 occurrences. We examined 11,011 specimens of Scarabaeoidea. The dataset contains information on 88 species of Scarabaeoidea. Of these, five species (Aphodius pedellus, Nobius serotinus, Phaeaphodius rectus, Planolinus fasciatus and Onthophagus medius) are listed for the region for the first time. Another seven species are additionally known from others taken from the literature (but were not found during the present field survey); (4) Conclusions: Species diversity of Scarabaeoidea of Mordovia accounts for 95 species from 4 families (Geotrupidae, Trogidae, Lucanidae and Scarabaeidae). Ten species (Protaetia marmorata, Anoplotrupes stercorosus, Cetonia aurata, Protaetia cuprea volhyniensis, Oxythyrea funesta, Platycerus caraboides, Serica brunnea, Melolontha hippocastani, Trichius fasciatus and Protaetia fieberi) constitute the main population of Scarabaeoidea fauna given in the dataset. The species diversity of Scarabaeoidea of the Republic of Mordovia is roughly similar in number of species to that of neighboring or more northern regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the problems of identifying storage pest tobacco pest beetles from images that have few object pixels and considerable image noise, and therefore suffer from lack of information and identifiable features, this paper proposes an automatic monitoring method of tobacco beetle based on Multi-scale Global residual Feature Pyramid Network and Dual-path Deformable Attention (MGrFPN-DDrGAM). Firstly, a Multi-scale Global residual Feature Pyramid Network (MGrFPN) is constructed to obtain rich high-level semantic features and more complete information on low-level features to reduce missed detection; Then, a Dual-path Deformable receptive field Guided Attention Module (DDrGAM) is designed to establish long-range channel dependence, guide the effective fusion of features and improve the localization accuracy of tobacco beetles by fitting the spatial geometric deformation features of and capturing the spatial information of feature maps with different scales to enrich the feature information in the channel and spatial. Finally, to simulate a real scene, a multi-scene tobacco beetle dataset is created. The dataset includes 28,080 images and manually labeled tobacco beetle objects. The experimental results show that under the framework of the Faster R-CNN algorithm, the detection precision and recall rate of this method can reach 91.4% and 98.4% when the intersection ratio (IoU) is 0.5. Compared with Faster R-CNN and FPN, when the intersection ratio (IoU) is 0.7, the detection precision is improved by 32.9% and 6.9%, respectively. The proposed method is superior to the current mainstream methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of wear of the joint cuticle of the beetle legs is demonstrated experimentally and is represented by abrasive wear. Presence of the abrasive wear in the natural‐habiting beetles of various families is also established. Abrasive wear comprises of both two‐body and three‐body wear as a result of the action of particles that have entered the joint. The presence of the sliding wear in the absence of abrasive particles is not found. The wear effects are represented by microcuttings, indentations, cracking, delamination, brittle fracturing, and destruction of the surface layer (epicuticle). The correlation of quantitative indicators of wear between the types of experimental substrates (paper, wood, sand) and the length of exposure of beetles on a particular substrate turned out to be very weak. It is hypothesized that the lubricating material in the leg joints of beetles may provide an anti‐wear function by binding particles and facilitating their removal thereby reducing surface damage by sharp asperities, and protecting the damaged surface to prevent further wear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Cleopus Dejean, 1821, a genus belonging to the tribe Cionini Schoenherr, 1825 of the large subfamily Curculioninae and the family Curculionidae, is distributed in the Oriental and Palaearctic regions. This paper reviews all valid species of the genus based on morphological characters for the first time. Five already known species are redescribed, and thirteen species new to the science are described. This is the fourth part of the revision of the tribe Cionini after three revisions of Palaearctic, Afrotropical, and Oriental species of the genus Cionus Clairville, 1798. Beside detailed descriptions and redescriptions, illustrations of habitus and male genitalia, diagnoses, remarks and comparative notes, biological notes, distribution, lists of examined specimens, and a key to all valid species are given. The genus Cleopus Dejean, 1821 is herein revised for the first time. Based on adult morphological characteristics, 18 species are recognized as valid. Thirteen species, all distributed in the Eastern Palaearctis or Oriental region, are described as new: C. aduncirostris sp. n.; C. cognatus sp. n.; C. confusus sp. n.; C. dohertyi sp. n.; C. hajeki sp. n.; C. lirenae sp. n.; C. longitarsis sp. n.; C. minutus sp. n.; C. pallidisquamosus sp. n.; C. parvidentatus sp. n.; C. philippinensis sp. n.; C. simillimus sp. n.; and C. subaequalis sp. n. Lectotypes of following two valid species and three synonyms were designated: Curculio solani Fabricius, 1792; Curculio pulchellus Herbst, 1795; Cionus setiger Germar, 1821; Curculio immunis Marsham, 1802; and Cleopus pulchellus rigidus Stephens, 1831. Neotypes of Curculio perpensus Rossi, 1792 and Cleopus pulchellus flavus Stephens, 1832 were designated. The following new synonyms of Cleopus pulchellus (Herbst, 1795) were established: Cleopus pulchellus var. flavus Stephens, 1831 syn. n. and C. pulchellus var. rigidus Stephens, 1831 syn. n. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deployable hind wings of beetles led to a bio-inspired idea to design deployable micro aerial vehicles (MAVs) to meet the requirement of miniaturization. In this paper, a bionic deployable wing (BD-W) model is designed based on the folding mechanism and elliptical wing vein structure of the Protaetia brevitarsis hindwing, and its structural static and aerodynamic characteristics are analyzed by using ANSYS Workbench. Finally, the 3D-printed bionic deployable wing was tested in a wind tunnel and compared with simulation experiments to explore the effects of different incoming velocity, flapping frequency, and angle of attack on its aerodynamic characteristics, which resulted in the optimal combination of the tested parameters, among which, the incoming velocity is 3 m/s, the flapping frequency is 10 Hz, the angle of attack is 15°, and the lift-to-drag ratio of this parameter combination is 4.91. The results provide a theoretical basis and technical reference for the further development of bionic flapping wing for MAV applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several important papers discussing phoretic dispersal in animals have appeared in recent years, but the nature and evolutionary significance of the phenomenon are still not fully understood. This article reviews the current knowledge of this behaviour in Uropodina mites, which disperse at the deutonymphal stage. We first examine the morphological and behavioural attributes of Uropodina deutonymphs involved in phoretic dispersal. We then provide a systematic review of the animals that carry Uropodina, and examine the carrier-specificity of 30 well-known species. Most species are associated with a single family of carriers, or at most, two families. The available information shows that phoretic deutonymphs of most species do not show any preference for male or female carriers. The spatial pattern of attachment of phoretic deutonymphs varies according to the identity of the carrier insect. The nature of deutonymph infestation depends on the size and morphology of both the mite and its carrier. Successful phoresy also depends on synchronisation of the life cycles of the mite and its carrier, but the temporal dynamics of phoresy remain particularly poorly studied. Phoresy has ecological and evolutionary consequences for both the Uropodina and their carriers. Future research on phoresy will benefit from studies of its evolutionary development, the reasons why beetles appear to be specially favoured as carriers, how phoretic mites affect the insect that carries them, and how the apparent global decline in insect populations is affecting their symbiotic mites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Crop switching is an important climate change adaptation strategy. New crops may need to be cultivated to provide food security as traditional staple crops become less suited to the changing climate in the bread baskets of many countries. For example, potato farming in the Philippines is being scaled up to supplement the cultivation of rice to meet the needs of a growing population. Since new crops introduced for this purpose can also be vulnerable to invasive pests, it is necessary to develop methods for planning pest management strategies that consider the complex interactions that can occur in farm ecosystems. In this paper, we develop a graph theoretic model for assessing pest management options for the prospective case of the entry of the Colorado potato beetle in potato farms in the Philippines. Two biological control agents and use of chemical pesticides are considered as alternative strategies. The model results indicate that the biological control strategies outperform the use of chemical pesticides. The concurrent use of both biological control agents could be less effective due to competition between the two species. Crop shifting is considered as an important strategy to secure future food supply in the face of climate change. However, use of this adaptation strategy needs to consider the risk posed by changes in the geographic range of pests that feed on selected crops. Failure to account for this threat can lead to disastrous results. Models can be used to give insights on how best to manage these risks. In this paper, the socioecological process graph technique is used to develop a network model of interactions among crops, invasive pests, and biological control agents. The model is applied to a prospective analysis of the potential entry of the Colorado potato beetle into the Philippines just as efforts are being made to scale up potato cultivation as a food security measure. The modeling scenarios indicate the existence of alternative viable pest control strategies based on the use of biological control agents. Insights drawn from the model can be used as the basis to ecologically engineer agricultural systems that are resistant to pests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fireflies are groups of the Coleoptera order and the Lampyridae family. Fireflies are typically classified as nocturnal insects, however some are diurnal, and others have mixed nocturnal and diurnal characteristics. They are also known as luminescent insects due to their ability to emit light. Bibliometric analysis is a popular and rigorous method for discovering and analyzing enormous volumes of scientific data. Therefore, the objective of this study is to present overview and guidelines in studies related to firefly research worldwide from 2000 to 2021 using bibliometric analysis to provide researchers and scholars around the world an overview of results and trends in firefly research. A textual query on three databases; Scopus (289 papers), Web of Science (303 papers), and PubMed (541 papers) using the term "Fireflies Coleoptera Lampyridae" was performed on 30 August 2021 retrieving 1133 scholarly papers from 2000 to 2021 related to firefly studies for in-depth analysis. Bibliometric analysis were performed using Rstudio software version 4.1.1 and biblioshiniy for bibliometrix to visualize and analyze trends of firefly research. This bibliometric analysis was analyzed the annual scientific publication growth, the most productive authors, most frequent word has been using, most famous journal name, and which countries has highest collaboration with other country in firefly research. According to the findings of the analysis, there is significant inconsistency in global trends in annual scientific production, with the number of publications increasing and decreasing. In firefly research, according to the findings has show the most relevant authors is Fu X (Scopus), Fu XH (WoS), and Hosseinkhani S (PubMed). Moreover, the most relevant journals articles in fireflies studies is Zootaxa (Scopus & WoS), and Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences: Official Journal Of The European Photochemistry Association And The European Society For Photobiology (PubMed). Futhermore, the most frequently utilized keywords in fireflies study is lampyridae, firefly, bioluminescence, animals and fireflies. China and USA is the most highest collaboration among others countries in fireflies research. This research can help researchers or academics who are new to firefly research by providing information on which publications and authors to refer when performing firefly research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Synchroa medogensis, a new species of Synchroidae Lacordaire, 1859, is described and illustrated, based on a single male collected from Mêdog, Xizang, China. This new species is close to S. elongatula Nikitsky, 1999 and S. melanotoides Lewis, 1895, but could be distinguished by the elongated antennae and elytra, the apically narrowed prosternal process and the stout parameres. New information: The new information of this new species provided in this paper include: description, type information, distribution and comparison amongst S. medogensis sp. nov., S. elongatula and S. melanotoides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Coleoptera is the most species-rich order of animals with the widest distribution area; however, little is known about its global suitability distribution, and a substantial number of species are experiencing silent extinction. Most of Earth's biocommunities are concentrated in biodiversity hotspots, and these hotspots receive the largest investment of conservation funds. The survival of beetles is closely related to the richness of biodiversity, so habitat loss in hotspots results in a high extinction risk for beetles. Methods: We used the MaxEnt model to simulate the spatial suitable distribution in six time periods (1970-1980,1980-1990,1990-2000, 2000-2010, 2010-2020, and 1970-2020). Furthermore, we determined the priority suitable regions in hotspots after coupling the current biodiversity zones and evaluated the congruence between the suitable habitat of beetles and hotspots. Results: The results revealed that less than 30% of suitable regions were located in hotspots, and approximately 49.08% of the suitable habitat remained constant in all six periods, and can be regarded as climatically stable refugia. The Mediterranean Basin had the largest suitable area in each period and was always ranked first; other regions, such as Indo-Burma, Irano-Anatolian, and Mesoamerica, also had large areas of suitable habitat. Nine excellent, ten stable, and seventeen lower hotspots were identified based on their dynamic changes in 36 hotspots. Discussion: Based on these results, corresponding planning and management measures should be implemented in different biodiversity hotspots according to the changes in geographic distribution. In this paper, we propose practical advice for different regions to improve isolated and fragmented habitats, which will support the conservation of Coleoptera taxa and the restoration of biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: There is increasing interest in the study of how the ongoing climate change is affecting insect populations. However, most research has been focused on a limited number of groups that are particularly charismatic or expected to respond more clearly to climate change. Moreover, most research has been developed in a few areas (especially northern and central European countries), while others (such as the Mediterranean basin) have been largely overlooked. Therefore, more empirical research is needed, particularly on less charismatic species, groups that are expected to react less dramatically to climatic change, and key areas that are still poorly investigated. This study investigates changes in distributional and activity patterns in a common, ecologically tolerant, forest tenebrionid beetle in a region (central Italy) within the Mediterranean biodiversity hotspot, an area strongly subjected to the ongoing climate change, but for which research is still limited. By analyzing changes in elevation, latitude, longitude, and seasonal activity between 1900–1980 and 1981–2022, the results provided insights into the potential effects of climate change on this species. The beetle's average values of elevation and latitude were found to have been increased in the second period. In response to rising temperatures, the species became more frequent at higher elevation and in northern places. No strong evidence was found for an earlier species seasonal activity, but this could be due to the inclusion in the analysis of likely overwintering individuals. The findings suggest that even thermally tolerant species can undergo distributional shifts in elevation and latitude, even at a relatively small scale. There is an increasing volume of literature on the impact of climate change on insects. However, there is an urgent need for more empirical research on underrepresented groups in key areas, including species for which the effects of climatic change may seem less evident. The present paper illustrates the results of a study on a common forest tenebrionid beetle, Accanthopus velikensis (Piller and Mitterpacher, 1783), at a regional scale within the Mediterranean basin. Using a large set of records from Latium (central Italy), changes in the median values of elevation, latitude, longitude, and phenology between two periods (1900–1980 vs. 1981–2022) were tested. Records of A. velikensis in the period 1981–2022 showed median values of elevation and latitude higher than those recorded in the first period. Thus, in response to rising temperatures, the species became more frequent at higher elevation and in northern places. By contrast, A. velikensis does not seem to have changed its activity pattern in response to increased temperatures, but this might be an artifact due to the inclusion of likely overwintering individuals. The results obtained for A. velikensis indicate that even thermally euryoecious species can show changes in their elevational and latitudinal distribution, and that poleward shifts can be apparent even within a small latitudinal gradient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The ladybird beetle fauna of the Canary Islands is quite specific due to the presence of a number of species that do not occur anywhere else (the so-called endemic species). However, many ladybirds recorded in the archipelago are relatively recent arrivals from various parts of the world, as shown by our previous surveys carried out in several of the Canary Islands, including Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, and El Hierro. In this paper, we analyze the ladybird fauna of La Palma, one of the western islands of the archipelago, based on our field survey and already published data. The survey resulted in the recording of 26 species, seven of which had not previously been recorded on La Palma, and two of these seven had not been recorded on any of the Canary Islands. Combining our data and literature reports gives a figure of at least 35 ladybird species recorded to date on La Palma. This is fewer than on the central islands of the Canary archipelago (Gran Canaria and Tenerife), but more than on the other four islands (Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, La Gomera, and El Hierro). This study confirms previous observations that the Canary Islands are often colonized by exotic ladybird species. This paper provides new data on the ladybird beetles (Coccinellidae) of La Palma, one of the western islands of the Canarian archipelago. The field survey of 54 study sites resulted in recording 2494 ladybird individuals belonging to 26 species. Seven of the species recorded were new to La Palma, including two, Harmonia quadripunctata (Pontoppidan) and Nephus reunioni (Fürsch), which were not registered so far on any of the Canary Islands. Novius conicollis (Korschefsky) is synonymized with N. cruentatus (Mulsant). Taking our survey and literature reports into account, a total of at least 35 species of Coccinellidae have so far been recorded on La Palma. This richness in species is lower compared to that of the central islands of the Canarian archipelago, Gran Canaria (42 species) and Tenerife (41 species), but higher than that of the remaining four islands (between 22 and 27 species). The detection of two alien species new to La Palma, Nephaspis bicolor Gordon and Nephus reunioni (Fürsch), confirms earlier observations that colonization of the Canary Islands by ladybird species of exotic origins seems to be a frequent phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Studies of many fossil insects, in contrast to those from the Recent fauna, have considerable complications, as many structural features are missing or not clearly observable. Not infrequently, researchers are met with unusual insects, which are very different to those known from the present surrounding biota. Sometimes, in order to obtain reasoned arguments, they need to study many fossil specimens, in which unfamiliar structural features could be visible in different specimens with various degrees of preservation. A new supraspecific taxon for a new species from one of the very archaic nitidulid groups that putatively originated during the Cretaceous (Albian/Cenomanian Burmese amber, North Myanmar) is described in the present paper. For this reason, it was required to re-estimate some new data on fossil discoveries of the families, which can be regarded as closely related: Apophisandridae stat. nov., Kateretidae, Nitidulidae, Parandrexidae, Smicripidae and possibly Boganiidae. The new analysis makes it possible not only to describe Phenolia (Palaeoronia) haoranae subgen. et sp. nov., but also to propose one new generic taxon (Antirhelus gen. nov. for Heterhelus buzina) and two subfamily taxa (Antirhelinae subfam. nov. and Cretoparacucujinae subfam. nov.); in addition, new characteristics have been found in the external structures and genitalia of both sexes, which can be interpreted as more or less reliable evidence of the close relationship between the abovementioned families. The important characteristics of these families are found in their tendency to form and develop their interactions with generative organs of the higher plants, i.e. formation of feeding on them from the initial fungal diet. All these families reveal pollinophagous (anthophagous) lifestyles in part of their adult members, or they completely consist of pollinophagous (anthophagous) adults. Further, larvae of some of these members could be becoming anthophagous or carpophagous, and the last stage of these trophic changes seem to present the formation of a trophic imaginal and larval regime with the use of plant vegetative organs. A new subgenus, Palaeoronia subgen. nov., is described from the Cretaceous amber of North Myanmar (Kachin State) and assigned to the genus Phenolia. The type species of the new subgenus, Phenolia (Palaeoronia) haoranae subgen. et sp. nov., is characterized by a rather 'archaic' aspect. A discussion of the diagnostic and structure of the Soronia-complex of genera (together with the Phenolia-complex of genera) (Nitidulinae, Nitidulini) is proposed. Reasons for the 'conservatism' of this group during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic are discussed. The position of the Apophisandridae stat. nov. (type genus Apophisandra) and the transfers of the following genera into this family: Cretaretes, Electrumeretes, Furcalabratum, Pelretes, Polliniretes, Protokateretes, Protonitidula, and Scaporetes, from the Kateretidae, Nitidulidae or Cerambycidae are grounded. The relations of the family Parandrexidae (with inclusion of the genus Cretoparacucujus, transferred from Boganiidae with a proposal of the subfamily Cretoparacucujinae subfam.nov.), Martynoposis and Parandrexis are considered. The genus Antirhelus gen. nov. (type species Heterhelus buzina) is assigned to the new subfamily, Antirhelinae subfam. nov. in the family Kateretidae. The fossil records of the 'nitidulid' group of families (Apophisandridae stat. nov., Kateretidae, Nitidulidae, Parandrexidae, Smicripidae and possibly Boganiidae) are reviewed. The relationship of the family Boganiidae, some aspects of pollination and pollinophagy, and also changes in beetle diet in the past are discussed. The lectotype of Parandrixis parvula is designated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Naddia is a genus of rove beetles distributed in Asia particularly in its south-eastern part. The species of the genus usually have a large body size and can be recognized by the emarginated base of the head. Naddia species are found to be mimics of sphecid or vespid wasps in both behavior and appearance, which is reported in this paper for the first time. With two new species described in the present paper, 39 species are known from the world, and 12 species are known from China. Two new species of Naddia from China are described: N. chenchangchini sp. nov. (Guangxi) and N. hujiayaoi sp. nov. (Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangxi, Guangdong). Naddia atripes Bernhauer, 1939 is new to Vietnam and the following Chinese provinces: Jiangxi, Guangxi, Jiangsu, Shaanxi, Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan, Guizhou, Fujian and Guangdong. Naddia chinensis Bernhauer, 1929 is new to Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Guizhou, Henan, Hunan, Shaanxi, Fujian, Chongqing, Guangxi and Hubei. Naddia miniata Fauvel, 1895 is new to Laos. A key to Chinese species of the genus is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A laboratory study was undertaken to determine the effect of food quality on feeding, respiration, reproduction and the resulting carbon budget of Temora longicornis. The stoichiometric ratios N: P, C:N and C:P of Rhodomonas salina were used as indicators of food quality. R. salina was grown in media with different inorganic nutrient concentrations to produce food for T. longicornis with particulate organic N: P ratios ranging from 10 : 1 to 23 : 1. Feeding rate was not affected by food quality. Maximum respiration (R), egg production rate (EPR), assimilation efficiency (AE), gross growth efficiency (GGE) and metabolic increment (MI) occurred when T. longicornis was fed on phytoplankton with a food quality of 16N: 1P. EPR, GGE and AE also decreased with decreasing C:N ratio and the energy required to produce eggs (CoE) decreased with decreasing N:P ratio, indicative of nitrogen-dependent production. These data suggest that an algal composition of 16N: 1P defines the Threshold Elemental Ratio (TER) and is the optimum diet for T. longicornis. The variations in metabolic rates and the resulting carbon budget are proportional to the quality of food ingested. GGE was negatively affected at dietary ratios above and below 16N: 1P, which in the natural environment could lead to a decline in species biomass with detrimental consequences for fisheries and carbon export. Field data show that phytoplankton organic N: P ratios can change on decadal timescales, and that an increase in the food N:P ratio can co-occur with a shift to smaller sized zooplankton and a change in species abundance. Further research is required to assess how much of the change in zooplankton community structure and activity can be attributed to changes in food quality, rather than to changes in temperature and food quantity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces Bityle oriens sp. nov. (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lamiinae: Apomecynini) from Boston, Province of Davao Oriental, Philippines. A catalog of the known species of the genus Bityle is also presented. Coleoptera expeditions need to be undertaken to discover more novel species, especially in the understudied islands of the Philippine archipelago. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The phylogenetic status of the family Nitidulidae and its sister group relationship remain controversial. Also, the phylogenetic status of the subfamily Meligethinae and its phylogenetic relationships with other subfamilies of Nitidulidae are not fully understood. Mitochondrial genome sequences can be used to study species identification, phylogeny, and population genetic structure, and to provide valuable molecular markers for further genetic studies. In this paper, two complete mitochondrial genomes of Meligethinae were provided for the first time, and the phylogenetic status of the family Nitidulidae and subfamily Meligethinae were explored based on the complete mitochondrial genomes. A comparative analysis of the general characteristics and non-coding region patterns of the complete mitochondrial genomes of Meligethinus tschungseni and Brassicogethes affinis revealed that the base composition and mitochondrial genome structure of these two species are markedly different. Given the results of the phylogenetic analysis based on 20 mitochondrial genomes, the status of Nitidulidae and its sister group relationship is discussed. We also attempted to analyze the taxonomic status of Meligethinae and its sister group relationship. This study will provide a basis for further studies on the higher phylogeny of Nitidulidae. The phylogenetic status of the family Nitidulidae and its sister group relationship remain controversial. Also, the status of the subfamily Meligethinae is not fully understood, and previous studies have been mainly based on morphology, molecular fragments, and biological habits, rather than the analysis of the complete mitochondrial genome. Up to now, there has been no complete mitochondrial genome report of Meligethinae. In this study, the complete mitochondrial genomes of Meligethinus tschungseni and Brassicogethes affinis (both from China) were provided, and they were compared with the existing complete mitochondrial genomes of Nitidulidae. The phylogenetic analysis among 20 species of Coleoptera was reconstructed via PhyloBayes analysis and Maximum likelihood (ML) analysis, respectively. The results showed that the full lengths of Meligethinus tschungseni and Brassicogethes affinis were 15,783 bp and 16,622 bp, and the AT contents were 77% and 76.7%, respectively. Each complete mitochondrial genome contains 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA genes (tRNAs), 2 ribosomal RNA genes (rRNAs), and a control region (A + T-rich region). All the PCGs begin with the standard start codon ATN (ATA, ATT, ATG, ATC). All the PCGs terminate with a complete terminal codon, TAA or TAG, except cox1, cox2, nad4, and nad5, which terminate with a single T. Furthermore, all the tRNAs have a typical clover-leaf secondary structure except trnS1, whose DHU arm is missing in both species. The two newly sequenced species have different numbers and lengths of tandem repeat regions in their control regions. Based on the genetic distance and Ka/Ks analysis, nad6 showed a higher variability and faster evolutionary rate. Based on the available complete mitochondrial genomes, the results showed that the four subfamilies (Nitidulinae, Meligethinae, Carpophilinae, Epuraeinae) of Nitidulidae formed a monophyletic group and further supported the sister group relationship of Nitidulidae + Kateretidae. In addition, the taxonomic status of Meligethinae and the sister group relationship between Meligethinae and Nitidulinae (the latter as currently circumscribed) were also preliminarily explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Illeis chinensis feeds on various powdery mildews. It plays a vital role in spreading spores. This paper provides a detailed description of the fine morphology of each of the mouthparts of I. chinensis along with a careful identification and classification of its diverse sensilla types. Specifically, the differences between I. chinensis and predatory ladybeetles are compared, and the functions of each of the mouthparts, as well as their different kinds of sensilla, are discussed. The morphological diversity of insect mouthparts is closely related to changes in food sources and diets. Research into the structures of insect mouthparts may help to establish a fundamental basis for a better understanding of insect feeding mechanisms. In this study, we examined the fine morphology of the mouthparts of Illeis chinensis using scanning electron microscopy. We paid particular attention to the types, quantities, and distribution of sensilla on the mouthparts. Our results showed that the basic components of the mouthparts of I. chinensis are the same as those in other lady beetles, i.e., the labrum, mandible, maxillae, labium, and hypopharynx. We also found structural specialization indicating adaptation to fungal feeding. On the mouthparts, there are eight kinds of sensilla and two kinds of glandular structures, including sensilla chaetica, sensilla basiconica, sensilla styloconica, sensilla coeloconica, sensilla campaniformia, sensilla placodea, sensilla digitiformia, Böhm bristles, perforated plates, and cuticular pores. This is the first time that sensilla digitiformia has been reported in ladybirds. Finally, variations in mouthparts among ladybirds with differing diets, as well as the putative functions of each of the mouthparts and sensilla, were discussed. This research can provide a reference for understanding the functions of the mouthparts in ladybird feeding behavior and thereby contribute to the development of precise insect behavior regulation and management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The range of interactions between Cladosporium, a ubiquitous fungal genus, and insects, a class including about 60% of the animal species, is extremely diverse. The broad case history of antagonism and mutualism connecting Cladosporium and insects is reviewed in this paper based on the examination of the available literature. Certain strains establish direct interactions with pests or beneficial insects or indirectly influence them through their endophytic development in plants. Entomopathogenicity is often connected to the production of toxic secondary metabolites, although there is a case where these compounds have been reported to favor pollinator attraction, suggesting an important role in angiosperm reproduction. Other relationships include mycophagy, which, on the other hand, may reflect an ecological advantage for these extremely adaptable fungi using insects as carriers for spreading in the environment. Several Cladosporium species colonize insect structures, such as galleries of ambrosia beetles, leaf rolls of attelabid weevils and galls formed by cecidomyid midges, playing a still uncertain symbiotic role. Finally, the occurrence of Cladosporium in the gut of several insect species has intriguing implications for pest management, also considering that some strains have proven to be able to degrade insecticides. These interactions especially deserve further investigation to understand the impact of these fungi on pest control measures and strategies to preserve beneficial insects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper records Rosalia (Eurybatus) formosa (Saunders, 1839), a cerambycid or longhorn beetle for the first time from the state of Mizoram in northeastern India. The documentation was done on the basis of two specimens that were collected from the District of Champhai, Mizoram. In this communication, photographs, as well as notes on the morphological features of the species are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents additional notes on the carabid genus Nebria subgenus Falcinebria Ledoux and Roux, 2005 from Japan: a description of a new species Nebria suzukana sp. nov. from Mt. Gozaishodake; a new distribution and the southwesternmost collection record of Nebria furcata Sasakawa, 2020 from Mt. Uchimiyama; an additional record of Nebria kobushicola Sasakawa, 2023 from the Yatsugatake Mountains; and an additional record of an undetermined species from the Iide Mountains that was previously treated as Nebria taketoi Habu, 1962, with a note on its habitat. In addition, a key to the known species of Nebria (Falcinebria) from Honshu is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forests contribute to numerous ecosystem functions and services and contain a large proportion of terrestrial biodiversity, but they are being negatively impaced by anthropogenic activities. Forests that have never been clear‐cut and have old growth characteristics, termed "near‐natural," often harbor different and richer species assemblages than managed forests. Alternative management strategies may be able to balance the needs of biodiversity with the demands of forestry, but evaluation efforts are limited by the challenges of measuring biodiversity. Species richness is frequently used as a simple measure of biodiversity, but research indicates that it may not adequately capture community‐level changes. Alternatively, trait‐based measures of biodiversity may prove to be useful, but research is lacking. In this paper, we use a large dataset that includes 339 obligate saproxylic beetle species collected over a decade in the boreal region throughout southern Norway to: (1) establish if there is a difference in beetle community composition between near‐natural and managed forests; and (2) determine which measures of beetle biodiversity best indicate forest naturalness. We arranged the sites in an ordination space and tested for differences in community composition between these forest types. We also tested different measures of biodiversity to determine which were the most predictive of forest naturalness. We found a clear difference in community composition between near‐natural and managed forests. Additionally, three measures of biodiversity were most predictive of forest naturalness: proportional abundance of predators, community weighted mean (CWM) of wing length, and CWM of body roundness. The probability that a forest was near‐natural increased with the proportional abundance of predators but decreased with CWM wing length and body roundness. Although species richness was higher in near‐natural forests, the effect was not significant. Overall, our findings underscore the conservation value of near‐natural forests and highlight the potential of several measures of biodiversity for determining forest quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Biodiversity is not evenly distributed on Earth. For phytophagous insects, we could expect increasing taxonomic richness from temperate to tropical latitudes, where plant diversity is high. In this paper, we explored the variation in the number of genera in one of the most widespread groups of phytophagous insects, flea beetles, from north to south on the African continent. We found that the number of genera depends on the number of vegetation types, the kind of vegetation, and some specific bioclimatic variables, leading to an up-and-down trend in taxonomic richness from north to south. The distribution of global biodiversity can be investigated based on comprehensive datasets and many methods to process them. The taxonomic diversity of phytophagous insects is typically linked to plant diversity, which increases from temperate to tropical latitudes. In this paper, we explored the latitudinal distribution of the flea beetle genera (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae, Alticini) on the African continent. We divided the area into latitudinal belts and looked for possible correlations with the number and types of vegetational divisions, the area of each belt, and the bioclimatic variables. The number of flea beetle genera is related to the number and types of vegetation divisions rather than the area of each belt. Some bioclimatic variables are highly related to the number of genera, which is higher within those belts where climate factors limit the oscillation of temperature over the year and favor high precipitations, especially in the warmest months. These biotic and abiotic factors lead to a two-peak trend in the taxonomic richness of flea beetle genera from north to south. Genera endemic to restricted areas are linked to the presence of high mountain systems and increase the taxonomic richness of the belt they belong to. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a survey of data on two weevil species not recorded for the fauna of Serbia till now. Despite their large size, Liparus (Liparus) glabrirostris Küster, 1849 and Hylobius (Callirus) abietis (Linnaeus, 1758) have not been recorded for Serbia in the newest Palaearctic weevil catalogue (ALONSO-ZARAZAGA et al., 2017) or in the Fauna Europaea (ALONSO-ZARAZAGA et al., 2013, https://fauna-eu.org/). In this paper L. glabrirostris, found in a single locality on Mt Goč, is registered as the third representative of the genus Liparus Olivier, 1807 in Serbia. Hylobius abietis is a serious, widely distributed conifer pest, but was not faunistically registered for Serbia till now. Some ecological data and distribution maps with Serbian locations are given for both species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 76-year literature survey and meta-analyses were carried out to recognize the trends, biases, and knowledge gaps of studies focusing on major groups of compounds of botanical origin, or phytochemicals, as insecticides. The survey found that the main phytochemicals prospected as insecticides belong to the following major chemical groups: terpenoids, terpenes, and carbonyl, all of which were tested, mainly against beetles (Coleoptera), caterpillars (i.e., larvae of Lepidoptera), and mosquitoes and other flies (i.e., Diptera). These studies are burgeoning at an exponential rate, with an evident focus on mortality endpoint estimates, but they are also neglecting sublethal assessments. China and India in Asia, as well as Brazil in the Americas, were responsible for most studies. The majority of the papers used stored grain insects as experimental models, which limits the applicability and representativeness of the findings. As a result, the main modes of exposure tested were fumigation and contact, which leads to the prevalence of estimates of lethal concentration in these studies. Therefore, a broader range of insect species deserves testing, with suitable modes of exposure identifying and characterizing the main molecules responsible for the insecticidal activity, which is seldom performed. Attention to these needs will circumvent current biases and allow the recognition of the main patterns of association between the origin and structure of phytochemicals and their insecticidal effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Essential oils (EOs) from plants are promising products for pest management. This paper describes the chemical composition and repellent action of four EOs against Ulomoides dermestoides, a common pest on several stored products. Most abundant chemical components found in the EOs were sabinene, trans-β-caryophyllene, and α-humulene for phellandrene-rich Lippia origanoides; limonene and carvone for carvone-rich Lippia alba; geranial, geraniol, and neral for citral-rich Lippia alba; and α-guaiene, α-bulnesene, and patchoulol for Pogostemon cablin. The repellent bioactivity, carried out utilizing the area preference method, showed that all EOs displayed great repellency with low mortality rates, suggesting these natural mixtures can be used in formulations of repellents against stored grain pests. The essential oils (EOs) from bioactive species can provide an alternative tool for the management of stored grain insects that is less environmentally damaging than synthetic chemicals. The aim of this study was to assess the repellent action and toxicity of EOs obtained from phellandrene-rich Lippia origanoides, carvone-rich Lippia alba, citral-rich L. alba, and Pogostemon cablin aerial parts on adults of Ulomoides dermestoides. These EOs were isolated by hydrodistillation and characterized by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The repellency assay was carried out using the area preference method, and the toxicity evaluated utilizing a filter paper contact test. The major components (>10%) of the studied EOs were sabinene (16.9%), trans-β-caryophyllene (18.6%) and α-humulene (10.1%) for phellandrene-rich L. origanoides EO; limonene (40.1%) and carvone (37.7%) for carvone-rich L. alba EO; geranial (24.5%), geraniol (19.0%), and neral (11.9%) for citral-rich L. alba EO; and α-guaiene (13.3%), α-bulnesene (15.7%), and patchoulol (35.3%) for P. cablin EO. All EOs displayed 100% repellency at a concentration of 16 μL/mL, with lower toxicity than that elicited by the commercial repellent DEET. EO concentrations up to 8 µL/mL did not induce any mortality on the beetle. These findings show that the EOs provide active and safe molecules for natural repellent formulations to prevent and control insect infestations of stored products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]