scholarly journals Parasitism of Soldiers of the Termite, Macrotermes gilvus (Hagen), by the Scuttle Fly, Megaselia scalaris (Loew) (Diptera: Phoridae)

Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 318
Author(s):  
Royto Noknoy ◽  
Sakone Sunantaraporn ◽  
Atchara Phumee ◽  
Padet Siriyasatien ◽  
Sunisa Sanguansub

Termites of the genus Macrotermes (Termitidae: Macrotermitinae) are serious agricultural and structural pests, which also play vital roles in ecosystem functioning, and are crucial for the maintenance of tropical biodiversity. They are widely distributed, mainly in Southeast Asian countries; however, the parasitism of termites has been little researched. This research was conducted to identify and study the ecology of the parasitoids of termites at Kasetsart University, Kamphaeng Saen Campus, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand. Macrotermes gilvus (Hagen) soldier termites were collected from 25 mounds. In four of the 25 mounds, scuttle fly larvae were found inside the bodies of the soldier termites, and adult flies were found in all of the mounds. Some of the larvae successfully developed to pupae under laboratory conditions. The percentages of parasitized major soldier termites collected from the four mounds were 43.79%, 47.43%, 0.86%, and 3.49%, respectively, and the percentages of parasitized minor soldier termites were 0.64%, 0.00%, 0.21%, and 0.00%, respectively. Larvae, pupae, and adult flies were identified using both morphological and molecular identifications. Molecular identification used the partial nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene. The results of both identification methods identified the parasitic Diptera as the scuttle fly, Megaselia scalaris (Loew) (Diptera: Phoridae). The phylogenetic analysis of the 23 scuttle fly samples (11 larvae, 7 pupae, and 5 adults) classified them into two clades: (1) Those closely related to a previous report in India; (2) those related to M. scalaris found in Asia and Africa. This is the first discovery of M. scalaris in M. gilvus. Further investgation into termite parasitism by M. scalaris and its possible use in the biological control of termites is needed.

Author(s):  
Sumaira Yousaf ◽  
Abdul Rehman ◽  
Mariyam Masood ◽  
Kazam Ali ◽  
Nazia Suleman

AbstractThe fall armyworm (FAW), an invasive pest of maize, is an emerging threat in Southern Asia after America and Europe. Recently, this notorious pest has also been found in different areas of Pakistan. To assess its presence in Pakistan, a survey was carried out in the provinces of Punjab, Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during May–October 2019. We observed the highest incidence of FAW in Sindh with maximum impact in districts Tando-Allahyar and Hyderabad. These samples were identified as Spodoptera frugiperda on the morphological and taxonomical bases. However, morphological identification of this pest is very difficult at early larval instars. Here, we use the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene region for the precise identification of larva of this invasive pest at species level. Two different regions of COI gene (COI-5′ and COI-3′) were used as molecular markers for the identification of this species. DNA sequence similarity searches of the obtained COI gene sequences (NCBI GenBank Accession Nos. MW241537, MW241538, MW349515, MW349516, MW349493 and MW349494) revealed that genetically it is more than 99% identical to S. frugiperda. The phylogenetic analysis indicated it as the rice-strain (R-strain). Both 3′- and 5′-fragment tree topologies showed that the collected samples of the FAW species belong to the R-strain. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report providing molecular evidence for the existence of R-strain of S. frugiperda that was found feeding on maize crop in Sindh, Pakistan, using COI gene sequences as a marker.


2009 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamish G. Spencer ◽  
Bruce A. Marshall ◽  
Jonathan M. Waters

The seven currently recognised New Zealand species in the gastropod genus Diloma Philippi, 1845 are an important component of New Zealand’s littoral biodiversity across a range of intertidal habitats. A new cryptic species in this genus (Diloma durvillaea, sp. nov.) is described largely on molecular grounds from exposed coasts of the South Island of New Zealand from Lyttelton south, as well as the Auckland Islands. The shell is very similar to D. arida (Finlay, 1926), differing subtly in having stronger spiral ribs and less extensive or no yellow spotting. Phylogenetic analysis of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene shows these two species are sister-taxa and are more distinct from each other (genetic distance 11.5%) than are the morphologically divergent sister-species D. subrostrata (Gray, 1835) and D. aethiops (Gmelin, 1791) (8.2%), also from New Zealand. The new species is found in a novel habitat for the genus, in the holdfasts and on the blades of the bull kelp, Durvillaea antarctica (Cham.) Har. (Phaeophyta), at the low-tide mark on exposed coasts, whereas D. arida occurs higher up on the shore, as well as in more sheltered situations.


Zootaxa ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 3096 (1) ◽  
pp. 41 ◽  
Author(s):  
TOMOYUKI KOMAI ◽  
CHIEN-HUI YANG ◽  
JUNJI OKUNO ◽  
TIN-YAM CHAN

The study of newly collected samples from Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, revealed that males of Pagurus pilosipes (Stimpson, 1858) have a prominent right sexual tube directed posterolaterally. Comparison of specimens previously identified as Pagurus pilosipes and newly collected specimens, combined with a molecular genetic analysis using partial sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene, shows that Stimpson’s taxon occurs in the Japanese mainland, the Ogasawara Islands, the Okinawa Islands, and Korea. Stimpson’s taxon is transferred to the genus Boninpagurus Asakura and Tachikawa, 2004. Based on morphological and molecular evidence, Boninpagurus acanthocheles Asakura & Tachikawa, 2004, the type species of Boninpagurus, is synonymized with B. pilosipes n. comb. Affinity of Boninpagurus is briefly discussed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 63
Author(s):  
ROHASLINDA BINTI RAMELE ◽  
YAMAZAKI JUICHI ◽  
MD NAJIB IBRAHIM ◽  
LILIS SHEREENA SAFIEE

This study aims to clarify regulations used among each type of registered and unregistered Malaysian homestays and to reveal issues arose regarding the implemented regulations. Selected homestays that are established by the government organizations and individuals were investigated to carry out the comparison on each homestay. Host families and persons in charge of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC), the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), and the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development (MRRD) were also interviewed. Findings showed that there is only one guideline used for all types of homestays in Malaysia, which is the Malaysia Homestay Registration Guideline, established by MOTAC. MOTAC has also been selected as a leader of homestays in the Southeast Asian countries by the ASEAN Secretariat; therefore, the ASEAN Homestay Standard is also being referred. However, the implementation of this guideline and standard among other homestays unregistered with MOTAC (homestays established by MOA, MRRD, and individuals) is not compulsory, although encouraged, where they may receive equal benefits in term of facilities and promotion. Some issues arose due to the tax regulated by the local authorities, failure on homestays to be registered with MOTAC, and abandoned homestays. This study recommended that the Malaysia Homestay Registration Guideline to be standardized and regulated to all types of homestays, including individuals and unregistered homestays in Malaysia. This is important in order to reduce issues arose involving the homestay industry, providing safety and comfort to the tourists and, to help to develop rural income among host families and the rural community themselves.Keywords: Rural tourism, homestay, regulation, management, operation


2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 120-136
Author(s):  
NGUYEN THANH LIEM ◽  
TRAN HUNG SON ◽  
HOANG TRUNG NGHIA

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (02) ◽  
pp. 1923-1929
Author(s):  
Nurhidayatuloh ◽  
Febrian ◽  
Mada Apriandi ◽  
Annalisa Y ◽  
Helena Primadianti Sulistyaningrum ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (12) ◽  
pp. 1118-1132
Author(s):  
Sidra Saleem ◽  
Haroon Ahmed ◽  
Tooba Siddiqui ◽  
Seyma Gunyakti Kilinc ◽  
Aisha Khan ◽  
...  

Schistosomiasis is a chronic parasitic disease caused by a trematode blood fluke of the genus Schistosoma that belongs to the Schistosomatidae family. It is a neglected disease in different regions of Asia. In this review, 218 articles (between 2000 and 2017) related to the topic were collected from PubMed and Google scholar and reviewed. After thoroughly reading collected articles, due to irrelevant topic requirements, 94 articles were excluded. Articles that have data associated with Asian regions are considered. In Asia, the disease is prevalent in China, Philippines, Indonesia, Yemen, Nepal and Laos, etc. While in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, the disease is not endemic and very few cases were reported. The disease was eliminated from Japan and Iran. The current review highlights the geographical distribution among Asian countries, transmission patterns, diagnosis, control strategies based on the use of anthelmintic plants and management practices implemented in Asia for the control of schistosomiasis. However, new implementations to treat schistosomiasis in humans should be proved to eliminate the disease finally in the future. This review emphasizes the biological control of schistosomiasis for the eradication of the disease from Asia in the near future.


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