scholarly journals Infection of army ant pupae by two new parasitoid mites (Mesostigmata: Uropodina)

PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e3870 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian Brückner ◽  
Hans Klompen ◽  
Andrew Iain Bruce ◽  
Rosli Hashim ◽  
Christoph von Beeren

A great variety of parasites and parasitoids exploit ant societies. Among them are the Mesostigmata mites, a particularly common and diverse group of ant-associated arthropods. While parasitism is ubiquitous in Mesostigmata, parasitoidism has only been described in the genusMacrodinychus. Yet information about the basic biology of mostMacrodinychusspecies is lacking. Out of 24 formally described species, information about basic life-history traits is only available for three species. Here we formally describe two newMacrodinychusspecies, i.e.Macrodinychus hilpertaeandMacrodinychus derbyensis. In both species, immature stages developed as ecto-parasitoids on ant pupae of the South-East Asian army antLeptogenys distinguenda. By piercing the developing ant with their chelicera, the mites apparently suck ant hemolymph, ultimately killing host individuals. We compare infection rates among all studiedMacrodinychusspecies and discuss possible host countermeasures against parasitoidism. The cryptic lifestyle of living inside ant nests has certainly hampered the scientific discovery ofMacrodinychusmites and we expect that many more macrodinychid species await scientific discovery and description.

Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4903 (3) ◽  
pp. 393-404
Author(s):  
HIDEHO HARA ◽  
AKEO IWASAKI ◽  
AKIHIKO SHINOHARA

Taxonomic and biological notes are given for the East Asian sawfly Pristiphora ribisi Togashi, 1990, injurious to Ribes. The following new synonyms of this species are proposed: Pristiphora (Pristiphora) anivskiensis Haris, 2006, syn. nov., Pristiphora (Pristiphora) nigrocoreana Haris & Zsolnai, 2007, syn. nov. and Pristiphora grossulariae Anon., 1912 [a primary homonym of Pristiphora grossulariae Walsh, 1866], syn. nov. The lectotype of Pristiphora grossulariae Anon., 1912 is designated. Redescriptions of the adult and immature stages are given. The male is described for the first time. The life history and host plants are summarized. Its close relative, Pristiphora appendiculata (Hartig, 1837), is excluded from the fauna of Japan. 


Author(s):  
Thomas P. Agyekum ◽  
Paul K. Botwe ◽  
John Arko-Mensah ◽  
Ibrahim Issah ◽  
Augustine A. Acquah ◽  
...  

The rearing temperature of the immature stages can have a significant impact on the life-history traits and the ability of adult mosquitoes to transmit diseases. This review assessed published evidence of the effects of temperature on the immature stages, life-history traits, insecticide susceptibility, and expression of enzymes in the adult Anopheles mosquito. Original articles published through 31 March 2021 were systematically retrieved from Scopus, Google Scholar, Science Direct, PubMed, ProQuest, and Web of Science databases. After applying eligibility criteria, 29 studies were included. The review revealed that immature stages of An. arabiensis were more tolerant (in terms of survival) to a higher temperature than An. funestus and An. quadriannulatus. Higher temperatures resulted in smaller larval sizes and decreased hatching and pupation time. The development rate and survival of An. stephensi was significantly reduced at a higher temperature than a lower temperature. Increasing temperatures decreased the longevity, body size, length of the gonotrophic cycle, and fecundity of Anopheles mosquitoes. Higher rearing temperatures increased pyrethroid resistance in adults of the An. arabiensis SENN DDT strain, and increased pyrethroid tolerance in the An. arabiensis SENN strain. Increasing temperature also significantly increased Nitric Oxide Synthase (NOS) expression and decreased insecticide toxicity. Both extreme low and high temperatures affect Anopheles mosquito development and survival. Climate change could have diverse effects on Anopheles mosquitoes. The sensitivities of Anopeheles mosquitoes to temperature differ from species to species, even among the same complex. Notwithstanding, there seem to be limited studies on the effects of temperature on adult life-history traits of Anopheles mosquitoes, and more studies are needed to clarify this relationship.


1991 ◽  
Vol 123 (1) ◽  
pp. 211-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter de Groot ◽  
John H. Borden

AbstractThe jack pine tip beetle, Conophthorus banksianae McPherson (Coleoptera: Scolytidae), has been distinguished from its sibling species, C. resinosae Hopkins, partly because immature stages were present in the field longer and because it may be bivoltine. A life history study of the tip beetle revealed it is univoitine, overwintering as an adult. The developmental period of C. banksianae from eggs to adults is about the same as that for C. resinosae. As in C. resinosae, adult C. banksianae usually mate in the spring, but some mate the previous fall. Mating occurs on or in the host. Female-biased sex ratios are found consistently throughout the life cycle of C. banksianae and in overwintering adults of C. resinosae. In Ontario, oviposition galleries are initiated in the old shoots until mid-June, thereafter in new shoots. Peak oviposition is completed before new shoots have fully elongated. The very similar life history traits of C. banksianae and C. resinosae suggest the species are closely related, if not the same species as recently proposed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 650 ◽  
pp. 7-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
HW Fennie ◽  
S Sponaugle ◽  
EA Daly ◽  
RD Brodeur

Predation is a major source of mortality in the early life stages of fishes and a driving force in shaping fish populations. Theoretical, modeling, and laboratory studies have generated hypotheses that larval fish size, age, growth rate, and development rate affect their susceptibility to predation. Empirical data on predator selection in the wild are challenging to obtain, and most selective mortality studies must repeatedly sample populations of survivors to indirectly examine survivorship. While valuable on a population scale, these approaches can obscure selection by particular predators. In May 2018, along the coast of Washington, USA, we simultaneously collected juvenile quillback rockfish Sebastes maliger from both the environment and the stomachs of juvenile coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch. We used otolith microstructure analysis to examine whether juvenile coho salmon were age-, size-, and/or growth-selective predators of juvenile quillback rockfish. Our results indicate that juvenile rockfish consumed by salmon were significantly smaller, slower growing at capture, and younger than surviving (unconsumed) juvenile rockfish, providing direct evidence that juvenile coho salmon are selective predators on juvenile quillback rockfish. These differences in early life history traits between consumed and surviving rockfish are related to timing of parturition and the environmental conditions larval rockfish experienced, suggesting that maternal effects may substantially influence survival at this stage. Our results demonstrate that variability in timing of parturition and sea surface temperature leads to tradeoffs in early life history traits between growth in the larval stage and survival when encountering predators in the pelagic juvenile stage.


2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 195-200
Author(s):  
Ufuk Bülbül ◽  
Halime Koç ◽  
Yasemin Odabaş ◽  
Ali İhsan Eroğlu ◽  
Muammer Kurnaz ◽  
...  

Age structure of the eastern spadefoot toad, Pelobates syriacus from the Kızılırmak Delta (Turkey) were assessed using phalangeal skeletochronology. Snout-vent length (SVL) ranged from 42.05 to 86.63 mm in males and 34.03 to 53.27 mm in females. Age of adults ranged from 2 to 8 years in males and 3 to 5 years in females. For both sexes, SVL was significantly correlated with age. Males and females of the toads reached maturity at 2 years of age.


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