The tribe Anthocorini in Japan (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae): descriptions of new species, review of distribution and bionomics

Japanese Anthocorini are reviewed. A total of five genera and 13 species were identified, including two new species described below: Temnostethus mirificus sp. nov. and Anthocoris venustus sp. nov. Previous records of Anthocoris miyamotoi Hiura, 1959 from Japan are considered to be confused with A. venustus sp. nov. Anthocoris nemoralis (Fabricius, 1794), which is a common and widespread species in Europe, is recorded in Japan for the first time; it is assumed to have been accidentally introduced into Japan recently. Temnostethus distans Kerzhner, 1973 and Anthocoris kalopanacis Kerzhner, 1977 are newly recorded in Japan proper. Male and female genitalia are illustrated and described for most of the treated species. Identification keys to the genera and species that occur in Japan are provided. Bionomics are provided for each species. Detailed locality information and distribution maps in Japan are presented for all Japanese species and their zoogeography is discussed.

Development of a multi-primer metabarcoding approach to understand trophic interactions in agroecosystems

Knowing which arthropod and plant resources are used by generalist predators in agroecosystems is important to understand trophic interactions and the precise ecological role of each predatory species. To achieve this objective, molecular approaches, such as the use of high-throughput sequencing (HTS) platforms are key. This study develops a multi-primer metabarcoding approach and explores its suitability for the screening of the most common trophic interactions of two predatory species of arthropod with contrasted morphology, Rhagonycha fulva (Coleoptera: Cantharidae) and Anthocoris nemoralis (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) collected in an organic peach crop. To save time and cost in this metabarcoding approach, we first evaluated the effect of two different predator-pool sizes (10 and 23 individuals of the same species), as well as the performance of using one or two primer pairs in the same library. Our results show that the analysis of 23 individuals together with the use of two primer pairs in the same library optimizes the HTS analysis. With these best-performing conditions, we analyzed whole bodies of field-collected predators as well as the washing solutions used to clean the insect bodies. Results showed that we were able to identify both, gut content (i.e. diet) as well as external pollen load (i.e. on the insects body), respectively. This study also demonstrates the need of washing predatory insects prior to HTS analysis when the target species have a considerable size and hairy structures. This metabarcoding approach has a high potential for the study of trophic links in agriculture, revealing both expected and unexpected trophic relationships.

The Jumping Plant-Lice of Madeira Archipelago and Selvagens Islands (Hemiptera: Psylloidea) — New Records, Updated Checklist and Notes on Some Natural Enemies

The fauna of Psylloidea from Madeira Archipelago and Selvagens Islands is updated with the addition of four new records: Acizzia uncatoides, Cacopsylla fulguralis, Ctenarytaina spatulata and Platycorypha nigrivirga. The list of psyllids known from these islands now comprises 21 species. Two species of psyllids are cited for the first time from Selvagens Islands. Natural enemies associated with psyllids are cited as new records for Madeira, namely the anthocorid bug Anthocoris nemoralis and the encyrtid parasitoid wasp Psyllaephagus pilosus .

Depredación potencial de hemípteros comerciales sobre huevos de Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae)

Drosophila suzukii es una especie exótica y plaga invasora (originaria del sudeste asiático) que afecta a varios cultivos importantes en Europa y América, entre ellos se destacan los frutos rojos. Este trabajo analiza el potencial depredador de hemípteros comerciales sobre huevos de D. suzukii en condiciones de laboratorio utilizando frutos de arándano. Se llevaron a cabo tres tipos de tratamientos: frutos con puesta + depredador, fruto sin puesta + depredador (control) y fruto sin puesta sin depredador (control). Al cabo de 72 h, se retiraron los depredadores anotando el número de hemípteros vivos y muertos. El número de adultos emergidos por fruto se comparó con el del tratamiento control. Se compararon los promedios del número de depredadores vivos y muertos en contacto con frutos con puesta con el de los depredadores vivos y muertos en contacto con fruto sin puesta. Entre los depredadores seleccionados para el estudio, sólo Anthocoris nemoralis produjo una reducción significativa del número de adultos emergidos por fruto (alrededor del 50 %). No se encontraron diferencias significativas en el número medio de adultos emergidos de D. suzukii en los tratamientos de Orius laevigatus, Macrolophus pygmaeus y Nesidiocoris tenuis, si bien este último mostró una mayor tasa de supervivencia en presencia de fruto infestado. Estudios pormenorizados, a mayor escala, son necesarios para confirmar el potencial de depredador de A. nemoralis sobre huevos de D. suzukii.

The effects of plant cover on population of pear psylla (Cacopsylla pyricola) and its predators

<p><em></em><em>Cacopsylla</em> <em>pyricola</em> (Förster, 1848) (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) is a serious pest of pear in all pear growing areas. In the scope of an integrated pest management, a two consecutive years study was carried out to determine the effects of plant cover on pear psyllid population and its predators. Two treatments including plant cover and bare ground were applied in a randomized complete block design with three replicates. The sampling of the pest and its predators were done weekly by beating technique and leaf sampling. The data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results showed that plant cover had significant effect on the increase of predators on the trees (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.001). The psyllid specialist predator, <em>Anthocoris nemoralis </em>(Fabricius, 1794), had the highest population among the pear psyllid predators (0.29 per sample). Plant cover had no significant effect on reducing the population of eggs, nymphs and adults of the pear psyllid. Despite the increase in the population of predators led by plant cover, lack of their effectiveness to reduce the pear psyllid population is discussed.</p>

Predators and parasitoids of Cacopsylla pyri (L.) (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) in Serbia

The presence of C. pyri and its natural enemies was studied in both treated and untreated pear orchards in Serbia from 2005 to 2009. Five parasitoid and 21 predator species were identified as present on a considerable number of sites. The following parasitoid species were found: Prionomitus mitratus (Dalman), Psyllaephagus procerus Marcet, Syrphophagus ariantes (Walker), Syrphophagus taeniatus (F?rster) and Tamarixia sp. In the study, the species Psyllaephagus procerus, Syrphophagus ariantes and Tamarixia sp. were for the first time identified as parasitoids of C. pyri and as new species in the Serbian fauna. Among the parasitoids determined, Prionomitus mitratus predominated. Of the predators, the following species in four orders were registered: Dermaptera [Forficula auricularia Linnaeus (Forficulidae)], Heteroptera [Anthocoris nemoralis (Fabricius), Anthocoris nemorum (Linnaeus), Orius (Heterorius) minutus (Linnaeus), Orius (Heterorius) niger Wolff (Anthocoridae), Campylomma verbasci (Mayer-D?r), Deraeocoris (Deraeocoris) ruber (Linnaeus) and Deraeocoris (Knightocarsus) lutescens (Schilling) (Miridae)], Neuroptera [Chrysopa pallens Rambur, Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens), Chrysopa sp. (Chrysopidae)], and Coleoptera [Coccinella septempunctata Linnaeus, Adalia bipunctata Linnaeus, Adalia decempunctata (Linnaeus), Hippodamia tredecimpunctata (Linnaeus), Hippodamia variegata (Goeze), Propylea quatuordecimpunctata (Linnaeus), Calvia (Anisocalvia) quatuordecimguttata (Linnaeus) (Coccinellidae), Cantharis rustica Fall?n, Rhagonycha fulva (Scopoli) and Rh. testacea (Linnaeus) (Cantharidae)]. Of the predators determined, 12 species were registered for the first time as predators of C. pyri in Serbia, while C. rustica, Rhagonycha fulva and Rh. testacea have so far been known neither in Serbia nor in the world as predators of pear suckers.