The cowpea weevil, Callosobruchus maculatus F. (Coleoptera: Bruchidae), is an important pest of stored cowpea, Vigna ungiculata (L.) Walpers (Fabales: Fabaceae), with ample distribution in tropical and subtropical regions. Many plant essential oils have a broad-spectrum activity against pest insects, and these oils traditionally have been used in the protection of stored products. In this study...

In total, 339 faba bean (Vicia faba L.) and 100 pea (Pisum sativum L.) accessions were screened for their ability to resist Callosobruchus chinensis L. in free choice laboratory tests. Four, 15, and 43 faba bean varieties were highly resistant, resistant, and moderately resistant to C. chinensis, respectively. Three immune, three highly resistant, and six resistant accessions were discovered am...

Ejaculate size in seed beetles (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) is subject to both sexual and fecundity selection. We examined interpopulation variation and inheritance of ejaculate size in the seed beetle Callosobruchus maculatus (F.). There was signiÞcant variation among three populations in both body mass and the proportion of a maleÕs body mass that was transferred to females during mating. The seed...

SHIMAMURA, R., N. KACHI (Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Hachioji 192-0397, Japan), H. KUDOH (Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Kobe University, Kobe 657-8501, Japan), AND D. F. WHIGHAM (Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, MD 21037). Visitation of a specialist pollen feeder Althaeus hibisci Olivier (Coleop...

Bean beetles (Bruchinae) are a taxon of seed predators and several species economically significant stored product pests. Seed quality may affect adult life history traits, with consequences for their population dynamics. We investigated if variation in host (poor quality: lentil; high mung bean) as experienced by the parental (i.e. individuals ovipositing) generation natal study emerging from ...

Bacterial symbionts can promote insecticide resistance in their hosts by isolating and degrading insecticidal compounds or altering the expression of host genes. Although Wolbachia, a common endosymbiont arthropods, typically does not influence resistance, there are cases increased decreased susceptibility. Due to restrictions applying conventional insecticides stored product setting, studies o...

Despite the fact that many plant-feeding insects are pests, little effort has been made to identify key evolutionary trait transitions that allow taxa to acquire or lose pest status. A large proportion of species in the genus Callosobruchus are economically important pests of stored, dry postharvest beans of the tribe Phaseoleae. However, the evolution of this feeding habit is poorly understood...