Increasing evidence shows that spermatogenesis is costly. As a consequence, males should optimize the use of their sperm to maximize their reproductive outputs in their lifetime. However, experimental evidence on this prediction is largely lacking. Here, we examine how a male moth Ephestia kuehniella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) responds to the presence of rivals or additional mates and how ...

In this study, a new Vairimorpha isolate was defined from Ephestia kuehniella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in Turkey (Malatya). Infection determined the host's hindgut, both larval and adult stages. Two types spore originated polymorphic sporulation detected during observations. While binucleate ovocylindrical fresh spores were measured 4.38 ± 0.31 μm (5.09–3.77 μm, n = 100) length 2.80 0.18...

A microsporidium that closely resembles Paranosema species at the level of the light microscope was isolated from the rusty grain beetle, Cryptolestes ferrugineus. It's identity as Nosema oryzaephili (originally described from Oryzaephilus surinamensis) was confirmed by comparison with a known isolate of N. oryzaephili based on spore size, small subunit rDNA sequence, and relative infectivity t...

Parasitoids learn olfactory and visual cues that are associated with their hosts, and use these cues to forage more efficiently. Classical conditioning theory predicts that encounters with high-quality hosts will lead to better learning of host-associated cues than encounters with low-quality hosts. We tested this prediction in a two-phase laboratory experiment with the parasitoid Trichogramma ...

The use of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) endotoxins to control insect vectors of human diseases and agricultural pests is threatened by the possible evolution of resistance in major pest species. In addition to high levels of resistance produced by receptor insensitivity (5, 16, 17), several cases of tolerance to low to medium levels of toxin have been reported in laboratory colonies of lepidopte...