Intraguild predation (IGP) takes place when natural enemies that use similar resources attack each other. The impact of IGP on biological control can be significant if the survival of natural enemy species is disrupted. In the present study, we assessed whether Geocoris punctipes (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae) engages in IGP on Eretmocerus eremicus (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) while developing on whitefl...

Aspects related to hatching, lifetime, number of blood meals for molting, mortality, feeding time, and postfeeding defecation delay were evaluated and compared in each instar of three North American Triatominae: Triatoma gerstaeckeri, Triatoma lecticularia and Triatoma protracta, all of them fed on rabbits. No significant differences (p > 0.05) were found among the three species regarding mean ...

Linguatula serrata is an arthropod of the class pentastomida, found worldwide. It has a zoonotic importance to humans either by ingestion of nymphs (nasopharyngeal linguatulosis) or by ingestion of eggs (visceral linguatulosis). This study aimed to record the prevalence rate of this zoonotic parasite in camels and goats as well as experimental infestation of dogs to collect and identify the adu...

During habitat selection, the presence of conspecifics can frequently drive a nonuniform distribution of animals across habitats of equivalent quality. In group-living species, subgroups of individuals might display mutual attraction while differing in their preferences for environmental resources. The final decision to settle requires individuals to integrate both environmental and social cues...

BACKGROUND The study describes the estimation of the spatial distribution of questing nymphal tick densities by investigating Ixodes ricinus in Southwest Germany as an example. The production of high-resolution maps of questing tick densities is an important key to quantify the risk of tick-borne diseases. Previous I. ricinus maps were based on quantitative as well as semi-quantitative categori...

The protective capacity of the crude extracts from larval and nymphal stages of Hyalomma anatolicum anatolicum was examined in the New Zealand white rabbits. The rabbits were randomly divided into 3 groups of five animals. The rabbits in groups 1 and 2 were immunized with crude extracts of larval and nymphal antigens, respectively and group 3 was served as control. Following challenge of each r...

All life stages (adult female and male, first-instar nymph, second-instar male and female nymphs, and prepupa and pupa) of a new species of Asterolecaniidae, Bambusaspis transversa Lagowska & Martin sp. n., from bamboo in Malaysia, are described and illustrated. The adult female and first-instar nymphs are compared with those Bambusaspis species considered to be closest to the new species.

We report cases of Simuliidae and Chironomidae living on Lachlania nymphs (Ephemeroptera). This is the first record of these associations in South America. Simulium exiguum (pupae and larvae), Simulium cuasiexiguum (larvae), Cricotopus sp. (larva) and Rheotanytarsus sp. (larva) were found associated with Lachlania nymphs. We believe that all of these associations can be classified as opportunis...

We genotyped Borrelia burgdorferi strains detected in larvae of Ixodes scapularis removed from songbirds and compared them with those found in host-seeking I. scapularis nymphs sampled throughout the eastern United States. Birds are capable of transmitting most known genotypes, albeit at different frequencies than expected based on genotypes found among host-seeking nymphs.

Shoot feeding by sucking insects is accepted as an adaptation to feeding where plant nutrients are most concentrated and/or of higher quality. Psylloids are an important hemipteran taxon, most of which are free-living and comprise many shoot feeding species, whose nutritional ecology has been largely ignored. I conducted a longitudinal study of Ctenarytaina eucalypti (Maskell) and C. bipartita ...