Twelve new 4beta-halogenated benzoylamino compounds (7.1-7.12) of podophyllotoxin have been synthesized, and their structures were confirmed by IR, 1H-NMR, MS spectra as well as CHN elemental analysis. These compounds showed delayed insecticidal activity against 5th instar larvae of Pieris rapae Linnaeus in vivo, when tested by a leaf-dipping method at a concentration of 250ppm. By preliminary ...

Yersinia pseudotuberculosis is a bacterium pathogenic to humans and other mammals; however, its insecticidal activity has also been documented in laboratory studies. A small population of Apollo butterfly (Parnassius apollo), reconstituted from less than 30 individuals in 1990s, occurs in Pieniny National Park (Poland). In this report, we demonstrate that a DNA fragment specific to Y. pseudotub...

Parasitoid wasps lay female eggs or a high proportion of female eggs in favourable host insects because female wasps require many more resources during their development. Many studies have tested the effects of host physiological status on the sex allocation of parasitoids, but few have attempted to test the effects of host behavioural traits. Cotesia glomerata is a gregarious parasitoid wasp t...

The full primary structure of a long-wavelength absorbing visual pigment of the small white butterfly, Pieris rapae crucivora, was determined by molecular cloning. In situ hybridization of the opsin mRNA of the novel visual pigment (PrL) demonstrated that it is expressed in the two distal photoreceptor cells (R3 and R4) as well as in the proximal photoreceptors (R5-8) in all three types of omma...

Resources can be aggregated both within and between patches. In this article, we examine how aggregation at these different scales influences the behavior and performance of foragers. We developed an optimal foraging model of the foraging behavior of the parasitoid wasp Cotesia rubecula parasitizing the larvae of the cabbage butterfly Pieris rapae. The optimal behavior was found using stochasti...

A series of novel phenylurea derivatives were designed and synthesized according to the method of active groups linkage and the principle of aromatic groups bioisosterism in this study. The structures of the novel phenylurea derivatives were confirmed based on ESI-MS, IR and 1H-NMR spectral data. All of the compounds were evaluated for the insecticidal activity against the third instars larvae ...

The eye shine of butterflies from a large number of ommatidia was observed with a modified epi-illumination apparatus equipped with an objective lens of large numerical aperture. A few representative cases are presented: the satyrine Bicyclus anynana, the heliconian Heliconius melpomene, the small white Pieris rapae and the small copper Lycaena phlaeas. The colour of the eye shine is determined...