Spined soldier bugs, Podisus maculiventris, are heteropteran insects that feed voraciously on other insects, particular the soft bodied larval forms of Lepidoptera and Coleoptera. The response of P. maculiventris Malpighian tubules (MTs) to serotonin and known diuretic and antidiuretic peptides has been investigated, and is compared with that of MT from the hematophagous and phytophagous hetero...

The Asian rice gall midge, Orseolia oryzae (Wood-Mason), is a serious pest of rice. Investigations into the gall midge-rice interaction will unveil the underlying molecular mechanisms which, in turn, can be used as a tool to assist in developing suitable integrated pest management strategies. The insect gut is known to be involved in various physiological and biological processes including dige...

Lepidoptera are one of the four major insect orders, and one of the best studied invertebrate groups, containing over 160,000 described species and an estimated equal number of undescribed species, arranged in 124 families (Kristensen et al. 2007). Lepidoptera occupy all except the very coldest terrestrial regions, but the Neotropics and Indoaustralian region have five times more species per un...

Many phytophagous insects and pathogens are highly specific in their host requirements, and will develop sub-optimally or not at all on biotypes of a plant species dissimilar from that on which they are collected. This clearly has major implications for the success of biological control. Chromolaena odorata has a native range stretching from the southern USA to northern Argentina. The species d...

Hemipteran insects are well-known in their ability to establish symbiotic relationships with bacteria. Among them, heteropteran insects present an array of symbiotic systems, ranging from the most common gut crypt symbiosis to the more restricted bacteriome-associated endosymbiosis, which have only been detected in members of the superfamily Lygaeoidea and the family Cimicidae so far. Genomic d...

In this study, we investigated the distribution of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in a riparian zone affected by the effluent from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). River water, sediment, aquatic invertebrates and samples from the surrounding terrestrial compartment such as soil, reed plants and several land based invertebrates were collected. A relatively narrow range of δ(13)C values was...

Choice of host plants by phytophagous insects is essential for their survival and reproduction. This choice involves complex behavioral responses to a variety of physical and chemical characteristics of potential plants for feeding. For insects of the order Hemiptera, these behavioral responses involve a series of steps including labial dabbing and probing using their piercing mouthparts. These...

The genetic divergence and evolution of new species within the geographic range of a single population (sympatric speciation) contrasts with the well-established doctrine that speciation occurs when populations become geographically isolated (allopatric speciation). Although there is considerable theoretical support for sympatric speciation, this mode of diversification remains controversial, a...

The use of macro-organisms for crop protection is one the four pillars biocontrol. These predators or parasitoids pests are used, by introduction conservation, in fields, greenhouses and orchards order to reduce impact sucking (sap-feeding) chewing (phytophagous) insects. However, plant not only usage these macro-organisms, category was recently expanded include global usefulness plants Europe....

(1) Communities of herbivorous insects feeding on the above-ground parts of bracken (Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn) were compared at matched open and woodland sites in the north of England (Skipwith Common) and the Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico (Sierra Blanca). (2) General supporting surveys of herbivores were also conducted throughout Britain and the south-western U.S.A. (Arizona and New Me...