The Insect Telepresence project combines expertise from the robotics and human-computer interaction communities to create a robot exhibit that enables telepresence in scale. The underlying mission of this work is educational: to promote appreciation for insect life and small-scale complexity through exploration of live insect colonies. In this article we describe the robot hardware and software...

The multifunctional ‘insect kinins’ share the evolutionarily conserved C-terminal pentapeptide motif Phe-X-X-Trp-Gly-NH2, where X 1 = His, Asn, Ser, or Tyr and X = Ser, Pro, or Ala; and are associated with the regulation of diuresis in a variety of species of insects. We previously reported the functional expression of a southern cattle tick (Boophilus microplus) G protein-coupled receptor that...

Cochineal is the name of both crimson or carmine dye and the cochineal insect (Dactylopius coccus), a scale insect from which the dye is derived. There are other species in the genus Dactylopius which can be used to produce cochineal extract, but they are extremely difficult to distinguish from D. coccus, even for expert taxonomists, and the latter scientific name (and the use of the term "coch...

In this issue, Kamhawi et al. (2004) describe the identification of an insect galectin as the receptor for the stage-specific Leishmania adhesin lipophosphoglycan (LPG). This interaction is critical for parasite survival in the midgut of its sand fly vector. The results open new avenues for studies of insect immunity, transmission binding vaccines, and host-parasite coevolution.

Herbivorous insect species are constantly challenged with reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated from endogenous and exogenous sources. ROS produced within insects because of stress and prooxidant allelochemicals produced by host plants in response to herbivory require a complex mode of antioxidant defense during insect/plant interactions. Some insect herbivores have a midgut-based defense aga...

Ethiopia is remarkably rich in its biological, ecological and landscape diversity and is home to outstanding natural bio-resources such as a number of herbs, aromatic and medicinal plants. The present study was carried out to study the composition, distribution and economic importance of insect pests of prioritized aromatic (Mentha sp., lemon verbena, fennel, rosemary, rosadamascene, oregano, p...

Interspecific interactions between insect herbivores predominantly involve asymmetric competition. By contrast, facilitation, whereby herbivory by one insect benefits another via induced plant susceptibility, is uncommon. Positive reciprocal interactions between insect herbivores are even rarer. Here, we reveal a novel case of reciprocal feeding facilitation between above-ground aphids (Amphoro...

Ethiopia is remarkably rich in its biological, ecological and landscape diversity and is home to outstanding natural bio-resources such as a number of herbs, aromatic and medicinal plants. The present study was carried out to study the composition, distribution and economic importance of insect pests of prioritized aromatic (Mentha sp., lemon verbena, fennel, rosemary, rosadamascene, oregano, p...