BACKGROUND The main object of this experimental work was to practise laboratory production both adult and the larval stage of Hymenolepis diminuta with conventional modification to make further studies easier. MATERIALS #ENTITYSTARTX00026; METHOD Adults H. diminuta were collected from urban rats in Tehran, Iran. The beetles became infected using blended gravid segments with flour as bait. Cy...

The efficacy of diatomaceous earth (DE) to control stored-products Coleoptera on stored grain was examined against several populations of the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst). Four commercially available DE formulations were tested: INSECTO, Perma-GuardTM, Protect-It and the diatomite used for the production of Dryacide, each at six concentrations (100-1000 ppm). A great variation...

Nutrition, via the insulin/insulin-like growth factor (IIS)/Target of Rapamycin (TOR) signaling pathway, can provide a strong molding force for determining animal size and shape. For instance, nutrition induces a disproportionate increase in the size of male horns in dung and rhinoceros beetles, or mandibles in staghorn or horned flour beetles, relative to body size. In these species, well-fed ...

The origin and integration of novel traits are fundamental processes during the developmental evolution of complex organisms. Yet how novel traits integrate into pre-existing contexts remains poorly understood. Beetle horns represent a spectacular evolutionary novelty integrated within the context of the adult dorsal head, a highly conserved trait complex present since the origin of insects. We...

Specific IgE to proteins from Tribolium confusum (TC), a flour beetle, was detected in 9/125 sera of subjects exposed to rye and wheat flour. TC RAST was not inhibited by Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, rye or wheat flour. Immunoblot experiments showed specific binding to three proteins from adult TC or pupae, not present in rye or wheat flour. These findings suggest that TC might act as an occ...

The influence of four cereals namely, flours of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.)Moench) and maize (Zea mays L.)on the growth and development of T. castaneum was investigated at ambient tropical laboratory conditions of 30±3 ̊C and relative humidity of 75±5%. The antinutrients, mineral profile and proximate compositions of the four flour ...