FOOD PREFERENCE OF CHRYSOLINA FASTUOSA ADULTS (COLEOPTERA: CHRYSOMELIDAE)

Chrysolina fastuosa (Scopoli, 1763) is a widely distributed chrysomelid beetle in Europe. According to the literature C. fastuosa has been found in association with Lamiaceae plants such as Ballota nigra L., Galeopsis pubescens Besser, Lamium album L. and Urtica dioica L. (Urticaceae). Host plants have been referred often merely on plant genus level and many authors listed host plants for C. fastuosa which taxonomically differed significantly from one another. In spite of many references which mention consumption and/or association of Ch. fastuosa on stinging nettle, the author has almost never observed the beetle on Urtica species. This paper presents results of two laboratory experiments showing feeding preference of C. fastuosa adults concerning some Lamiaceae (B. nigra, Lamium purpureum L. and Lamium amplexicaule L.) but not on U. dioica. B. nigra seems to be one of the most preferable host plant species under natural and experimental conditions

Slight damage of the great green bush-cricket (Tettigonia viridissima) (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) in some Hungarian maize fields

Characteristic cricket damage was observed in two maize fields in northern Hungary, at Máriabesnyő, a district of Gödöllő. The damage level of the two fields did not differ significantly and continual monitoring of field1 showed also a stable infestation level. T. viridissima nymphs and a female were found and observed as feeding on maize plants. The crickets must have disappeared after 18.07. because no more fresh damage was observed after this date. The chewing’s number about on one and two % of the examined plants amounted one and six a plant and their size was between one and eight cm2. This infestation was quite little and might have caused apparently no yield loss. Compared this damage of T. viridissima with former Hungarian experience, this was the usual negligible damage despite the explicit draught in July and August 2015. As regards the global warming, orthopteran damage may be more obvious in the future

Nahrungsanalytische Untersuchungen an einigen mitteleuropäischen Chrysopiden-Imagines (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae).

Zur Bestimmung der natürlichen Nahrungsspektren von adulten Chrysopiden (Neuroptera, Chrysopidae) wurden 1816 Individuen von 7 Arten seziert und ihre Enddarminhalte mikroskopisch analysiert. Die Imagines wurden in einem unkultivierten Gebiet (natürliches Habitat) und in einem Garten in Gödöll (Nordungarn) gefangen. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, daß die relevanten Literaturdaten und die allgemeine Beurteilung der Nahrungsspektren adulter Chrysopiden nur einseitig deren natürliche Nahrung repräsentieren, wenn Florfliegenarten als karnivor und pollino-glycinophag betrachtet werden. Die Ergebnisse der mikroskopischen Analyse von Darminhalten (Pollen, Reduktionssaccharide von kristallinen Strukturen, Hefen, Sporen und Beutetierfragmenten) ermöglichen die Hypothese zweier Ernährungstypen innerhalb der Familie Chrysopidae: - 1. phytophag (glycino-pollinophag) (Chrysoperla carnea, Dichochrysa prasina). - 2. omnivor (Gattung Chrysopa): - omnivor mit überwiegend räuberischer Ernährungsweise, aber auch mit der Aufnahme pflanzlicher Nährstoffe als Ersatznahrung (Chrysopa pallens, Chrysopa viridana), - omnivor; die räuberische Ernährungsweise dominiert und pflanzliche Nahrung spielt nur eine geringere Rolle (Chrysopa perla, Chrysopa abbreviata, Chrysopa formosa).StichwörterNeuroptera, Chrysopidae, Chrysoperla carnea, Dichochrysa prasina, Chrysopa pallens, Chrysopa viridana, Chrysopa formosa, Chrysopa perla, Chrysopa abbreviata, adults, gut content analysis, Central Europe.The hind-gut contents of 1816 chrysopid adults (Neuroptera, Chrysopidae), of seven species were microscopically analyzed in order to determine their natural food. The individuals were collected in an uncultivated area (natural habitat) and a backyard orchard in Gödöll (in the north of Hungary). Pollen, yeasts, fungal spores and crystalline particles were found in considerable quantity even in species believed to be predaceous. These results suggest that adult chrysopids may have greater food diversity in nature than was previously known and according to their feeding habits the species can be divided at least into two groups: - 1. phytophagous (pollino-glycinophagous) (Chrysoperla carnea and Dichochrysa prasina). - 2. omnivorous (genus Chrysopa)- omnivorous with mainly predaceous preference but consuming also substances of plant origin in considerable quantity (Chrysopa pallens, Chrysopa viridana), - omnivorous with predominantly carnivorous preference, food of plant origin is needed only in small amounts (Chrysopa perla, Chrysopa abbreviata, Chrysopa formosa).KeywordsNeuroptera, Chrysopidae, Chrysoperla carnea, Dichochrysa prasina, Chrysopa pallens, Chrysopa viridana, Chrysopa formosa, Chrysopa perla, Chrysopa abbreviata, adults, gut content analysis, Central Europe

Host plant preference of Metcalfa pruinosa (Say, 1830) (Hemiptera: Flatidae) in the north of Hungary

Citrus flatid planthopper, a native insect to North America had for a long time a scarce economic importance there. However, being polyphagous made little damage on citrus trees and some ornamentals. In 1979 it was introduced to Italy where it established and spread quickly. It is now an invasive alien species continually spreading in South and Central Europe causing considerable damage in fruit crops and various ornamentals. Present study shows the results of a series of observations carried out from 2011 to 2015 at a number of habitats in north of Hungary. The pest could be found at each habitat but the hedge, the tree row, the gardens and the orchard/vineyard were the most infested. Frequency and population density of Metcalfa pruinosa were considerable on Asteraceae, Cannabaceae, Fabaceae, Juglandaceae, Lamiaceae, Rosaceae and Sapindaceae. Typical vegetation could be functionally classified as ornamental plants, trees/shrubs, fruit plants, weeds and feral plants. Feral plants – some of them also invasive alien species – were found at each habitat. Plant species native to America were among them the most populated. As the hedgerows were neglected, and most gardens, orchards and vineyards abandoned, these are excellent conditions for the quick and long-lasting establishment of the pest as well as they may be reservoirs to infest cultivated fruit crops and ornamentals. The hedgerow was situated along a railway line. The length of similar hedges can be merely in Pest county several hundred km, which means M. pruinosa has plenty of opportunity for spreading along the railway and infest agricultural and ornamental cultures. On the surveyed alfalfa and maize fields, accidentally very few nymphs and adults were observed. Although, the population density of M. pruinosa was considerable on many hostplants, economic damage or yield losses could not be detected. Economic or significant damage was observed only on roses, raspberries and stinging nettle. This later is cultivated in Germany and Finland. The applied horticultural oil was efficient

Sustainable landscape development and value rigidity: the Pirsig's monkey trap

New broader, adaptable and accommodating sets of themes have been proposed to help to identify, understand and solve sustainability problems. However, how this knowledge will foster decisions that lead to more desirable outcomes and analyses necessary to transition to sustainability remains a critical theoretical and empirical question for basic and applied research. We argue that we are still underestimating the tendency to lock into certain patterns that come at the cost of the ability to adjust to new situations. This rigidity limits the ability of persons, groups, and companies to respond to new problems, and can make it hard to learn new facts because we pre-select facts as important, or not, in line with our established values. Changing circumstances demand to reappraise values like in the case of Pirsig's monkey and its rice. There is an urgent need to go beyond such local, static and short-term conceptions, where landscape sustainability has been incorrectly envisioned as a durable, stable condition that, once achieved, could persist for generations. We argue that to manage a global transition toward more environmentally efficient and, therefore, more sustainable land-use we have to reappraise societal values at the root of overregulation and rigidity

Városi zöldfelületek dísznövényeihez régebben és újonnan alkalmazkodott, nem szípókás rovarfajok illat-hírközlésének feltárása = Revealing odour communications of some native and invasive non-sucking insects, adapted to ornamental plants in urban green areas

A városi zöldterületek egy invazív kártevője, a lepényfa-gubacsszúnyog (Dasineura gleditchiae, Dipt., Cecidomyiidae) és egy őshonos tölgyaknázó moly (Tischeria ekebladella, Lep., Tischeriidae) szexferomonját azonosítottuk, hogy merőben új kommunikációs csatornákat tárjunk fel, és hogy az előrejelzéshez csapdákat lehessen kifejleszteni. Az áttörést mindkét esetben a bioszenzoros gázkromatográffal értük el (GC-EAD), míg a szerkezetazonosítást és az izomér- / enanciomér-specifikus szintézist nemzetközi együttműködésben végeztük (NRI, UK; Univ. Hamburg, D). A gubacsszúnyog feromonja (2R,8Z)-2-acetoxy-8-heptadekánnak bizonyult. Ez új feromonszerkezetet képvisel. A csapdák rendkívül jónak bizonyultak (Budapest). Segítségükkel elsőként sikerült a terjedőben lévő kártevő felbukkanását észlelni Dél-Svédországban. A csapdák már megrendelhetők intézetünk Alkalmazott Kémiai Ökológiai Osztályától (Csalomon®). A tölgyaknázómoly feromonja (3Z,6Z,9Z,19Z)-tricosa-3,6,9,-19-tetraén, ami nemcsak új feromon, de a természetes anyagok körében is újdonság, és egyben az első azonosított feromon ebben a családban. Eredményeink azt jelzik, hogy a poliének először az ősi Tischeriidae családban jelentek meg a lepkék evolúciója során. Gyakorlati vonatkozás: a tetraénnel csalétkezett feromoncsapda alkalmazható ennek a kártevőnek a monitorozására. | We have identified the sex pheromone of an invasive gall midge Dasineura gleditchiae (Dipt., Cecidomyiidae), as well as of a native leaf miner Tischeria ekebladella (Lep., Tischeriidae), pests of trees in urban areas, in order to reveal new chemical communication systems and, as practical relevance, to develop new pheromone traps for monitoring. The break-through was achieved in both cases by pinpointing the active compounds by gas chromatography coupled to an antennal detector (GC-EAD), while structure elucidation (GC-MS), followed by isomer / enantiomer-selective syntheses were completed in international cooperation (NRI, UK; Univ. Hamburg, D). The pheromone of the gall midge was identified as (2R,8Z)-2-acetoxy-8-heptadecane. This is a new structure for insect pheromones. Newly developed traps proved to be highly attractive in Budapest. With their help, this expansive gall midge was first detected in Southern Sweden. Traps have already been commercialized by the Dept. Applied Chemical Ecology of our institute (Csalomon®). (3Z,6Z,9Z,19Z)-tricosa-3,6,9,-19-tetraene was identified as the pheromone of the leaf miner. This compound represents not only just a new pheromone structure, but also a new natural product, and also the first pheromone identified in this family. As for evolution of pheromones of Lepidoptera, our finding indicates that polienic pheromones were evolved first time in this ancient family. As for practical relevance, the tetrane may serve as bait for traps

Temporal instability of salience network activity in migraine with aura.

This study aims to investigate whether intra-network dynamic functional connectivity and causal interactions of the salience network is altered in the interictal term of migraine. 32 healthy controls, 37 migraineurs without aura and 20 migraineurs with aura were recruited. Participants underwent a T1-weighted scan and resting-state fMRI protocol inside a 1.5T MR scanner. We obtained average spatial maps of resting-state networks using group independent component analysis, which yielded subject-specific time series via a dual regression approach. Salience network ROIs (bilateral insulae and prefrontal cortices, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex) were obtained from the group average map via cluster-based thresholding. To describe intra-network connectivity, average and dynamic conditional correlation was calculated. Causal interactions between the default-mode, dorsal attention and salience network were characterised by spectral Granger's causality. Time-averaged correlation was lower between the right insula and prefrontal cortex in migraine without aura vs. with aura and healthy controls (p<0.038, p<0.037). Variance of dynamic conditional correlation was higher in migraine with aura vs. healthy controls and migraine with aura vs. without aura between the right insula and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (p<0.011, p<0.026), and in migraine with aura vs. healthy controls between the dorsal anterior cingulate and left prefrontal cortex (p<0.021). Causality was weaker in the <0.05 Hz frequency range between the salience and dorsal attention networks in migraine with aura (p<0.032). Overall, migraineurs with aura exhibit more fluctuating connections in the salience network, which also affect network interactions, and could be connected to altered cortical excitability and increased sensory gain