Surveillance of ectoparasitic fungi Laboulbeniopsis termitarius thaxt and Antennopsis gallica buchli and heim on subterranean termite reticulitermes spp. in Japan

AbstractEctoparasitic fungi grow on the body surface of termites, and they might effect on behavior, reproductive, and survival of host termites. There are two common species of ectoparasitic fungi found on termite:Laboulbeniopsis gallicaThaxt andAntennopsis gallicaBuchli and Heim. In this study, the distribution ofL. termitariusandA. gallicainReticulitermesspp. colonies in Japan was observed. Meanwhile, the infection rate and strength ofL. termitariusandA. gallicawere discussed with references to the effects of environmental factors at the collections sites. In a total of 63 colonies ofReticulitermesspp. were collected from seventeen locations (from Hokkaido Prefecture to Okinawa Prefecture) in Japan. Five hundred workers and twenty soldiers from each colony were examined individually to see the infection ofL.termitariusandA.gallica. The survey showed thatL.termitariusdistributed in whole Japan andA.gallicahad a little bit restricted distribution. The infection rate of workers ofReticulitermesspp. varied among all locations: 0.10 – 16.10% for L.termitariusand 0 – 66.40% for A.gallica.No infected soldiers were observed. The negative relationship between temperature and infection rate was speculated in both fungi. Rearing the colonies in the laboratory might result in the spreading of the fungi in the colonies. Both fungi grew on any body parts of the termites. The trials for isolation and cultivation ofLaboulbeniopsis termitariusand A.gallicawith eight media did not succeed under the laboratory conditions.</jats:p

Functional structures of termite assemblage in changing habitats and ecosystems

Abstract Termite species diversity and assemblage structures differ in ecosystems and habitats. Termite distribution is also highly influenced by temperature, humidity and altitude. Greater species richness and greater density have been reported in humid forests than in arid or semiarid environments. However, termites biodiversity is known to be strongly affected by anthropogenic alteration, wich affect their functional assemblage structure. The humus-feeders were as the most sensitively affected, while the wood-feeders were the most resilient group among others. Therefore, the functional structures of termite communities in changing habitats and ecosystems are important subject to discuss in order to capture more understanding on termite and ecosystem relationship.</jats:p

Repellent activity of three essential oils against dengue and filarial vector mosquitoes

Abstract Cymbopogon nardus, Syzygium aromaticum, and Citrus sinensis have been well known to possess insecticidal activity. Here, we investigated the repellent activity of individual of three essential oils (C. nardus, S. aromaticum, C. sinensis) and a combination of essential oils (C. nardus + C. sinensis, C. nardus + S. aromaticum, and C. sinensis + S. aromaticum) against a dengue vector, Aedes aegypti and a filarial vector, Culex quinquefasciatus. The essential oils (1 mg) were smeared evenly on the surface of the left arm (three volunteers) and then subjected to 25 females of A. aegypti and C. quinquefasciatus in the cage. The number of landed mosquitos was observed every hour for 7 hours to determine the protection index (PI). The result showed that individuals of three essential oils and a combination of essential oils generated &gt; 90% of PI until 7 hours of application for both mosquitos species tested. Overall, the data demonstrated that individual of three essential oils, i.e., C. nardus, S. aromaticum, C. sinensis, and various combinations of essential oils (C. nardus + C. sinensis; C. nardus + S. aromaticum; C. sinensis + S. aromaticum) are promising as repellent agents against A. aegypti and C. quinquefasciatus.</jats:p

Examination of fecal pellet physical characteristics of an invasive drywood termite, Cryptotermes dudleyi (Isoptera: Kalotermitidae): A potential approach for species marker and non-destructive monitoring method

Abstract Cryptotermes, one of the major drywood termite genera in Indonesia, is a cryptic species that isolates their presence inside a wood piece. Due to its cryptic lifecycle hidden away inside wood, monitoring its presence and also identifying the corresponding species has been a difficult process. One of the Cryptotermes species, native to Java island, Indonesia, is Cryptotermes dudleyi. In this preliminary study, we used C. dudleyi as a species model to find out whether fecal pellet physical characteristics can be used as a stable species marker to assist in non-destructive monitoring surveillance. The characteristics used were maximum diameter, diagonal width of maximum diameter, and 2D surface area and area perimeter. The study used fecal pellets from orphaned and mature colonies and three different dietaries (grass, hardwood, and softwood) to check whether the characteristic value of fecal pellets is narrow over various influences. The results showed that each characteristic tends to have unique mean and also its unique value range which depends on their collection site condition. Due to unique means and value range, the species marker become not so accurate and not robust enough as consequences in accommodating these unique means and value range. On the other hand, employing completely new clustering based on like-like axiom on individual fecal pellets may results in robust species marker as long as adequate data comparison from other species fecal pellets to validate the species marker is available.</jats:p

The influence of dietary sources on the biological changes of a subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki

Abstract To understand the effects of various dietary sources on the biological changes of a subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, the three lignocelluloses, i.e: softwood, hardwood, and grass with the different of samples shape/size (intact and powdered) were subjected to C. formosanus, and we analysed the biological changes of C. formosanus workers (survival, body mass and the presence of protists). The results showed that at the end of observation, the survival, body mass and presence of Pseudotrichonympha grassii and Holomastigotoides hartmanni in the guts when consumed wood diets were much higher than those of the termite workers when consumed rice culm straw diet, whereas the presence of Spirotrichonympha leidyi in the guts were similar for all the samples. We failed to detect significant difference between intact and powdered diets from each lignocellulose, suggesting that the difference of lignocellulose shape/size (intact and powdered) had no effect on the biological changes of a subterranean termite, C. formosanus.</jats:p

Distribution record of the invasive drywood termite Cryptotermes domesticus (Haviland) in Riau Province, Sumatra Island, Indonesia

Abstract The domestic drywood termite, Cryptotermes domesticus (Haviland), has been referred to in past literature as a native species originating in the Southeast Asia region. The species come to prominence due to its destructive damage to a dried wood log by creating passages and nests inside the wood. Its economic importance makes the species one of the monitored species in inter-island transport as part of a biosecurity initiative by the Indonesian Government. In the present study, we collected drywood termites’ specimens from four locations in Riau Province, Sumatra Island, and conducted morphological identification. In the end, we verify the presence of C. domesticus in all four sites studied. This finding establishes the continued presence of the species in Sumatra, one of the areas reported as the native distribution of the species other than Java and Kalimantan following the Holmgren reports in 1913. We believe this report can be an addition to the current status of C. domesticus in Sumatra and also be an addition to the biosecurity initiative list of monitored species regarding the C. domesticus native range in Indonesia.</jats:p