The potential of the solitary parasitoid Microctonus brassicae for the biological control of the adult cabbage stem flea beetle, Psylliodes chrysocephala

The cabbage stem flea beetle (CSFB), Psylliodes chrysocephala L. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), is a major pest of oilseed rape, Brassica napus L. (Brassicaceae), within the UK and continental Europe. Following the withdrawal of many broad‐spectrum pesticides, most importantly neonicotinoids, and with increased incidence of pyrethroid resistance, few chemical control options remain, resulting in the need for alternative pest management strategies. We identified the parasitoid wasp Microctonus brassicae (Haeselbarth) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) within CSFB collected from three independent sites in Norfolk, UK. Parasitism of adult CSFB was confirmed, and wasp oviposition behaviour was described. Moreover, we show that within captive colonies parasitism rates are sufficient to generate significant biological control of CSFB populations. A sequence of the M. brassicae mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase 1 (MT‐CO1) gene was generated for rapid future identification. Moroccan specimens of Microctonus aethiopoides (Loan), possessing 90% sequence similarity, were the closest identified sequenced species. This study represents the first description published in English of this parasitoid of the adult cabbage stem flea beetle.© 2020 The Authors. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Netherlands Entomological Society This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The attached file is the published pdf

Revision of the genus Syntretus Foerster (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Euphorinae) from Europe

The species of the genus Syntretus Foerster, 1862 (including Falcosyntretus Tobias, 1965, and Exosyntretrus Belokobylskij, 1998) (Braconidae: Euphorinae; Syntretini) from Europe are revised and keyed. The genera Falcosyntretus Tobias, 1965, Exosyntretus Belokobylskij, 1998, and Parasyntretus Belokobylskij, 1993, are synonymised with Syntretus Foerster, 1862, and the second one is provisionally used as a subgenus (stat. rev.). The subgenus Exosyntretrus is reported for the first time from Europe and two new species are included. In total twenty species of the genus Syntretus Foerster are recognised (plus one species only known from literature: Syntretus dzieduszykii Niezabitowski, 1910), of which ten are new: Syntretus breviradialis spec. nov., S. flevo spec. nov., S. fuscicoxis spec. nov., S. fuscivalvis spec. nov., S. minimus spec. nov., S. ocularis spec. nov., S. shawi spec. nov., S. stenochora spec. nov., S. taegeri spec. nov., and S

Comparative proteome analysis of culture supernatant proteins from virulent Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv and attenuated M-bovis BCG Copenhagen

A comprehensive analysis of culture supernatant (CSN) proteins of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv was accomplished by combination of two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE), mass spectrometry, and N-terminal sequencing by Edman degradation. Analytical 2-DE gels resolved approximately 1250 protein spots from CSN of M. tuberculosis H37Rv, 381 of which were identified by mass spectrometry and/or Edman degradation. This study revealed 137 different proteins, 42 of which had previously been described as secreted. Comparative proteome analysis of CSN from virulent M. tuberculosis H37Rv and attenuated Mycobacterium bovis BCG Copenhagen identified 39 M. tuberculosis-specific spots containing 27 different proteins, representing candidate antigens for novel vaccines and diagnostics in tuberculosis. These included five proteins encoded by open reading frames absent from M. bovis BCG, e.g., early secretory antigen target (Esat6), as well as 22 novel differential proteins, such as acetyl-CoA C-acetyltransferase (Rv0243) and two putative Esat6-like proteins (Rv1198, Rv1793)

Primary sex-ratio and differential progeny survivorship in solitary haplo-diploid parasitoids.

A method of partitioning emergence sex-ratio to give estimates of primary sex-ratio and male and female offspring survival from oviposition to emergence in solitary haplo-diploid parasitoids is presented.This method is applied to sex-ratio data from a larval parasitoid, Aphidius ervi Haliday, and a pupal parasitoid, Coccygomimus turionella L., parasitizing a range of host types.There was no evidence of facultative control of primary sex-ratio in either species. Parasitoid emergence sex-ratios were similar for all host sizes attacked by C. turionella. In contrast, emergence sex-ratios of A.ervi showed a significant male bias in smaller hosts. This shift in emergence sex-ratio was attributable to differential progeny survival.Pre-emergence mortality in both species was a function of host size, with few offspring surviving from small hosts. This suggests that host size may be an important component in the dynamics of host-parasitoid interactions.The evolution of sex-ratio regulatory mechanisms in solitary haplo-diploid parasitoids is discussed in the context of parasitoid life-history. We suggest that there is a constraint to the evolution of the facultative control of primary sex-ratio in parasitoids attacking larval stages as a result of the uncertainty of future host resource acquisition rate