European grapevine moth, Lobesia botrana. Part I: Biology and ecology.

Though the European grapevine moth, Lobesia botrana (Denis & Schiffermüller) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) can feed on more than forty plant species, grapevine is the preferred crop worldwide. This moth is a western palearctic species that has recently spread to Chile, Argentina, and California. The possible further expansion in other regions of the Americas is greatly feared and should be monitored carefully in the near future. In this framework, we provide an updated review of the current knowledge on its taxonomy, morphology, biology, ecology, genomics, geographic distribution, and invasiveness. Then, in the last section, we develop a research agenda pointing out significant challenges for future investigations on bio-ecology and invasion biology, which are tightly connected with the prevention and management strategies

European grapevine moth, Lobesia botrana. Part II: Prevention and management.

Lobesia botrana (Denis & Schiffermüller) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), commonly known as the European grapevine moth (EGVM), is a primary pest of vineyards. This article provides an updated review of its monitoring, modelling, and management tools. EGVM management strategies analysed here include insecticide-based control, insecticide resistance, side-effects (particularly those caused by the exposure to sublethal doses of pesticides), cultural control, sterile insect technique, pheromone-mediated control strategies (with special reference to pheromone-based mating disruption), biological control, and area-wide control programs. Lastly, we outline significant challenges for future EGVM research and sustainable control implementation

First Record Of Parasitism Of Cockroaches (Blattaria : Blattellidae) By Anisia Optata (Diptera : Tachinidae)

Volume: 113Start Page: 303End Page: 30

First description of substrate-borne signals emitted by males of Macrolophus pygmaeus

Vibrational communication is widespread in insects where it represents the main communication channel for more than 70% of the families. The sexual behaviour of numerous species is charecterized by the use of substrate-borne signals. In Heteroptera the vibrational communication has been deeply investigated in the Pentatomidae family, but very little is known about other families, including the Miridae for which olfaction has always been considered the main intraspecific communication channel. Macrolophus pygmaeus (Rambur) (Hemiptera: Miridae) is an economically relevant species for the biological control of several pests in the Mediterranean region. In Europe, it is commercially reared for biological control of whiteflies Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood) and Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Sternorrhyncha: Aleyrodidae) in tomato greenhouses. In the present study we investigated the ability of M. pigmeus males to produce substrate-borne signals during mating behaviour. Two different experiments were carried out using a laser vibrometer. The first one aimed to record the vibrational signals produced by a male on a tobacco leaf in three situations: male alone, male with a female and male with another male. The second experiment used a minishaker to playback male signals to evaluate if they affect the behaviour of conspecifics. The results showed that males of M. pygmaeus can emit two different substrate-borne signals that we onomatopoeically called “roaring”, a long broadband signal produced by a continous oscillation, and “yelping”, a train of short repeated signals with harmonic structure. We also found that the playback of “roaring” modifies the behaviour of listening? (receiver?) males, in terms of increased locomotion. Yelping, instead did not induce any significant variation either in listening males or females. This signal, however, was always recorded in test 1 before mating attempts. This suggests that yelping would function as stimulus of male acceptance from a female. In conclusion, this is the first report of the use of substrate-borne vibrational signals by a Miridae species for mating behaviour and a contribution to better understand its reproductive biolog

Enzymatic detoxification strategies for neurotoxic insecticides in adults of three tortricid pests

International audienceWe examined the role of the most important metabolic enzyme families in the detoxification of neurotoxic insecticides on adult males and females from susceptible populations of Cydia pomonella (L.), Grapholita molesta (Busck), and Lobesia botrana (Denis & Schiffermuller). The interaction between the enzyme families - carboxylesterases (EST), glutathione-S-transferases (GST), and polysubstrate monooxygenases (PSMO) - with the insecticides - chlorpyrifos, lambda-cyhalothrin, and thiacloprid - was studied. Insect mortality arising from the insecticides, with the application of enzyme inhibitors - S,S,S-tributyl phosphorotrithioate (DEF), diethyl maleate (DEM), and piperonyl butoxide (PBO) - was first determined. The inhibitors' influence on EST, GST, and PSMO activity was quantified. EST and PSMO (the phase-I enzymatic activities) were involved in the insecticide detoxification in the three species for both sexes, highlighting the role of EST, whereas GST (phase-II enzymes) was involved only in G. molesta insecticide detoxification. L. botrana exhibited, in general, the highest level of enzymatic activity, with a significantly higher EST activity compared with the other species. It was the only species with differences in the response between sexes, with higher GST and PSMO activity in females than in males, which can be explained as the lower susceptibility of the females to the tested insecticides. A positive correlation between PSMO activity and the thiacloprid LD(50)s in the different species-sex groups was observed explaining the species-specific differences in susceptibility to the product reported in a previous study

Substrate-borne vibrational signals in mating communication of Macrolophus bugs

The mirid bugs Macrolophus pygmaeus and M. costalis use substrate-borne vibrational signals during pair formation and in male-male interactions as determined by laser vibrometry. The vibrational communication of Macrolophus is more complex than in other mirids, with a signal repertoire composed of two elements, only produced by males, while the females are mute. The “yelp” signal consists of one or several consecutive brief pulses with harmonic structure and is commonly produced by stationary males before mating, as a key-element of courtship. “Yelping” is also associated with contacts between males. The “roar” signal differs from “yelps” in that it has a broadband frequency pattern, a longer and more variable duration than “yelping”, and is produced by males in association with walking on the leaf. Playback experiments did not affect male vibration emission, but when “roaring” was used as stimulus, it elicited a significant increase in the time spent walking. We detected significant differences between M. costalis and M. pygmaeus in some spectral parameters of the “roar” and “yelp” signals, so these signals could contain species-specific information. We conclude that “roaring” and “yelping” vibrational signals are used by Macrolophus in social communication, in particular in the context of mating behavior

Unusual macrocyclic lactone sex pheromone of Parcoblatta lata, a primary food source of the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker

Wood cockroaches in the genus Parcoblatta, comprising 12 species endemic to North America, are highly abundant in southeastern pine forests and represent an important prey of the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker, Picoides borealis. The broad wood cockroach, Parcoblatta lata, is among the largest and most abundant of the wood cockroaches, constituting >50% of the biomass of the woodpecker's diet. Because reproduction in red-cockaded woodpeckers is affected dramatically by seasonal and spatial changes in arthropod availability, monitoring P. lata populations could serve as a useful index of habitat suitability for woodpecker conservation and forest management efforts. Female P. lata emit a volatile, long-distance sex pheromone, which, once identified and synthesized, could be deployed for monitoring cockroach populations. We describe here the identification, synthesis, and confirmation of the chemical structure of this pheromone as (4Z,11Z)-oxacyclotrideca-4,11-dien-2-one [= (3Z,10Z)-dodecadienolide; herein referred to as “parcoblattalactone”]. This macrocyclic lactone is a previously unidentified natural product and a previously unknown pheromonal structure for cockroaches, highlighting the great chemical diversity that characterizes olfactory communication in cockroaches: Each long-range sex pheromone identified to date from different genera belongs to a different chemical class. Parcoblattalactone was biologically active in electrophysiological assays and attracted not only P. lata but also several other Parcoblatta species in pine forests, underscoring its utility in monitoring several endemic wood cockroach species in red-cockaded woodpecker habitats