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Venoms of Heteropteran Insects: a Treasure Trove of Diverse Pharmacological Toolkits
Review Venoms of Heteropteran Insects: A Treasure Trove of Diverse Pharmacological Toolkits Andrew A. Walker 1,*, Christiane Weirauch 2, Bryan G. Fry 3 and Glenn F. King 1 Received: 21 December 2015; Accepted: 26 January 2016; Published: 12 February 2016 Academic Editor: Jan Tytgat 1 Institute for Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; [email protected] (G.F.K.) 2 Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA; [email protected] (C.W.) 3 School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; [email protected] (B.G.F.) * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +61-7-3346-2011 Abstract: The piercing-sucking mouthparts of the true bugs (Insecta: Hemiptera: Heteroptera) have allowed diversification from a plant-feeding ancestor into a wide range of trophic strategies that include predation and blood-feeding. Crucial to the success of each of these strategies is the injection of venom. Here we review the current state of knowledge with regard to heteropteran venoms. Predaceous species produce venoms that induce rapid paralysis and liquefaction. These venoms are powerfully insecticidal, and may cause paralysis or death when injected into vertebrates. Disulfide- rich peptides, bioactive phospholipids, small molecules such as N,N-dimethylaniline and 1,2,5- trithiepane, and toxic enzymes such as phospholipase A2, have been reported in predatory venoms. However, the detailed composition and molecular targets of predatory venoms are largely unknown. In contrast, recent research into blood-feeding heteropterans has revealed the structure and function of many protein and non-protein components that facilitate acquisition of blood meals. -
Good Water Ripples Volume 7 Number 4
For information contact: http://txmn.org/goodwater [email protected] Volume 7 Number 4 August/September 2018 Editor: Mary Ann Melton Fall Training Class Starts Soon Good Water Mas- ter Naturalist Fall Training Class will start Tuesday even- ing, September 4th. The class will meet UPCOMING EVENTS on Tuesday eve- nings from 6:00- 8/9/18 NPSOT 9:30 p.m. Some 8/13/18 WAG classes and field trips will be on Sat- 8/23/18 GWMN urdays. The first class is Tuesday, Austin Butterfly Forum 8/27/18 September 4. The 9/5/18 NPAT last class will be December 11. Cost is $150 and includes the comprehensive Texas Master 9/13/18 NPSOT Naturalist Program manual as well as a one year membership to the Good 9/20/18 Travis Audubon Water Chapter. For couples who plan to share the manual, there is a dis- count for the second student. 9/24/18 Austin Butterfly Forum Click here for online registration. The Tuesday classes will start at 6:00 9/27/18 GWMN p.m. and finish around 9:30. There are four Saturday field trips and classes planned. The schedule will be posted in the next week or so. Check back Check the website for additional here after August 15 for the link to the schedule. events including volunteer and training opportunities. The events Click here: https://txmn.org/goodwater/Training-class-online-application/ are too numerous to post here. for Online Training Registration David Robinson took our Spring Training Class this year. He says, "The Fall Training Class Starts Soon 1 Instructors & Speakers were absolutely fantastic. -
Camp Chiricahua July 16–28, 2019
CAMP CHIRICAHUA JULY 16–28, 2019 An adult Spotted Owl watched us as we admired it and its family in the Chiricahuas © Brian Gibbons LEADERS: BRIAN GIBBONS, WILLY HUTCHESON, & ZENA CASTEEL LIST COMPILED BY: BRIAN GIBBONS VICTOR EMANUEL NATURE TOURS, INC. 2525 WALLINGWOOD DRIVE, SUITE 1003 AUSTIN, TEXAS 78746 WWW.VENTBIRD.COM By Brian Gibbons Gathering in the Sonoran Desert under the baking sun didn’t deter the campers from finding a few life birds in the parking lot at the Tucson Airport. Vermilion Flycatcher, Verdin, and a stunning male Broad-billed Hummingbird were some of the first birds tallied on Camp Chiricahua 2019 Session 2. This was more than thirty years after Willy and I had similar experiences at Camp Chiricahua as teenagers—our enthusiasm for birds and the natural world still vigorous and growing all these years later, as I hope yours will. The summer monsoon, which brings revitalizing rains to the deserts, mountains, and canyons of southeast Arizona, was tardy this year, but we would see it come to life later in our trip. Rufous-winged Sparrow at Arizona Sonora Desert Museum © Brian Gibbons On our first evening we were lucky that a shower passed and cooled down the city from a baking 104 to a tolerable 90 degrees for our outing to Sweetwater Wetlands, a reclaimed wastewater treatment area where birds abound. We found twittering Tropical Kingbirds and a few Abert’s Towhees in the bushes surrounding the ponds. Mexican Duck, Common Gallinule, and American Coot were some of the birds that we could find on the duckweed-choked ponds. -
Occasional Invaders
This publication is no longer circulated. It is preserved here for archival purposes. Current information is at https://extension.umd.edu/hgic HG 8 2000 Occasional Invaders Centipedes Centipede Millipede doors and screens, and by removal of decaying vegetation, House Centipede leaf litter, and mulch from around the foundations of homes. Vacuum up those that enter the home and dispose of the bag outdoors. If they become intolerable and chemical treatment becomes necessary, residual insecticides may be Centipedes are elongate, flattened animals with one pair of used sparingly. Poisons baits may be used outdoors with legs per body segment. The number of legs may vary from caution, particularly if there are children or pets in the home. 10 to over 100, depending on the species. They also have A residual insecticide spray applied across a door threshold long jointed antennae. The house centipede is about an inch may prevent the millipedes from entering the house. long, gray, with very long legs. It lives outdoors as well as indoors, and may be found in bathrooms, damp basements, Sowbugs and Pillbugs closets, etc. it feeds on insects and spiders. If you see a centipede indoors, and can’t live with it, escort it outdoors. Sowbugs and pillbugs are the only crustaceans that have Centipedes are beneficial by helping controlArchived insect pests and adapted to a life on land. They are oval in shape, convex spiders. above, and flat beneath. They are gray in color, and 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch long. Sowbugs have two small tail-like Millipedes appendages at the rear, and pillbugs do not. -
House Centipedes: Lots of Legs, but Not a Hundred House Centipedes Are Predatory Arthropods That Can Be Found Both Indoors and Outdoors
http://hdl.handle.net/1813/43838 2015 Community House Centipedes: Lots of Legs, but not a Hundred House centipedes are predatory arthropods that can be found both indoors and outdoors. They prefer damp places, including basements, bathrooms and even pots of over-watered plants, where they feed on insects and spiders. As predators of other arthropods, they can be considered a beneficial organism, but are most often considered a nuisance pest when present in the home. Did you know … ? • By the Numbers: There are approximately 8,000 species of Common House Centipede (Scutigera coleoptrata Linnaeus). Photo: G. Alpert. centipedes. • Form-ally Speaking: Centipedes come in a variety of forms and sizes. Depending on the species they can be red, brown, black, white, orange, or yellow. Some species are shorter than an inch, while tropical species can be up to a foot in length! • Preying on the Predators: Larger centipedes can feed on mice, toads, and even birds. • Preference or Requirement? Centipedes prefer moist areas because they lack a waxy exoskeleton. In dry areas, centipedes can die from desiccation or drying out. Identification Common House Centipede close-up. Photo: G. Alpert. Adult house centipedes measure one to two inches in length, but may appear larger because of their 15 pair of long legs. House centipedes are yellow-gray in color, with three black stripes that span the length of the body, and black bands on their legs. The last pair of legs is very long and is modified to hold onto prey items. These and other legs can be detached defensively if grasped by a predator. -
Millipedes and Centipedes
MILLIPEDES AND CENTIPEDES Integrated Pest Management In and Around the Home sprouting seeds, seedlings, or straw- berries and other ripening fruits in contact with the ground. Sometimes individual millipedes wander from their moist living places into homes, but they usually die quickly because of the dry conditions and lack of food. Occasionally, large (size varies) (size varies) numbers of millipedes migrate, often uphill, as their food supply dwindles or their living places become either Figure 1. Millipede (left); Centipede (right). too wet or too dry. They may fall into swimming pools and drown. Millipedes and centipedes (Fig. 1) are pedes curl up. The three species When disturbed they do not bite, but often seen in and around gardens and found in California are the common some species exude a defensive liquid may be found wandering into homes. millipede, the bulb millipede, and the that can irritate skin or burn the eyes. Unlike insects, which have three greenhouse millipede. clearly defined body sections and Life Cycle three pairs of legs, they have numer- Millipedes may be confused with Adult millipedes overwinter in the ous body segments and numerous wireworms because of their similar soil. Eggs are laid in clutches beneath legs. Like insects, they belong to the shapes. Wireworms, however, are the soil surface. The young grow largest group in the animal kingdom, click beetle larvae, have only three gradually in size, adding segments the arthropods, which have jointed pairs of legs, and stay underneath the and legs as they mature. They mature bodies and legs and no backbone. soil surface. -
Arthropod Communities and Transgenic Cotton in the Western United States: Implications for Biological Control S.E
284 Naranjo and Ellsworth ___________________________________________________________________ ARTHROPOD COMMUNITIES AND TRANSGENIC COTTON IN THE WESTERN UNITED STATES: IMPLICATIONS FOR BIOLOGICAL CONTROL S.E. Naranjo1 and P.C. Ellsworth2 1U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.A. 2University of Arizona, Maricopa, Arizona, U.S.A. INTRODUCTION Cotton, transgenically modified to express the insecticidal proteins of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), has been available commercially in the United States since 1996. Bt cotton is widely used throughout the cotton belt (Layton et al., 1999), and more than 65% of the acreage in Arizona has been planted to Bt cotton since 1997. In the low desert production areas of Arizona and California, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders), the pink bollworm, is the major target of Bt cotton. A number of other lepidopterous species occur in this area, but they are sporadic secondary pests of cotton whose population outbreaks are typically induced by indiscriminate use of broad-spectrum insecticides. As a result of the adoption of Bt-cotton and the coincident introduction and adoption of selective insect growth regulators for suppression of Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius), insecticide usage in Arizona cotton over the past decade as declined from a high of 12.5 applications per acre in 1995 to 1.9 in 1999 (Ellsworth and Jones, 2001). These reductions in insecticide use have broadened opportunities for all biological control approaches in cotton. Beyond concern for the maintenance of susceptibility in target pest populations there also are a number of ecological and environmental questions associated with use of transgenic crops, one of the most prominent being effects on non-target organisms. -
E0020 Common Beneficial Arthropods Found in Field Crops
Common Beneficial Arthropods Found in Field Crops There are hundreds of species of insects and spi- mon in fields that have not been sprayed for ders that attack arthropod pests found in cotton, pests. When scouting, be aware that assassin bugs corn, soybeans, and other field crops. This publi- can deliver a painful bite. cation presents a few common and representative examples. With few exceptions, these beneficial Description and Biology arthropods are native and common in the south- The most common species of assassin bugs ern United States. The cumulative value of insect found in row crops (e.g., Zelus species) are one- predators and parasitoids should not be underes- half to three-fourths of an inch long and have an timated, and this publication does not address elongate head that is often cocked slightly important diseases that also attack insect and upward. A long beak originates from the front of mite pests. Without biological control, many pest the head and curves under the body. Most range populations would routinely reach epidemic lev- in color from light brownish-green to dark els in field crops. Insecticide applications typical- brown. Periodically, the adult female lays cylin- ly reduce populations of beneficial insects, often drical brown eggs in clusters. Nymphs are wing- resulting in secondary pest outbreaks. For this less and smaller than adults but otherwise simi- reason, you should use insecticides only when lar in appearance. Assassin bugs can easily be pest populations cannot be controlled with natu- confused with damsel bugs, but damsel bugs are ral and biological control agents. -
Coleoptera: Lampyridae)
Brigham Young University BYU ScholarsArchive Theses and Dissertations 2020-03-23 Advances in the Systematics and Evolutionary Understanding of Fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) Gavin Jon Martin Brigham Young University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd Part of the Life Sciences Commons BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Martin, Gavin Jon, "Advances in the Systematics and Evolutionary Understanding of Fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae)" (2020). Theses and Dissertations. 8895. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/8895 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Advances in the Systematics and Evolutionary Understanding of Fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) Gavin Jon Martin A dissertation submitted to the faculty of Brigham Young University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Seth M. Bybee, Chair Marc A. Branham Jamie L. Jensen Kathrin F. Stanger-Hall Michael F. Whiting Department of Biology Brigham Young University Copyright © 2020 Gavin Jon Martin All Rights Reserved ABSTRACT Advances in the Systematics and Evolutionary Understanding of Fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) Gavin Jon Martin Department of Biology, BYU Doctor of Philosophy Fireflies are a cosmopolitan group of bioluminescent beetles classified in the family Lampyridae. The first catalogue of Lampyridae was published in 1907 and since that time, the classification and systematics of fireflies have been in flux. Several more recent catalogues and classification schemes have been published, but rarely have they taken phylogenetic history into account. Here I infer the first large scale anchored hybrid enrichment phylogeny for the fireflies and use this phylogeny as a backbone to inform classification. -
Biodiversity from Caves and Other Subterranean Habitats of Georgia, USA
Kirk S. Zigler, Matthew L. Niemiller, Charles D.R. Stephen, Breanne N. Ayala, Marc A. Milne, Nicholas S. Gladstone, Annette S. Engel, John B. Jensen, Carlos D. Camp, James C. Ozier, and Alan Cressler. Biodiversity from caves and other subterranean habitats of Georgia, USA. Journal of Cave and Karst Studies, v. 82, no. 2, p. 125-167. DOI:10.4311/2019LSC0125 BIODIVERSITY FROM CAVES AND OTHER SUBTERRANEAN HABITATS OF GEORGIA, USA Kirk S. Zigler1C, Matthew L. Niemiller2, Charles D.R. Stephen3, Breanne N. Ayala1, Marc A. Milne4, Nicholas S. Gladstone5, Annette S. Engel6, John B. Jensen7, Carlos D. Camp8, James C. Ozier9, and Alan Cressler10 Abstract We provide an annotated checklist of species recorded from caves and other subterranean habitats in the state of Georgia, USA. We report 281 species (228 invertebrates and 53 vertebrates), including 51 troglobionts (cave-obligate species), from more than 150 sites (caves, springs, and wells). Endemism is high; of the troglobionts, 17 (33 % of those known from the state) are endemic to Georgia and seven (14 %) are known from a single cave. We identified three biogeographic clusters of troglobionts. Two clusters are located in the northwestern part of the state, west of Lookout Mountain in Lookout Valley and east of Lookout Mountain in the Valley and Ridge. In addition, there is a group of tro- globionts found only in the southwestern corner of the state and associated with the Upper Floridan Aquifer. At least two dozen potentially undescribed species have been collected from caves; clarifying the taxonomic status of these organisms would improve our understanding of cave biodiversity in the state. -
Morphology and Behavior of Phausis Reticulata (Blue Ghost Firefly)
Journal of the North Carolina Academy of Science, 124(4), 2008, pp. 139–147 MORPHOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR OF PHAUSIS RETICULATA (BLUE GHOST FIREFLY) JENNIFER E. FRICK-RUPPERT* and JOSHUA J. ROSEN Department of Science and Math, Brevard College, Brevard, NC 28712 Abstract: Phausis reticulata, the Blue Ghost Firefly, is a lampyrid beetle found in the southern Appalachians, observed primarily in May and June. Its luminescence is characterized by a steady glow, in contrast to a species-specific pattern of flashes. It is also characterized by a large degree of sexual dimorphism, with a winged male and paedomorphic, apterous female. Both sexes have light organs. Behavior and habitat of P. reticulata were observed at several locations in the southern Appalachians from 1997 through 2008, most intensively in 2006 and 2007. Information was also gathered from preserved specimens in insect collections. Female anatomy is reported for the first time, and male anatomy is further clarified. Key Words: firefly; lampyrid; Phausis; Appalachians. INTRODUCTION emission varied between individuals, from ‘‘a few The southeastern United States is widely known for seconds to a minute or more.’’ He described the its diversity of lampyrid species (Lloyd 2004); however, paedomorphic female’s green-white glow as originating many of these species are incompletely known and have from four spots on the abdomen in some individuals, not been subject to extensive study. One of these lesser- but six spots in others. The two additional organs known species is Phausis reticulata, the Blue Ghost Firefly. observed in some females are located in the posterior end and are smaller than the other four; Lloyd suggested P. -
Consequences of Insect Flight Loss for Molecular Evolutionary Rates and Diversification
Consequences of Insect Flight Loss for Molecular Evolutionary Rates and Diversification by T. Fatima Mitterboeck A Thesis presented to The University of Guelph In partial fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Integrative Biology Guelph, Ontario, Canada © T. Fatima Mitterboeck, May 2012 ABSTRACT CONSEQUENCES OF INSECT FLIGHT LOSS FOR MOLECULAR EVOLUTIONARY RATES AND DIVERSIFICATION T. Fatima Mitterboeck Advisor: University of Guelph, 2012 Dr. Sarah J. Adamowicz Advisory committee members: Dr. Teresa Crease Dr. Jinzhong Fu Dr. Ryan Gregory This thesis investigates the molecular evolutionary and macroevolutionary consequences of flight loss in insects. Chapter 2 tests the hypothesis that flightless groups have smaller effective population sizes than related flighted groups, expected to result in a consistent pattern of increased non-synonymous to synonymous ratios in flightless lineages due to the greater effect of genetic drift in smaller populations. Chapter 3 tests the hypothesis that reduced dispersal and species-level traits such as range size associated with flightlessness increase extinction rates, which over the long term will counteract increased speciation rates in flightless lineages, leading to lower net diversification. The wide-spread loss of flight in insects has led to increased molecular evolutionary rates and is associated with decreased long-term net diversification. I demonstrate that the fundamental trait of dispersal ability has shaped two forms of diversity—molecular and species—in the largest group of animals, and that microevolutionary and macroevolutionary patterns do not necessarily mirror each other. Acknowledgements This research was supported by an NSERC Canada Graduate Scholarship and an Ontario Graduate Scholarship to T. Fatima Mitterboeck and by an NSERC Discovery Grant to Dr.