DOCSLIB.ORG

1 the RESTRUCTURING of ARTHROPOD TROPHIC RELATIONSHIPS in RESPONSE to PLANT INVASION by Adam B. Mitchell a Dissertation Submitt

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
1 the RESTRUCTURING of ARTHROPOD TROPHIC RELATIONSHIPS in RESPONSE to PLANT INVASION by Adam B. Mitchell a Dissertation Submitt THE RESTRUCTURING OF ARTHROPOD TROPHIC RELATIONSHIPS IN RESPONSE TO PLANT INVASION by Adam B. Mitchell 1 A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the University of Delaware in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Entomology and Wildlife Ecology Winter 2019 © Adam B. Mitchell All Rights Reserved THE RESTRUCTURING OF ARTHROPOD TROPHIC RELATIONSHIPS IN RESPONSE TO PLANT INVASION by Adam B. Mitchell Approved: ______________________________________________________ Jacob L. Bowman, Ph.D. Chair of the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology Approved: ______________________________________________________ Mark W. Rieger, Ph.D. Dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Approved: ______________________________________________________ Douglas J. Doren, Ph.D. Interim Vice Provost for Graduate and Professional Education I certify that I have read this dissertation and that in my opinion it meets the academic and professional standard required by the University as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Signed: ______________________________________________________ Douglas W. Tallamy, Ph.D. Professor in charge of dissertation I certify that I have read this dissertation and that in my opinion it meets the academic and professional standard required by the University as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Signed: ______________________________________________________ Charles R. Bartlett, Ph.D. Member of dissertation committee I certify that I have read this dissertation and that in my opinion it meets the academic and professional standard required by the University as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Signed: ______________________________________________________ Jeffery J. Buler, Ph.D. Member of dissertation committee I certify that I have read this dissertation and that in my opinion it meets the academic and professional standard required by the University as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Signed: ______________________________________________________ Andrea R. Litt, Ph.D. Member of dissertation committee I certify that I have read this dissertation and that in my opinion it meets the academic and professional standard required by the University as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Signed: ______________________________________________________ Tara L.E. Trammell, Ph.D. Member of dissertation committee iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Doug Tallamy, for his assistance and mentorship in the development and synthesis of my research. I am grateful for his encouragement and insight throughout the process of my graduate career, and I look forward to passing on what I have learned under his tutelage to future students and professionals alike in our field. I am thankful for my committee members, Drs. Charles Bartlett, Jeff Buler, Andrea Litt, and Tara Trammell, for their expertise that helped develop a lot of the components to this study, including assistance in insect identification, analyses, and good humor. I would also like to thank the Fishers Island Conservancy for their financial and logistic support in making this research possible. Special thanks must be given to Joe Henderson and Tom Sargent, who not only reached out to UD to help establish one of the largest restored grasslands in New England, but who also opened up their homes and made me a part of the Fishers Island family. I would like to thank my technicians, especially Brian Hanlon, for their assistance in data collection, as well as numerous student volunteers. I thank my fellow graduate students, especially Emily Baisden, Tim Freiday, Tyler Hagerty, David Ingber, Ashley Kennedy, Desiree Narango, Hasan Rahman, Grace Savory-Burke, and Holly Walker for their encouragement, patience, and friendships whose worth I cannot express into words. Last, and not least, I want to extend my dearest thanks to my family for their never-ending support, patience, and love on this arduous journey. I would not be who I am today or have gotten this far without you. iv DEDICATION I dedicated my master’s thesis to my parents, whose love of the outdoors made me who I am today. As my graduate career comes to a close, I wish to dedicate this dissertation to my fiancée, Victoria Gomba-Netta, for all of her compassion and unyielding love thoughout these many years, and many more ahead in the future. Here’s to the next step in our journey together. v TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... ix LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ xi ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................... xii Chapter 1 TROPHIC RELATIONSHIPS OF ARTHROPOD ASSEMBLAGES IN LANDSCAPES DOMINATED BY NON-NATIVE PLANTS .............................1 Introduction .............................................................................................................1 Objectives ...............................................................................................................4 Methods...................................................................................................................5 Site Selection ....................................................................................................6 Arthropod Sampling..........................................................................................7 Data Analysis .................................................................................................. 10 Results ................................................................................................................... 12 Summary ......................................................................................................... 12 Changes in community composition ............................................................... 13 Herbivores ....................................................................................................... 15 Detritivores ..................................................................................................... 17 Predators ......................................................................................................... 18 Ants ................................................................................................................. 19 Discussion ............................................................................................................. 20 Herbivores ....................................................................................................... 22 Detritivores ..................................................................................................... 24 Predators ......................................................................................................... 28 Ants ................................................................................................................. 30 Conclusions ..................................................................................................... 33 vi 2 USING AN ECO-EVOLUTIONARY FRAMEWORK TO PREDICT PATTERNS OF CHANGE IN ARTHROPOD TROPHIC STRUCTURE FOLLOWING PLANT INVASION .............................................................................................................. 71 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 71 Predictions .............................................................................................................. 75 The evolutionary experience concept from a non-resident plant, resident herbivore perspective ...................................................................................... 75 The evolutionary experience concept from a non-resident plant, resident detritivore perspective ..................................................................................... 75 The evolutionary experience concept from a non-resident plant, resident predator perspective ........................................................................................ 76 Objectives ............................................................................................................. 76 Methods................................................................................................................. 77 Site selection ................................................................................................... 78 Arthropod sampling ........................................................................................ 78 Data analysis ................................................................................................... 79 Results ................................................................................................................... 79 The “high-low” scenario ................................................................................. 80 The “low-high” scenario ................................................................................. 81 The “high-high” scenario ................................................................................ 82 Discussion ............................................................................................................. 82 Evidence for the eco-evolutionary experience hypothesis
Load more

Recommended publications
  • A Taxonomic Revision of the Orb Weaver Genus Acacesia (Araneae: Araneidae)
    A TAXONOMIC REVISION OF THE ORB WEAVER GENUS ACACESIA (ARANEAE: ARANEIDAE) BY St3sAy GIt3Ec< ABSTRACT There are five species of Acacesia which range collectively from southern North America to Argentina. Two are previously known members of the genus, A. cornigera Petrunkevitch and A. hamata (Hentz). Three of these are new species: A. villalobosi and A. yacuiensis, from southern Brazil, and A. benigna from Bolivia and Peru. INTRODUCTION Acacesia is a genus of orb-weaving spiders common and endemic to the Americas, proposed by Simon in 1892. Hentz named the type species Epeira foliata in 1847. The genus con- tained the single species A. hamata until Petrunkevitch (1925) described A. cornigera. Subsequently published names, illustra- tions, and descriptions of new species of Acacesia have turned out to be synonyms of the two extant species (Chamberlin and Ivie 1936, Badcock 1932). Levi (1976) redescribed A. hamata in a revi- sion of Nearctic orb weaver genera, mentioning the Neotropical A. cornigera in passing. He hypothesized at the time that "there are three or four additional species of Acacesia, all Neotropical and all similar in appearance." The specimens I have examined for the current taxonomic revision corroborate this statement, and I expand the genus to include three new South American species. This study represents an addition to Levi's ongoing project of revising Neotropical orb weavers. I here report the results of my taxonomic project for which I examined and illustrated over 350 museum specimens. I describe factors I considered in delimiting new species such as their Harvard College, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138 current address: Department of Entomology, Comstock Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 Manuscript received 7 July 1993.
    [Show full text]
  • The Planthopper Genus <I>Acanalonia </I>In the United
    University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Center for Systematic Entomology, Gainesville, Insecta Mundi Florida September 1995 The planthopper genus Acanalonia in the United States (Homoptera: Issidae): male and female genitalic morphology Rebecca Freund University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD Stephen W. Wilson Central Missouri State University, Warrensburg, MO Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/insectamundi Part of the Entomology Commons Freund, Rebecca and Wilson, Stephen W., "The planthopper genus Acanalonia in the United States (Homoptera: Issidae): male and female genitalic morphology" (1995). Insecta Mundi. 133. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/insectamundi/133 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Center for Systematic Entomology, Gainesville, Florida at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Insecta Mundi by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. INSECTA MUNDI, Vol. 9, No. 3-4, September - December, 1995 195 The planthopper genus Acanalonia in the United States (Homoptera: Issidae): male and female genitalic morphology Rebecca Freund Department of Biology, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD 57069 and Stephen W. Wilson Department of Biology, Central Missouri State University, Warrensburg, MO 64093 Abstract: The issidplanthopper genus Acanalonia is reviewed anda key to the 18 speciesprovided. Detailed descriptions and illustrationsof the complete external morphology ofA. conica (Say), anddescriptionsandillustrationsof the male and female external genitalia ofthe species ofunited States Acanalonia are given. The principal genitalic features usedto separate species included: male - shape andlength ofthe aedeagalcaudal andlateralprocesses, and presence ofcaudalextensions; female -shape ofthe 8th abdominal segment and the number of teeth on the gonapophysis ofthe 8th segment.
    [Show full text]
  • A Protocol for Online Documentation of Spider Biodiversity Inventories Applied to a Mexican Tropical Wet Forest (Araneae, Araneomorphae)
    Zootaxa 4722 (3): 241–269 ISSN 1175-5326 (print edition) https://www.mapress.com/j/zt/ Article ZOOTAXA Copyright © 2020 Magnolia Press ISSN 1175-5334 (online edition) https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4722.3.2 http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:6AC6E70B-6E6A-4D46-9C8A-2260B929E471 A protocol for online documentation of spider biodiversity inventories applied to a Mexican tropical wet forest (Araneae, Araneomorphae) FERNANDO ÁLVAREZ-PADILLA1, 2, M. ANTONIO GALÁN-SÁNCHEZ1 & F. JAVIER SALGUEIRO- SEPÚLVEDA1 1Laboratorio de Aracnología, Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Biología Comparada, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Exterior s/n, Colonia Copilco el Bajo. C. P. 04510. Del. Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, México. E-mail: [email protected] 2Corresponding author Abstract Spider community inventories have relatively well-established standardized collecting protocols. Such protocols set rules for the orderly acquisition of samples to estimate community parameters and to establish comparisons between areas. These methods have been tested worldwide, providing useful data for inventory planning and optimal sampling allocation efforts. The taxonomic counterpart of biodiversity inventories has received considerably less attention. Species lists and their relative abundances are the only link between the community parameters resulting from a biotic inventory and the biology of the species that live there. However, this connection is lost or speculative at best for species only partially identified (e. g., to genus but not to species). This link is particularly important for diverse tropical regions were many taxa are undescribed or little known such as spiders. One approach to this problem has been the development of biodiversity inventory websites that document the morphology of the species with digital images organized as standard views.
    [Show full text]
  • ARTHROPODA Subphylum Hexapoda Protura, Springtails, Diplura, and Insects
    NINE Phylum ARTHROPODA SUBPHYLUM HEXAPODA Protura, springtails, Diplura, and insects ROD P. MACFARLANE, PETER A. MADDISON, IAN G. ANDREW, JOCELYN A. BERRY, PETER M. JOHNS, ROBERT J. B. HOARE, MARIE-CLAUDE LARIVIÈRE, PENELOPE GREENSLADE, ROSA C. HENDERSON, COURTenaY N. SMITHERS, RicarDO L. PALMA, JOHN B. WARD, ROBERT L. C. PILGRIM, DaVID R. TOWNS, IAN McLELLAN, DAVID A. J. TEULON, TERRY R. HITCHINGS, VICTOR F. EASTOP, NICHOLAS A. MARTIN, MURRAY J. FLETCHER, MARLON A. W. STUFKENS, PAMELA J. DALE, Daniel BURCKHARDT, THOMAS R. BUCKLEY, STEVEN A. TREWICK defining feature of the Hexapoda, as the name suggests, is six legs. Also, the body comprises a head, thorax, and abdomen. The number A of abdominal segments varies, however; there are only six in the Collembola (springtails), 9–12 in the Protura, and 10 in the Diplura, whereas in all other hexapods there are strictly 11. Insects are now regarded as comprising only those hexapods with 11 abdominal segments. Whereas crustaceans are the dominant group of arthropods in the sea, hexapods prevail on land, in numbers and biomass. Altogether, the Hexapoda constitutes the most diverse group of animals – the estimated number of described species worldwide is just over 900,000, with the beetles (order Coleoptera) comprising more than a third of these. Today, the Hexapoda is considered to contain four classes – the Insecta, and the Protura, Collembola, and Diplura. The latter three classes were formerly allied with the insect orders Archaeognatha (jumping bristletails) and Thysanura (silverfish) as the insect subclass Apterygota (‘wingless’). The Apterygota is now regarded as an artificial assemblage (Bitsch & Bitsch 2000).
    [Show full text]
  • Temporal Dynamics in Non-Additive Responses of Arthropods to Host-Plant Genotypic Diversity
    Oikos 000: 000Á000, 2007 doi: 10.1111/j.2007.0030-1299.16276.x, # The Authors. Journal compilation # Oikos 2007 Subject Editor: Lonnie Aarssen, Accepted 28 October 2007 Temporal dynamics in non-additive responses of arthropods to host-plant genotypic diversity Gregory M. Crutsinger, Michael D. Collins, James A. Fordyce and Nathan J. Sanders G. M. Crutsinger ([email protected]), Dept of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 569 Dabney Hall, Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA Á M. D. Collins, Dept of Biology, Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden-Sydney, VA 23943, USA Á J. A. Fordyce and N. J. Sanders, Dept of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 569 Dabney Hall, Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, T, 37996, USA. Genotypic diversity within host-plant populations has been linked to the diversity of associated arthropod communities, but the temporal dynamics of this relationship, along with the underlying mechanisms, are not well understood. In this study, we employed a common garden experiment that manipulated the number of genotypes within patches of Solidago altissima, tall goldenrod, to contain 1, 3, 6 or 12 genotypes m2 and measured both host-plant and arthropod responses to genotypic diversity throughout an entire growing season. Despite substantial phenological changes in host plants and in the composition of the arthropod community, we detected consistent positive responses of arthropod diversity to host- plant genotypic diversity throughout all but the end of the growing season. Arthropod richness and abundance increased with genotypic diversity by up toÂ65%. Furthermore, arthropod responses were non-additive for most of the growing season, with up to 52% more species occurring in mixtures than the number predicted by summing the number of arthropods associated with component genotypes in monoculture.
    [Show full text]
  • SA Spider Checklist
    REVIEW ZOOS' PRINT JOURNAL 22(2): 2551-2597 CHECKLIST OF SPIDERS (ARACHNIDA: ARANEAE) OF SOUTH ASIA INCLUDING THE 2006 UPDATE OF INDIAN SPIDER CHECKLIST Manju Siliwal 1 and Sanjay Molur 2,3 1,2 Wildlife Information & Liaison Development (WILD) Society, 3 Zoo Outreach Organisation (ZOO) 29-1, Bharathi Colony, Peelamedu, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641004, India Email: 1 [email protected]; 3 [email protected] ABSTRACT Thesaurus, (Vol. 1) in 1734 (Smith, 2001). Most of the spiders After one year since publication of the Indian Checklist, this is described during the British period from South Asia were by an attempt to provide a comprehensive checklist of spiders of foreigners based on the specimens deposited in different South Asia with eight countries - Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The European Museums. Indian checklist is also updated for 2006. The South Asian While the Indian checklist (Siliwal et al., 2005) is more spider list is also compiled following The World Spider Catalog accurate, the South Asian spider checklist is not critically by Platnick and other peer-reviewed publications since the last scrutinized due to lack of complete literature, but it gives an update. In total, 2299 species of spiders in 67 families have overview of species found in various South Asian countries, been reported from South Asia. There are 39 species included in this regions checklist that are not listed in the World Catalog gives the endemism of species and forms a basis for careful of Spiders. Taxonomic verification is recommended for 51 species. and participatory work by arachnologists in the region.
    [Show full text]
  • Effects of Livestock Grazing on Aboveground Insect Communities In
    Biodiversity and Conservation (2006) 15:2547–2564 Ó Springer 2006 DOI 10.1007/s10531-005-2786-9 -1 Effects of livestock grazing on aboveground insect communities in semi-arid grasslands of southeastern Arizona SANDRA J. DEBANO Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40546-0091, USA; Present address: Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center, P.O. Box 105, Hermiston, Oregon 97838-7100, USA (e-mail: [email protected]; phone: +001-541-567-6337; fax: +001-541-567-2240) Received 22 June 2004; accepted in revised form 14 February 2005 Key words: Arizona, Grasslands, Insect communities, Insect conservation, Livestock grazing Abstract. Despite the importance of invertebrates in grassland ecosystems, few studies have examined how grassland invertebrates have been impacted by disturbances in the southwestern United States. These grasslands may be particularly sensitive to one common disturbance, livestock grazing, because they have not recently evolved in the presence of large herds of bison, an important mammalian herbivore. This study examined how livestock grazing influenced vegetation- associated insect communities in southeastern Arizona. Insect abundance, richness, diversity, community composition, and key environmental variables were compared between sites on active cattle ranches and sites on a 3160 ha sanctuary that has not been grazed by cattle for over 25 years. Vegetation-associated insect communities were found to be sensitive to livestock grazing. Overall abundance of these insects was lower on grazed grasslands, and certain insect orders appeared to be negatively affected by livestock grazing; beetles were less rich, flies were less diverse, and Hymenoptera were less rich and diverse on grazed sites.
    [Show full text]
  • Some Aspects of the Ecology of Millipedes (Diplopoda) Thesis
    Some Aspects of the Ecology of Millipedes (Diplopoda) Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Monica A. Farfan, B.S. Graduate Program in Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology The Ohio State University 2010 Thesis Committee: Hans Klompen, Advisor John W. Wenzel Andrew Michel Copyright by Monica A. Farfan 2010 Abstract The focus of this thesis is the ecology of invasive millipedes (Diplopoda) in the family Julidae. This particular group of millipedes are thought to be introduced into North America from Europe and are now widely found in many urban, anthropogenic habitats in the U.S. Why are these animals such effective colonizers and why do they seem to be mostly present in anthropogenic habitats? In a review of the literature addressing the role of millipedes in nutrient cycling, the interactions of millipedes and communities of fungi and bacteria are discussed. The presence of millipedes stimulates fungal growth while fungal hyphae and bacteria positively effect feeding intensity and nutrient assimilation efficiency in millipedes. Millipedes may also utilize enzymes from these organisms. In a continuation of the study of the ecology of the family Julidae, a comparative study was completed on mites associated with millipedes in the family Julidae in eastern North America and the United Kingdom. The goals of this study were: 1. To establish what mites are present on these millipedes in North America 2. To see if this fauna is the same as in Europe 3. To examine host association patterns looking specifically for host or habitat specificity.
    [Show full text]
  • Pest Categorisation of Non‐EU Acleris Spp
    SCIENTIFIC OPINION ADOPTED: 25 September 2019 doi: 10.2903/j.efsa.2019.5856 Pest categorisation of non-EU Acleris spp. EFSA Panel on Plant Health (PLH), Claude Bragard, Katharina Dehnen-Schmutz, Francesco Di Serio, Paolo Gonthier, Marie-Agnes Jacques, Josep Anton Jaques Miret, Annemarie Fejer Justesen, Alan MacLeod, Christer Sven Magnusson, Juan A Navas-Cortes, Stephen Parnell, Roel Potting, Philippe Lucien Reignault, Hans-Hermann Thulke, Wopke Van der Werf, Antonio Vicent Civera, Jonathan Yuen, Lucia Zappala, Jean-Claude Gregoire, Virag Kertesz and Panagiotis Milonas Abstract The Panel on Plant Health performed a pest categorisation of non-EU Acleris spp. Acleris is a well- defined insect genus in the family Tortricidae (Insecta: Lepidoptera). Species can be identified using taxonomic keys based on adult morphology and genitalia. The genus includes 261 species attacking conifers and non-conifer plants in many areas in the world, among which 40 species are present in the EU. The non-EU species are collectively listed in Annex IAI of Council Directive 2000/29/EC as Acleris spp. (non-European). Some species are important defoliators in North America, mainly on conifers but also on several broadleaf trees. Females lay eggs on the leaves or on the bark. The larvae bind together with silk the leaves upon which they feed. Pupation occurs in leaves attached with silk or in the soil. Some species are univoltine; others are bivoltine or multivoltine. Flight capacity is not documented, but outbreak expansion suggests that the adults can probably fly long distances. The main pathways for entry are host plants for planting with or without soil, cut branches, fruits of host plants (including cones), round wood with bark and bark.
    [Show full text]
  • Ordinal-Level Phylogenomics of the Arthropod Class
    Ordinal-Level Phylogenomics of the Arthropod Class Diplopoda (Millipedes) Based on an Analysis of 221 Nuclear Protein-Coding Loci Generated Using Next- Generation Sequence Analyses Michael S. Brewer1,2*, Jason E. Bond3 1 Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America, 2 Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, United States of America, 3 Department of Biological Sciences and Auburn University Museum of Natural History, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, United States of America Abstract Background: The ancient and diverse, yet understudied arthropod class Diplopoda, the millipedes, has a muddled taxonomic history. Despite having a cosmopolitan distribution and a number of unique and interesting characteristics, the group has received relatively little attention; interest in millipede systematics is low compared to taxa of comparable diversity. The existing classification of the group comprises 16 orders. Past attempts to reconstruct millipede phylogenies have suffered from a paucity of characters and included too few taxa to confidently resolve relationships and make formal nomenclatural changes. Herein, we reconstruct an ordinal-level phylogeny for the class Diplopoda using the largest character set ever assembled for the group. Methods: Transcriptomic sequences were obtained from exemplar taxa representing much of the diversity of millipede orders using second-generation (i.e., next-generation or high-throughput) sequencing. These data were subject to rigorous orthology selection and phylogenetic dataset optimization and then used to reconstruct phylogenies employing Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood optimality criteria. Ancestral reconstructions of sperm transfer appendage development (gonopods), presence of lateral defense secretion pores (ozopores), and presence of spinnerets were considered.
    [Show full text]
  • Hagerty Udel 0060M 14258.Pdf
    LIFE HISTORY INVESTIGATIONS OF HEMIPTERANS SELECTED FOR NON-TARGET HOST-SUITABILITY STUDIES OF THE SPOTTED LANTERNFLY (LYCORMA DELICATULA) BIOCONTROL AGENT ANASTATUS ORIENTALIS, WITH MOLECULAR INVESTIGATIONS OF LOCAL ANASTATUS TAXA by Tyler Hagerty A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the University of Delaware in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Entomology Summer 2020 © 2020 Tyler Hagerty All Rights Reserved LIFE HISTORY INVESTIGATIONS OF HEMIPTERANS SELECTED FOR NON-TARGET HOST-SUITABILITY STUDIES OF THE SPOTTED LANTERNFLY (LYCORMA DELICATULA) BIOCONTROL AGENT ANASTATUS ORIENTALIS, WITH MOLECULAR INVESTIGATIONS OF LOCAL ANASTATUS TAXA by Tyler Hagerty Approved: __________________________________________________________ Charles Bartlett, Ph.D. Professor in charge of thesis on behalf of the Advisory Committee Approved: __________________________________________________________ Jacob L. Bowman, Ph.D. Chair of the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology Approved: __________________________________________________________ Mark W. Rieger, Ph.D. Dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Approved: __________________________________________________________ Douglas J. Doren, Ph.D. Interim Vice Provost for Graduate and Professional Education and Dean of the Graduate College ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would first like to thank my advisor, Dr. Charles Bartlett, for his continuous help and support through my time at the University of Delaware. His help and guidance helped shape and push my research forward, and his knowledge of Hemiptera was indispensable. His door was always open, and he was happy to listen to me complain about insects not laying eggs whenever I needed to. I would like to thank my committee members, Dr. Debbie Delaney of the University of Delaware, and Dr. Kim Hoelmer of the USDA ARS. Each helped me in numerous ways and offered assistance and support whenever I needed it.
    [Show full text]
  • Saddleback Caterpillar
    Pest Profile Photo credit: Gerald J. Lenhard, Louisiana State University, Bugwood.org (Larva) Lacy L. Hyche, Auburn University, Bugwood.org (Adult) Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License Common Name: Saddleback Caterpillar Scientific Name: Acharia stimulea Order and Family: Lepidoptera; Limacodidae Size and Appearance: Length (mm) Appearance Egg Length: 1.5-2 mm - Laid on the upper side of host leaves in irregular Width: 1 mm clusters of 30-50 eggs - Transparent and yellow in color with thin edges Larva/Nymph - Have a slug-like body with a granulated texture - Prolegs are concealed under the ventral surface - Brightly colored, denoting toxicity - Dark brown on both ends with a contrasting bright green pattern on the dorsal midsection that is 1.2-20 mm outlined in white, giving it the appearance of a saddle - Have large fleshy tubercles covered in long setae and spines that extend from both ends - Have three cream colored spots on the posterior end that imitate a large face Adult - Glossy dark brown with black shading - Have dense scales on body and wings, giving it a “furry” appearance Wingspan: 26-43 mm - Have a single white dot near the base of the forewing with 1-3 additional white dots near the apex - Hindwings are a light brown Pupa (if applicable) ~10 mm - A hard, silken cocoon Type of feeder (Chewing, sucking, etc.): Larvae have chewing mouthparts while adults have siphoning mouthparts. Host plant/s: Maple tree, Hackberry, pecan, spicebush, crape myrtle, chestnut tree Description of Damage: Caterpillars feed on plant leaves but most of their damage comes from unintentional contact with humans.
    [Show full text]