DOCSLIB.ORG

The Beat Sheet

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Beat Sheet Subscribe Past Issues Translate RSS View this email in your browser The Beat Sheet Newsletter of the Frost Entomological Museum Fall 2020 Note: Our public museum is still closed due to COVID-19 safety precautions and Penn State regulations. We will let you know when we receive more information. Thank you for your patience! New Species Discovery? Oak gall wasps (Cynipoidea) have been the dominant research interest of Frost personnel over the past few months. Through regular monitoring of local oak populations, we've found some truly striking galls and made surprising observations along the way. Most exciting, perhaps, is that there seem to be 3 gall inquilines that have been reared from Philonix nigra and Callirhytis favosa galls that do not key to any known species nor do they match any known species descriptions. Perhaps they are new to science! We still need to verify this result with a comprehensive look at their morphology and by sequencing their DNA, but the project already is yielding exciting discoveries. Above: Gall created by Philonix nigra (left) and Callirhytis favosa (right) that unknown inquilines were reared from. Guide to the Gall Wasps of the Eastern US — Coming soon! Museum Director Andy Deans has taken sabbatical this fall to devote time and energy into developing a resource that will serve as a guide to oak galls wasps of the Eastern US. The current sources, mainly books by Ephraim Felt (1940) and Weld (1959), need a lot of updating and a better, more field guide-like layout. He’s compiling species’s natural history data, including seasonal phenology, host use, gall characteristics, and differences in biology and behavior of the alternating generations where they occur. Andy is also working on new figures of each type of gall, using photos and the tried and true technique of pen and ink. Above: Gall created by Dryocosmus rileyi. Engagement Spotted Lanternfly Exhibit In anticipation of the public space reopening, we are working towards improving the visitor experience by constructing new exhibits in the museum — our latest exhibit features the Spotted Lanternfly. This display was put together with input from Penn State researchers and extension associates, highlighting the bug's biology and invasion into the region. The Entomology Department’s multimedia specialist Nick Sloff designed the display. We can't wait for you to see it! Halloween Creature Feature Bracket To celebrate the spooky season, the museum is hosting an online tournament where you can cast your vote to decide which arthropod best embodies the spirit of Halloween. This will run October 24th - 30th. We hope you will participate, it should be a frightfully fun affair! Wasp Wednesdays Graduate student Louis Nastasi is revving up wasp awareness and education by spearheading a new series on the museum blog called Wasp Wednesdays! Be sure to check it out. Each week the taxonomy and natural history of a new wasp will be featured. Above: Specimen of wasp species Ampulex compressa. Adapting to Remote Learning We’ve been incredibly fortunate to have navigated social distancing regulations at the Museum, which allowed us to return to work. Teaching, however, has posed more of a challenge due to limited space. Instead of educational visits to the museum, we’ve been loaning specimens to educators and scheduling talks via Zoom. By far the largest challenge to remote learning was realized by the department’s Insect Biodiversity & Evolution course (ENT 432), which is usually taught in the Museum with the specimens from the teaching collection. Dr. Michael Skvarla, who is leading the course this year, has introduced several changes to adapt to present circumstances. Specifically, he and teaching assistant Stephania Sandoval Arango assembled take-home learning supplies for each and every student that included multiple(!) drawers of teaching specimens and USB microscopes on top of equipment for preparing their own collection. Amassing these materials was no small task, but it means that each student can learn safely from their homes while still receiving the same intimate learning experience of examining specimens in hand! Top: Remote learning supplies ready to be picked up by students: nets, jars, forceps, ethanol, glue, specimen boxes, USB digital microscopes, etc. Bottom Left: Specimen drawers for covering the first third of the semester. Bottom Right: Up close view of the specimen drawers, with specimen representatives from dozens of families. Keep an eye out for the next The Beat Sheet this winter If you are interested in hearing about specific topics or activities, please let us know! Become a Friend of the Frost By becoming a Friend, you help equip the museum with the tools needed for collections care, provides resources for student engagement, and helps fund the rotation of new exhibits into the museum. Visit our website to learn more. Your support helps us better engage the public, grow and maintain the collection, and provide opportunities to undergraduate students at Penn State Twitter Instagram Our website Copyright © 2020 Frost Entomological Museum, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: 501 Ag Sci & Industries Building, University Park, PA 16802 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. This email was sent to <<Email Address>> why did I get this? unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences Frost Entomological Museum · 160 Curtain Road · University Park, Pa 16802 · USA .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • CHESTNUT (CASTANEA Spp.) CULTIVAR EVALUATION for COMMERCIAL CHESTNUT PRODUCTION
    CHESTNUT (CASTANEA spp.) CULTIVAR EVALUATION FOR COMMERCIAL CHESTNUT PRODUCTION IN HAMILTON COUNTY, TENNESSEE By Ana Maria Metaxas Approved: James Hill Craddock Jennifer Boyd Professor of Biological Sciences Assistant Professor of Biological and Environmental Sciences (Director of Thesis) (Committee Member) Gregory Reighard Jeffery Elwell Professor of Horticulture Dean, College of Arts and Sciences (Committee Member) A. Jerald Ainsworth Dean of the Graduate School CHESTNUT (CASTANEA spp.) CULTIVAR EVALUATION FOR COMMERCIAL CHESTNUT PRODUCTION IN HAMILTON COUNTY, TENNESSEE by Ana Maria Metaxas A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Environmental Science May 2013 ii ABSTRACT Chestnut cultivars were evaluated for their commercial applicability under the environmental conditions in Hamilton County, TN at 35°13ꞌ 45ꞌꞌ N 85° 00ꞌ 03.97ꞌꞌ W elevation 230 meters. In 2003 and 2004, 534 trees were planted, representing 64 different cultivars, varieties, and species. Twenty trees from each of 20 different cultivars were planted as five-tree plots in a randomized complete block design in four blocks of 100 trees each, amounting to 400 trees. The remaining 44 chestnut cultivars, varieties, and species served as a germplasm collection. These were planted in guard rows surrounding the four blocks in completely randomized, single-tree plots. In the analysis, we investigated our collection predominantly with the aim to: 1) discover the degree of acclimation of grower- recommended cultivars to southeastern Tennessee climatic conditions and 2) ascertain the cultivars’ ability to survive in the area with Cryphonectria parasitica and other chestnut diseases and pests present.
    [Show full text]
  • Calameuta Konow 1896 Trachelastatus Morice and Durrant 1915 Syn
    105 NOMINA INSECTA NEARCTICA Calameuta Konow 1896 Trachelastatus Morice and Durrant 1915 Syn. Monoplopus Konow 1896 Syn. Neateuchopus Benson 1935 Syn. Haplocephus Benson 1935 Syn. Microcephus Benson 1935 Syn. Calameuta clavata Norton 1869 (Phylloecus) Trachelus tabidus Fabricius 1775 (Sirex) Sirex macilentus Fabricius 1793 Syn. Cephus Latreille 1802 Cephus mandibularis Lepeletier 1823 Syn. Astatus Jurine 1801 Unav. Cephus nigritus Lepeletier 1823 Syn. Perinistilus Ghigi 1904 Syn. Cephus vittatus Costa 1878 Syn. Peronistilomorphus Pic 1916 Syn. Calamenta [sic] johnsoni Ashmead 1900 Syn. Fossulocephus Pic 1917 Syn. Pseudocephus Dovnar-Zapolskii 1931 Syn. Cephus cinctus Norton 1872 (Cephus) CERAPHRONIDAE Cephus occidentalis Riley and Marlatt 1891 Syn. Cephus graenicheri Ashmead 1898 Syn. Cephus pygmaeus Linnaeus 1766 (Sirex) Tenthredo longicornis Geoffroy 1785 Syn. Aphanogmus Thomson 1858 Tenthredo polygona Gmelin 1790 Syn. Banchus spinipes Panzer 1801 Syn. Aphanogmus bicolor Ashmead 1893 (Aphanogmus) Astatus floralis Klug 1803 Syn. Aphanogmus claviger Kieffer 1907 Syn. Banchus viridator Fabricius 1804 Syn. Ceraphron reitteri Kieffer 1907 Syn. Cephus subcylindricus Gravenhorst 1807 Syn. Aphanogmus canadensis Whittaker 1930 (Aphanogmus) Cephus leskii Lepeletier 1823 Syn. Aphanogmus dorsalis Whittaker 1930 (Aphanogmus) Cephus atripes Stephens 1835 Syn. Aphanogmus floridanus Ashmead 1893 (Aphanogmus) Cephus flavisternus Costa 1882 Syn. Aphanogmus fulmeki Szelenyi 1940 (Aphanogmus) Cephus clypealis Costa 1894 Syn. Aphanogmus parvulus Roberti 1954 Syn. Cephus notatus Kokujev 1910 Syn. Aphanogmus fumipennis Thomson 1858 (Aphanogmus) Cephus tanaiticus Dovnar-Zapolskii 1926 Syn. Aphanogmus grenadensis Ashmead 1896 Syn. Aphanogmus formicarius Kieffer 1905 Syn. Hartigia Schiodte 1838 Ceraphron formicarum Kieffer 1907 Syn. Cerobractus Costa 1860 Syn. Aphanogmus clavatus Kieffer 1907 Syn. Macrocephus Schlechtendal 1878 Syn. Cerphron armatus Kieffer 1907 Syn. Cephosoma Gradl 1881 Syn.
    [Show full text]
  • Torymus Sinensis Against the Chestnut Gall Wasp Dryocosmus Kuriphilus in the Canton Ticino, Switzerland
    | January 2011 Evaluating the use of Torymus sinensis against the chestnut gall wasp Dryocosmus kuriphilus in the Canton Ticino, Switzerland Authors Aebi Alexandre, Agroscope ART Schoenenberger Nicola, Tulum SA and Bigler Franz, Agroscope ART Torymus sinensis against the chestnut gall wasp Dryocosmus kuriphilus | January 2011 1 Zürich/Caslano, January 2011 Authors’ affiliation: Alexandre Aebi and Franz Bigler Nicola Schoenenberger Agroscope Reckenholz-Tänikon TULUM SA Research Station ART Via Rompada 40 Biosafety 6987 Caslano Reckenholzstrasse 191 Switzerland 8046 Zürich Tel: +41 91 606 6373 Switzerland Fax: +41 44 606 6376 Tel: +41 44 377 7669 [email protected] Fax: +41 44 377 7201 [email protected] This work was financed by the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) This work was done in collaboration with B. Bellosi and E. Schaltegger (TULUM SA) Cover figure: Empty chestnut gall in Stabio, February 2010 (Picture:TULUM SA) All maps used in figures and appendices (except Fig. 6): ©swisstopo, license number: DV053809.1 Map in figure 6: © Istituto Geografico, De Agostini 1982–1988 ISBN 978-3-905733-20-4 © 2010 ART 2 Torymus sinensis against the chestnut gall wasp Dryocosmus kuriphilus | January 2011 Table of contents Table of contents Abstract 5 1. Introduction 6 2. Mission and methods 7 3. Presence and degree of infestation of Dryocosmus kuriphilus in Switzerland 9 4. Invasion corridors of Dryocosmus kuriphilus towards Switzerland 11 5. Potential economic and ecological damage caused by Dryocosmus kuriphilus in Switzerland 14 6. Release of the parasitoid Torymus sinensis in the Piedmont Region, Italy 17 7. Potential benefits and damage due to the release of Torymus sinensis 18 8.
    [Show full text]
  • Invasion by the Chestnut Gall Wasp in Italy Causes Significant Yield Loss In
    Agricultural and Forest Entomology (2014), 16,75–79 DOI: 10.1111/afe.12036 Invasion by the chestnut gall wasp in Italy causes significant yield loss in Castanea sativa nut production ∗ ∗ ∗ Andrea Battisti , Isadora Benvegnu` †, Fernanda Colombari and Robert A. Haack‡ ∗Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and the Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padova, Agripolis, 35020, Legnaro, Italy, †Veneto Agricoltura, Agripolis, 35020, Legnaro, Italy, and ‡USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, 1407 South Harrison Road, East Lansing, MI, 48823, U.S.A. Abstract 1 The Asian chestnut gall wasp Dryocosmus kuriphilus Yasumatsu (Hymenoptera Cynipidae) is an invasive species in chestnut forests and orchards in many parts of the world. 2 Nuts produced by the European chestnut (Castanea sativa Miller) are important in human food and culture, and as a component in food webs in forest ecosystems. 3 Severe infestations are reported to reduce nut yield, although precise data are lacking because of large natural year-to-year variability in yield. 4 The recent colonization of chestnut orchards in north-eastern Italy, where nut yield has been continuously and precisely recorded for several years, offered an opportunity to calculate the impact of gall wasp infestation level on yield. 5 The nut yield of C. sativa chestnut trees was negatively related to the gall wasp infestation level, with losses as high as 80% being reported when the number of current-year galls was above six galls per 50-cm twig. 6 Yield losses can be explained by direct and indirect factors related to gall formation, and a fuller understanding of the mechanisms involved could identify possible mitigation measures.
    [Show full text]
  • This Thesis Has Been Submitted in Fulfilment of the Requirements for a Postgraduate Degree (E.G. Phd, Mphil, Dclinpsychol) at the University of Edinburgh
    This thesis has been submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for a postgraduate degree (e.g. PhD, MPhil, DClinPsychol) at the University of Edinburgh. Please note the following terms and conditions of use: This work is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights, which are retained by the thesis author, unless otherwise stated. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author. When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. Interaction of European Chalcidoid Parasitoids with the Invasive Chestnut Gall Wasp, Dryocosmus kuriphilus Julja Ernst Submitted for the degree of Master of Philosophy The University of Edinburgh College of Science and Engineering School of Biological Science 2017 ii Declaration The work contained within this thesis has been composed by myself and is my own work unless otherwise stated. Aspects of this work were made possible by collaboration and data sharing with individuals and institutions presented here. Italy Data for D. kuriphilus and its parasitoid associates were made available by: The department of exploitation and protection of agricultural and forestry resources (DIVAPRA) in Turin (Italy). Prof. Alberto Alma, Dr. Ambra Quacchia and Dr. Chiara Ferrancini provided data from the North and Centre of Italy and suggested field sites for gall collections.
    [Show full text]
  • Endemic Parasitoids of Dryocosmus Kuriphilus Yasumatsu (Hymenoptera: Cinipidae) in Central Italy
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Unitus DSpace Endemic Parasitoids of Dryocosmus kuriphilus Yasumatsu (Hymenoptera: Cinipidae) in Central Italy S. Speranza, M. Stacchiotti and B. Paparattia Plant Protection Department University of Tuscia Via S. Camillo de Lellis, I-01100 Viterbo Italy Keywords: chestnut gall wasp, biological control, natural enemies Abstract The presence of chestnut gall wasp was reported for the first time in Northern Italy in 2002 and has subsequently spread rapidly in Central and Southern Italy. Knowing the harmfulness of this wasp for chestnut growing, we considered essential to inquire the cohort of parasitoids of this new insect for the Italian fauna. This research reports on preliminary results obtained in 2007 on the D. kuriphilus parasitoids in Central Italy. In particular, eight parasitoids species have been found: two Euritomidae [Sycophila biguttata (Swederus) Eurytoma brunniventris (Ratzeburg)], one Pteromalidae [Mosopolobus sericeus (Forster)], three Torymidae [Torymus flavipes (Walker), T. erucarum (Schrank), Megastigmus dorsalis (Fabricius)], one Eupelmidae [Eupelmus urozonus (Dalaman)] and one Ormyridae [Ormyrus pomaceus (Geoffroy)]. We report for the first time the presence of the Torymus erucarum as parasitoid of D. kuriphilus. INTRODUCTION The chestnut gall wasp has been reported for the first time in northern Italy in 2002 (Brussino et al., 2002), it has spread rapidly in Central (Paparatti et al., 2005) and Southern Italy. Dryocosmus kuriphilus has thus become the key insect pest for the chestnut orchards in Italy and Europe. The chemical control is very hard to achieve due to the complexity of the biology of such insect.
    [Show full text]
  • A Keeper of Many Crypts: the Parasitoid Euderus Set Manipulates the Behavior of a Taxonomically Diverse Array of Oak Gall Wasp Species
    bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/516104; this version posted March 29, 2019. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission. A keeper of many crypts: the parasitoid Euderus set manipulates the behavior of a taxonomically diverse array of oak gall wasp species. Anna K. G. Ward1, Omar S. Khodor1, Scott P. Egan2, Kelly L. Weinersmith2 and Andrew A. Forbes1 1 Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA 2 Department of BioSciences, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, USA Abstract: Parasites of animals and plants can encounter trade-offs between their specificity to any single host and their fitness on alternative hosts. For parasites that manipulate their host’s behavior, the complexity of that manipulation may further limit the parasite’s host range. The recently described crypt- keeper wasp, Euderus set, changes the behavior of the gall wasp Bassettia pallida such that B. pallida chews an incomplete exit hole in the side of its larval chamber and “plugs” that hole with its head. E. set benefits from this head plug, as it facilitates the escape of the parasitoid from the crypt after it completes development. Here, we ask whether this behavioral manipulator is limited to Bassettia hosts. We find that E. set attacks and manipulates the behavior of at least six additional gall wasp species, and that these hosts are taxonomically diverse. Interestingly, each of E. set’s hosts has converged upon similarities in their extended phenotypes: the galls they induce on oaks share characters that may make them vulnerable to attack by E.
    [Show full text]
  • Ecological Niche Modelling of Species of the Rose Gall Wasp Diplolepis (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) on the Iberian Peninsula
    EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGYENTOMOLOGY ISSN (online): 1802-8829 Eur. J. Entomol. 118: 31–45, 2021 http://www.eje.cz doi: 10.14411/eje.2021.004 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Ecological niche modelling of species of the rose gall wasp Diplolepis (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) on the Iberian Peninsula SARA SARDÓN-GUTIÉRREZ 1, DIEGO GIL-TAPETADO 1, 2, JOSÉ F. GÓMEZ 1 and JOSÉ L. NIEVES-ALDREY 2 1 Departamento de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain; e-mails: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] 2 Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain; e-mail: [email protected] Key words. Hymenoptera, Cynipidae, Diplolepis, species distribution modelling, gall-inducing wasps, Spain, Rosaceae, habitat complementarity Abstract. Diplolepis (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) are gall wasps that induce conspicuous galls on Rosa spp. (Rosaceae). These species are distributed globally and in Europe some are especially common and are founder organisms of biological communi- ties composed of different insects. However, the ecological niches of these species have not been studied in detail. We modelled the potential distributions of these species using the locations of the galls of the four most abundant species of Diplolepis on the Iberian Peninsula (Diplolepis mayri, Diplolepis rosae, Diplolepis eglanteriae and Diplolepis nervosa, the galls of latter two are in- distinguishable) using four different algorithms and identifi ed the resulting consensus for the species. We compared the potential distributions of these species, considering their spatial complementarity and the distributions of their host plants. We found that D.
    [Show full text]
  • Chestnut Integrated Pest Management
    Chestnut Integrated Pest Management Erin Lizotte Senior Statewide IPM Educator Overview • MI/My perspective • Scouting • Pests of Importance • Resources Michigan Industry • Production concentrated in the “fruit belt” • Michigan growing shy of 1M pounds, highest concentration of growers. • Novelty offers growers the chance to capitalize on new and underserved markets, innovate, and diversify • Establishing a new industry and market is also an enormous challenge • Nationally, chestnut acreage in the U.S. has increased substantially over the past 30 years with the largest acreage increases in MI Production • Regional species preferences primarily due to response to chestnut blight • Western states plant susceptible European/Japanese chestnuts • Most eastern growers plant the naturally blight-resistant Chinese chestnut • Michigan growers plant both Chinese and European chestnut species in orchards Scouting • Scouting involves monitoring the crop and cropping area for problems • Begin as soon as trees begin to grow or pests become active • Continue until crop is dormant or risk of the pest has passed Scouting • A critical step in quantifying the potential pest damage • Aids in determining if intervention to control the pest is warranted • Helps determine the lifestage of the pest which is critical to optimize management • Assists in determining management efficacy Scouting • Scouting for diseases includes monitoring the crop for signs and symptoms of disease and quantifying incidence and severity Scouting • Scouting for insects includes looking for all life stages and attempting to quantify the population • May also include inspecting for crop damage and setting traps to collect them Abiotic issues • Unexplained by pests • Cold • Lack of water • Lack of nutrient • pH • Mechanical damage • Excessive water Vertebrate pests Scouting protocol • Section your planting off into manageable portions based on acreage, age, species, etc.
    [Show full text]
  • Molecular Identification of Andricus Species (Hymenoptera
    Edinburgh Research Explorer Molecular identification of Andricus species (Hymenoptera Citation for published version: Tavakoli, M, Khaghaninia, S, Melika, G, Stone, GN & Hosseini-Chegeni, A 2019, 'Molecular identification of Andricus species (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) inducing various oak galls in Central Zagros of Iran', Mitochondrial DNA Part A, pp. 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1080/24701394.2019.1622693 Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.1080/24701394.2019.1622693 Link: Link to publication record in Edinburgh Research Explorer Document Version: Peer reviewed version Published In: Mitochondrial DNA Part A Publisher Rights Statement: This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Mitochondrial DNA. Part A, DNA mapping, sequencing, and analysis on 20 June 2019, available online: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/24701394.2019.1622693 General rights Copyright for the publications made accessible via the Edinburgh Research Explorer is retained by the author(s) and / or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing these publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. Take down policy The University of Edinburgh has made every reasonable effort to ensure that Edinburgh Research Explorer content complies with UK legislation. If you believe that the public display of this file breaches copyright please contact [email protected] providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Download date: 04. Oct. 2021 Molecular identification of Andricus species (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) inducing various oak galls in central Zagros of Iran Majid Tavakolia, Samad Khaghaniniaa, George Melikab, Graham N. Stonec, Asadollah Hosseini-Chegenid,e a University of Tabriz, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Plant Protection, Tabriz, Iran b Plant Health and Molecular Biology Laboratory, National Food Chain Safety Office, Directorate of Plant Protection, Soil Conservation and Agri-environment, Budaorsi str.
    [Show full text]
  • Fine Morphology of Antennal and Ovipositor Sensory Structures of the Gall Chestnut Wasp, Dryocosmus Kuriphilus
    insects Article Fine Morphology of Antennal and Ovipositor Sensory Structures of the Gall Chestnut Wasp, Dryocosmus kuriphilus Milos Sevarika 1 , Marco Valerio Rossi Stacconi 2 and Roberto Romani 1,* 1 Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia, 06121 Perugia, Italy; [email protected] 2 Research and Innovation Center, Fondazione Edmund Mach, S. Michele all’Adige, 38098 Trento, Italy; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +39-075-585-6032 Simple Summary: Hymenoptera encompass a large group of insects with different habits, ranging from phytophagy to parasitic/predatory lifestyles. This is also true in the superfamily Cynipoidea, where phytophagy becomes highly specialized towards the exploitation of specific plant tissues (i.e., buds), leading to the induction of galls. In this paper, we investigated the organization of antennal and ovipositor sensory structures in the chestnut gall wasp, Dryocosmus kuriphilus. This insect became a major threat to chestnut production in Italy in the last 15 years. We investigated only females (this is a parthenogenetic species with thelytoky), and on the antennae we found several sensilla with the clear functional specialization to different groups of stimuli, with almost no overlapping among each sensilla. Similarly, specialization was also found on the ovipositor where groups of gustatory and mechanoreceptive sensilla were observed. This information represents an advancement in the Citation: Sevarika, M.; Rossi knowledge of this pest, which may be useful to understand the biological role of plant derived Stacconi, M.V.; Romani, R. Fine chemical cues or to implement new control methods. Morphology of Antennal and Ovipositor Sensory Structures of the Abstract: Dryocosmus kuriphilus is a gall-inducing insect, which can cause significant damage on Gall Chestnut Wasp, Dryocosmus plants of the genus Castanea Mill., 1754.
    [Show full text]
  • Breeding of Chestnut Varieties Resistant to Chestnut Gall Wasp, Dryocosmus Kuriphilus YASUMATSU
    Breeding of Chestnut Varieties Resistant to Chestnut Gall Wasp, Dryocosmus kuriphilus YASUMATSU By ISAO SHIMURA 2nd Laboratory of Fruit Tree Breeding, Department of Fruit Trees, Horticultural Research Station The first breeding program of the chest­ the gall wasp. Currently, these varieties are nut, Castanea spp., was started in 1947 at the main commercial varieties. the Horticultural Research Station and plan­ ned crossings were completed in 1962. At Chestnut gall wasp present, we are conducting breeding works according to the second program. In 1941, chestnut trees infested with the The aims of the first program were to gall wasp were found in Okayama Prefecture breed early and mid-season varieties having at first, and the chestnut production was re­ high productivity, superior quality and good markably decreased by the rapid spread of appearance of the nut. insect in the various growing districts. However, in 1941, the chestnut gall wasp, Today, this insect is widely distributed all Dryocosmus kuriphilus YASUMATSU, was gen­ over Japan (Fig. 1), and is also reported to erated in Okayama Prefecture located in the southwestern part of Japan. They spread rapidly at various chestnut growing districts in the 1950's causing great damage to the chestnut trees. In 1952, a new aim of the development of varieties resistant to the gall wasp was added to the chestnut breeding. Since that time, the character of resistance has been particu­ larly emphasized more and more. As the result of this program, we commer­ cially introduced four varieties resistant to Fig. 1. Invaded year of the chestnut gall wasps in various prefectures of Japan 225 have invaded Korean in 1958.
    [Show full text]