DOCSLIB.ORG

Behavioral and Physiological Effects of Selected Insecticides on Mole Crickets (Orthoptera: Gryllotalpidae)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Behavioral and Physiological Effects of Selected Insecticides on Mole Crickets (Orthoptera: Gryllotalpidae) BEHAVIORAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF SELECTED INSECTICIDES ON MOLE CRICKETS (ORTHOPTERA: GRYLLOTALPIDAE) By OLGA SEMENIVNA KOSTROMYTSKA A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2010 1 © 2010 Olga Kostromytska 2 To my dear parents Semen and Valentyna Kostromytski, and my sunshine daughter, Julia Mergel, who provided endless support, encouragement and love. 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to sincerely thank Dr. Eileen A. Buss, my supervisory committee chair, for her support and guidance and giving me an opportunity to learn, gain experience and grow as a professional. She has been a role model of professional honesty, work ethic, enthusiasm and dedication which will inspire me throughout my further career. Dr. Buss has been a great mentor, providing valuable advice and support in many aspects of my professional and personal life. She made it possible for my professional dream to become a reality and I am endlessly thankful for having that opportunity. I am thankful for Dr. Scharf’s invaluable contribution into my work and learning. Dr. Scharf’s toxicology class and research program enhanced my knowledge, skills, curiosity and motivation. I greatly appreciate all of his help, advice and the time spent to help me with the toxicity and electrophysiology work. His personal example and working in his lab gave many valuable insights on the research process. I want to acknowledge my supervisory committee members (Drs. Sandra Allan and Amy Shober) for their contribution to my degree. Without their help, time and expertise this work would not have been possible. I am thankful for Dr. Paul Skelly’s (Department of Plant Industry, Gainesville, FL) personal assistance, tremendous help and time spent in teaching me how to use the SEM. I am thankful to Karen Kelly (University of Florida, Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research, Electron Microscopy and Bio-Imaging lab) for her help and expertise in TEM. I am grateful for the research sites, assistance and cooperation provided by Zoe and Ernest Duncan, Justin W. Callaham (U. F. Horse Teaching Unit), Gainesville Country Club Golf Course, and West End Golf Course. 4 I greatly appreciate the advice, assistance and mole cricket specimens provided by Dr. J. H. Frank’s Lab, and personally, Lucy Skelly. I especially appreciate all help, assistance and practical advice of Paul Ruppert, who helped to practically improve and materialize every idea about experimental set up. I am thankful for his patience, understanding, moral support and willingness to help throughtout my education. My research would not have been possible without the help provided by colleagues in the Landscape Entomology lab, including Jessica Platt, Cara Vazquez, Ta-I Huang, Ken Cho, Jade Cash, and Brandon Razkowski. I am grateful to the United States Golf Association for provided funding for my project and the companies (Bayer Environmental Science, FMC, DuPont and Valent) that donated products for my research. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................. 4 LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ 9 LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................ 10 ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................... 13 CHAPTER 1 LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................................... 15 Mole Crickets as Economically Important Pests of Turfgrass in Florida ................. 15 Mole Cricket Diversity and Natural History .............................................................. 16 Tunneling Behavior and Mole Cricket Adaptation to Subsurface Lifestyle .............. 17 Mole Cricket Management ...................................................................................... 19 Monitoring ......................................................................................................... 19 Cultural Control and Plant Resistance .............................................................. 21 Biological Control of Scapteriscus spp. in Florida ............................................. 21 Chemical Control of Damaging Mole Cricket Species ...................................... 23 Insecticides commonly used for mole cricket control, their target sites modes of action and behavioral effects .................................................. 23 Toxicity against developmental stages ...................................................... 30 Chemosensory System and Its Role in Insect Behavior ......................................... 31 Mole Cricket Chemoreception: Implications for Management ................................. 35 Objectives ............................................................................................................... 37 2 ANTENNAL AND PALPAL MORPHOLOGY OF INTRODUCED SCAPTERISCUS SPP. AND NATIVE NEOCURTILLA HEXADACTYLA (ORTHOPTERA: GRYLLOTALPIDAE) ................................................................... 39 Materials and Methods............................................................................................ 41 Insects .............................................................................................................. 41 Antennal Morphology of Adults and Nymphs .................................................... 41 Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) .............................................................. 41 Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) ........................................................ 42 Results .................................................................................................................... 43 General Morphology of Antennae ..................................................................... 43 Growth of Antennae during Post-Embryonic Development .............................. 44 Types, Abundance and Distribution of the Sensilla on the Mole Cricket Antenna ......................................................................................................... 45 S. chaetica ................................................................................................. 45 S. basioconica ............................................................................................ 46 S. trichodea ................................................................................................ 46 6 S. coeloconica ............................................................................................ 47 S. campaniformia ....................................................................................... 47 Types, Abundance and Distribution of the Sensilla on the Mole Cricket Maxillary and Labial Palps ............................................................................. 47 Differences in Sensilla Types, Size, Abundance and Distribution among Mole Cricket Species, Sexes and Life Stages ............................................... 48 Discussion .............................................................................................................. 48 Putative Functions of Sensilla Found on Mole Cricket Antennae and Palps .... 48 Postembryonic Development of Mole Cricket Antennae .................................. 51 Similarities of Antennal, Palpal and Sensilla Structure Among Species and Sexes ............................................................................................................ 52 Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 53 3 TOXICITY AND NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF SELECTED INSECTICIDES ON THE MOLE CRICKET SCAPTERISCUS VICINUS (ORTHOPTERA: GRYLLOTALPIDAE) ................................................................... 71 Materials and Methods............................................................................................ 73 Insects .............................................................................................................. 73 Chemicals ......................................................................................................... 73 Toxicity Bioassays ............................................................................................ 74 Neurophysiological Equipment ......................................................................... 74 Neurophysiological Assays ............................................................................... 75 Results .................................................................................................................... 76 Toxicity Biossays .............................................................................................. 76 Neurophysiological Assays ............................................................................... 77 Discussion .............................................................................................................. 77 Comparative Toxicity of Tested Insecticides against Mole Cricket Adults and Nymphs .................................................................................................. 77 Effects of Neuroexcitatory Compounds on Mole Crickets ................................ 78 Effects of Indoxacarb and DCJW ....................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • House-Invading Crickets
    ■ ,VVXHG LQ IXUWKHUDQFH RI WKH &RRSHUDWLYH ([WHQVLRQ :RUN$FWV RI 0D\ DQG -XQH LQ FRRSHUDWLRQ ZLWK WKH 8QLWHG 6WDWHV 'HSDUWPHQWRI$JULFXOWXUH 'LUHFWRU&RRSHUDWLYH([WHQVLRQ8QLYHUVLW\RI0LVVRXUL&ROXPELD02 HOME AND ■ ■ ■ DQHTXDORSSRUWXQLW\$'$LQVWLWXWLRQ H[WHQVLRQPLVVRXULHGX CONSUMER LIFE House-Invading Crickets rickets belong to the insect near buildings. Once inside, they order Orthoptera, which feed on and cause damage to items Calso includes grasshoppers such as cotton, linen, wool, silk and and katydids. The chirping sounds fur. Materials soiled by perspiration for which they are famous are made or food are more likely to be by the adult males rubbing their damaged. These crickets also eat wings together to attract females. dead or dying insects, including Like their grasshopper and katydid their own species. At times, field 0 1 relatives, crickets have long hind crickets may also cause damage to Approximate size in inches legs fitted for jumping. In addition, field crops. Figure 1. Field cricket. adult females have long, swordlike House cricket. The house ovipositors at the tip of their cricket (Acheta domesticus) is light abdomens for laying eggs in the yellowish-brown and has three soil. darker brown bands across the head Crickets will accidentally invade (Figure 2). The adult stage varies in homes, but only rarely will they length from 0.75 to 1 inch. During reproduce there. The usual point warm weather, house crickets can of entry is through open or poorly live outdoors and are especially 0 1 fitted doors, and cracks in doors, fond of garbage dumps. Approximate size in inches windows, foundations or siding. Like the field cricket, house Figure 2.
    [Show full text]
  • Diptera: Tachinidae) Larvae
    Welch: Competition by Ormia depleta 497 INTRASPECIFIC COMPETITION FOR RESOURCES BY ORMIA DEPLETA (DIPTERA: TACHINIDAE) LARVAE C. H. WELCH USDA/ARS/cmave, 1600 SW 23rd Drive, Gainesville, FL 32608 ABSTRACT Ormia depleta is a parasitoid of pest mole crickets in the southeastern United States. From 2 to 8 larvae of O. depleta were placed on each of 368 mole cricket hosts and allowed to de- velop. The weights of the host crickets, number of larvae placed, number of resulting pupae, and the weights of those pupae were all factored to determine optimal parasitoid density per host under laboratory rearing conditions. Based on larval survival and pupal weight, this study indicates that 4-5 larvae per host is optimal for laboratory rearing. Key Words: biocontrol, Scapteriscus, parasitoid, superparasitism RESUMEN Ormia depleta es un parasitoide de grillotopos en el sureste de los Estados Unidos. Entre 2 y 8 larvas de O. depleta se colocaron en 368 grillotopos huéspedes y se dejaron madurar. El peso de los huéspedes, el número de larvas de O. depleta colocadas, el número de pupas re- sultantes y el peso de las pupas fueron usados para determinar la densidad optima de para- sitoides en cada huésped para ser usadas en la reproducción de este parasitoide en el laboratorio. Nuestros resultados muestran que entre 4 y 5 larvas por cada grillotopo es la densidad optima para la reproducción en el laboratorio de este parasitoide. Translation provided by the author. Ormia depleta (Wiedemann) is a parasitoid of protocol requires hand inoculation of 3 planidia Scapteriscus spp. mole crickets, imported pests of under the posterior margin of the pronotum of turf and pasture grasses in the southeastern each host (R.
    [Show full text]
  • Cephalobellus Lobulata N. Sp. (Oxyurida
    Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Vol. 95(1): 49-51, Jan./Feb. 2000 49 Cephalobellus lobulata n. sp. (Oxyurida:Thelastomatidae) a Parasite of Neocurtilla claraziana Saussure (Orthoptera: Gryllotalpidae) from Argentina Nora B Camino+, Guillermo R Reboredo Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores, Calle 2, No. 584, 1900 La Plata, Argentina Cephalobellus lobulata n. sp. (Oxyurida: Thelastomatidae) a parasite of the mole cricket Neocurtilla claraziana Saussure (Orthoptera: Gryllotalpidae) found in Argentina is described and illustrated. It is characterized by a short buccal cavity armed with three teeth, a striated cuticle with the first annule wide with four lobes and the second annule divided in twelve lobes. The male have three pairs of preanal papillae and two pairs of postanal papillae. Key words: Cephalobellus lobulata n. sp. - Thelastomatidae - Gryllotalpidae - parasite - cricket - taxonomy - Argentina The genus Cephalobellus was proposed by dissected them in Petri dishes with distilled water Cobb (1920) who described a nematode from a under microscope stereoscope. We found the nema- beetle larva under the name of C. papilliger. He todes (males and females) in the stomodeo intesti- described only the male without any diagram of nal of the insects and then they were killed in dis- the nematode. Christie (1933) described the genus tilled water at 60ºC during 2 min. Posteriorly they Scarabanema as a synonym of Cephalobellus (both were put in a solution of distilled water + TAF (1:1) males were identical), putting S. cylindricum as a during 48 h, finally we finished the fixed in pure synonym of C. papilliger. Basir (1956) recognized TAF. six species from Europe, USA, North India and Living and fixed specimens were employed for Brazil.
    [Show full text]
  • Phylogeny of Ensifera (Hexapoda: Orthoptera) Using Three Ribosomal Loci, with Implications for the Evolution of Acoustic Communication
    Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 38 (2006) 510–530 www.elsevier.com/locate/ympev Phylogeny of Ensifera (Hexapoda: Orthoptera) using three ribosomal loci, with implications for the evolution of acoustic communication M.C. Jost a,*, K.L. Shaw b a Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, USA b Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA Received 9 May 2005; revised 27 September 2005; accepted 4 October 2005 Available online 16 November 2005 Abstract Representatives of the Orthopteran suborder Ensifera (crickets, katydids, and related insects) are well known for acoustic signals pro- duced in the contexts of courtship and mate recognition. We present a phylogenetic estimate of Ensifera for a sample of 51 taxonomically diverse exemplars, using sequences from 18S, 28S, and 16S rRNA. The results support a monophyletic Ensifera, monophyly of most ensiferan families, and the superfamily Gryllacridoidea which would include Stenopelmatidae, Anostostomatidae, Gryllacrididae, and Lezina. Schizodactylidae was recovered as the sister lineage to Grylloidea, and both Rhaphidophoridae and Tettigoniidae were found to be more closely related to Grylloidea than has been suggested by prior studies. The ambidextrously stridulating haglid Cyphoderris was found to be basal (or sister) to a clade that contains both Grylloidea and Tettigoniidae. Tree comparison tests with the concatenated molecular data found our phylogeny to be significantly better at explaining our data than three recent phylogenetic hypotheses based on morphological characters. A high degree of conflict exists between the molecular and morphological data, possibly indicating that much homoplasy is present in Ensifera, particularly in acoustic structures. In contrast to prior evolutionary hypotheses based on most parsi- monious ancestral state reconstructions, we propose that tegminal stridulation and tibial tympana are ancestral to Ensifera and were lost multiple times, especially within the Gryllidae.
    [Show full text]
  • Insects in Turf
    Insects in Turf Pest Manager Training Albany Technical College February 26, 2019 Dr. James N. McCrimmon Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Where do Insects fit in? Organization of 5 Kingdoms living organisms: – Animalia – Kingdom Phylum – Phylum – Arthropoda – Class – Nematoda – Order Class – Family – Insecta – Genus Order – Species – 7/32 are turf pests • Class ▫ Insecta Chitinous exoskeleton Three-part body (head, thorax, and abdomen) Three pairs of jointed legs Antennae Compound eyes Two antennae Introduction to Insect Biology We are fully immersed with insects – Over 1,000,000 insect species worldwide Introduction to Insect Biology An estimated 40 million insects for every acre of land Live in all habitats except, ocean Introduction to Insect Biology Diversity/richness greatest in tropical climates If global temperatures continue to rise, their population will grow and spread Introduction to Insect Biology Not all insects are pests; many are beneficial, for example, with the pollination of plants. Other beneficial roles of insects include… – Pest predation – Recycling/decomposition – Population control Introduction to Insect Biology A few groups (Orders) account for most of the population. – Coleoptera (beetles) 35% – Hymenoptera (bees, ants and wasps) 25% – Diptera (flies) 12.5% – Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) 12.5% – Hemiperta (true bug) 10% – Orthoptera (grasshoppers and crickets) 2% – Others 3% Insect Identification Destructive Turfgrass Insects 7 Insecta Orders Insecta Orthoptera Coleoptera Lepidoptera
    [Show full text]
  • Tawny Mole Cricket
    INSECT PESTS Tawny Mole Cricket Prepared by Camille Goodwin, MG 2008 Texas AgriLife Extension Service Galveston County Office Dickinson, TX 77539 Educational programs of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age, or national origin. The Texas A&M System, U.S. Department of Agriculture and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas cooperating. FIG. 1 Type Pest: chewing insect (Scapteriscus vicinus Scudder) • Another closely related mole cricket, the southern mole cricket (Scapteriscus borellia Giglio-Tos) also occurs in the Galveston-Houston area Type Metamorphous: simple (egg, nymph and adult stages) Period of Primary Activity: April through October Plants Affected • Bermudagrass and bahiagrass are the primary turfgrasses damaged by the mole cricket, although extensive damage can be sustained on cultivars of St. Augustinegrass, FIG. 2 centipedegrass, ryegrass, zoysiagrass and bentgrass • Tomato, strawberry, beet, cabbage, cantaloupe, carrot, cauliflower, collard, eggplant, kale, lettuce, onion, pepper, potato, spinach, sweet potato, turnip, flowers such as coleus, chrysanthemum, gypsophila, and other plants • Mole crickets feed on other soil-dwelling insects Identifying Characteristics of Insect Pest EGG STAGE • After mating and dispersal flights occur, females lay eggs in cells dug in the soil primarly during April with some egg laying occurring into early summer • Eggs hatch in about 2 weeks FIG. 3 NYMPH STAGES • Nymphs develop through eight juvenile stages (separated by molts) mostly during the summer months. • Each successive growth stage (instar) is larger and looks more and more like the adult but lack fully developed wings • Winter is spent as partially grown nymphs and as adults ADULT STAGE (Fig.
    [Show full text]
  • Mole Cricket: Scapteriscus Vicinus Shortwinged Mole Cricket: Scapteriscus Abbreviatus
    Tawny Mole Cricket: Scapteriscus vicinus Shortwinged Mole Cricket: Scapteriscus abbreviatus Biology & Lifecycle: Adults and larger nymphs chew on stems of seedlings and smaller plants at the soil surface. The tawny mole cricket has one generation each year and overwinters as adults, which lay eggs in April through early June. Nymphs grow slowly through the summer months and start becoming adults in September. The shortwinged mole cricket is almost restricted to coastal areas. Most eggs are laid in late spring through early summer. Females of both species lay clutches of eggs in underground egg chambers. Environmental Factors: Tawny and shortwinged mole crickets are present year-around, with adults and large nymphs overwintering but inactivated by cold temperatures and drought (they burrow deeper underground). Irrigation during drought allows them to be active. Flooding forces them to migrate to higher ground. Adult: Adults are large, about 1¼ inches, with wings longer than body (tawny mole cricket (Figure 3)) or very much shorter than body (shortwinged mole cricket (Figure 1)). Both adults and nymphs have enlarged and toothed forelegs for digging; expanded femurs (base of the hind legs) for jumping, although only nymphs jump. All species have soft bodies, with the middle body section protected by a hardened cover (pronotum). Immature: Nymphs range from less than 1/8 inch at hatching to about 1 inch several months later, resembling the adults but without trace of wings in the first 4 instars and with small wing buds in later instars. The number of molts varies from 6 to 9 (Figure 5). Host range: Both species attack seedlings of eggplant, sweet pepper, tobacco, tomato and cabbage.
    [Show full text]
  • Visit the National Academies Press Online, the Authoritative Source For
    http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10134.html We ship printed books within 1 business day; personal PDFs are available immediately. Compensating for Wetland Losses Under the Clean Water Act Committee on Mitigating Wetland Losses, Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology, Water Science and Technology Board, National Research Council ISBN: 0-309-50290-X, 348 pages, 6 x 9, (2001) This PDF is available from the National Academies Press at: http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10134.html Visit the National Academies Press online, the authoritative source for all books from the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Medicine, and the National Research Council: • Download hundreds of free books in PDF • Read thousands of books online for free • Explore our innovative research tools – try the “Research Dashboard” now! • Sign up to be notified when new books are published • Purchase printed books and selected PDF files Thank you for downloading this PDF. If you have comments, questions or just want more information about the books published by the National Academies Press, you may contact our customer service department toll- free at 888-624-8373, visit us online, or send an email to [email protected]. This book plus thousands more are available at http://www.nap.edu. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF File are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Distribution, posting, or copying is strictly prohibited without written permission of the National Academies Press. Request reprint permission for this book. Compensating for Wetland Losses Under the Clean Water Act http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10134.html COMPENSATING FOR WETLAND LOSSES UNDER THE CLEAN WATER ACT Committee on Mitigating Wetland Losses Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology Water Science and Technology Board Division on Earth and Life Studies National Research Council NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS Washington, D.C.
    [Show full text]
  • Long-Term Population Dynamics of Namib Desert Tenebrionid Beetles Reveal Complex Relationships to Pulse-Reserve Conditions
    insects Article Long-Term Population Dynamics of Namib Desert Tenebrionid Beetles Reveal Complex Relationships to Pulse-Reserve Conditions Joh R. Henschel 1,2,3 1 South African Environmental Observation Network, P.O. Box 110040 Hadison Park, Kimberley 8301, South Africa; [email protected] 2 Centre for Environmental Management, University of the Free State, P.O. Box 339, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa 3 Gobabeb Namib Research Institute, P.O. Box 953, Walvis Bay 13103, Namibia Simple Summary: Rain seldom falls in the extremely arid Namib Desert in Namibia, but when a certain amount falls, it causes seeds to germinate, grass to grow and seed, dry, and turn to litter that gradually decomposes over the years. It is thought that such periodic flushes and gradual decay are fundamental to the functioning of the animal populations of deserts. This notion was tested with litter-consuming darkling beetles, of which many species occur in the Namib. Beetles were trapped in buckets buried at ground level, identified, counted, and released. The numbers of most species changed with the quantity of litter, but some mainly fed on green grass and disappeared when this dried, while other species depended on the availability of moisture during winter. Several species required unusually heavy rainfalls to gradually increase their populations, while others the opposite, declining when wet, thriving when dry. All 26 beetle species experienced periods when their numbers were extremely low, but all Citation: Henschel, J.R. Long-Term had the capacity for a few remaining individuals to repopulate the area in good times. The remarkably Population Dynamics of Namib different relationships of these beetles to common resources, litter, and moisture, explain how so many Desert Tenebrionid Beetles Reveal species can exist side by side in such a dry environment.
    [Show full text]
  • Howard Frank Professor Emeritus
    J. Howard Frank Professor Emeritus Contact: PO Box 110620 Building 970, Natural Area Dr. Gainesville, FL 32611 (352) 273-3922 [email protected] Education B.Sc. (Honors), Durham University, England (Zoology), 1963 D.Phil., Oxford University, England (Entomology), 1967 Relevant Employment History Professor (1987-2012) Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida Associate Professor (1985-1987) Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida Associate Professor (1983-1985) Florida Medical Entomology Lab, Vero Beach, FL Entomologist (1972-1983) Entomological Research Center (later Florida Medical Entomology Lab), Vero Beach, FL Entomologist (1968-1972) Research Department, Sugar Manufacturers' Association, Mandeville, Jamaica Post-doctoral Fellow (1966-1968) Entomology Department, University of Alberta, Canada Former Research Responsibilities Biological control of pest insects using parasitoids, predators, or pathogens. Current projects are against Scapteriscus mole crickets (pests of turf, pasture grasses, and vegetables), and Metamasius callizona (pest of bromeliads). Former Teaching responsibilities Biological Control (ENY 5241), a course for graduate students. Tropical Entomology for undergraduates (ENY 3563/ENY 3564L) and for graduates (ENY 5566/ENY 5567L). Supervision of research by graduate students. Former Extension responsibilities Extension of results of the research project Accomplishments Introduction, colonization, release, and establishment in at least 38 Florida counties of Ormia depleta (Diptera: Tachinidae)
    [Show full text]
  • Caribbean Food Crops Society Serving the Caribbean Since 1963 Caribbean Food Crops Society 40
    CARIBBEAN FOOD CROPS SOCIETY SERVING THE CARIBBEAN SINCE 1963 CARIBBEAN FOOD CROPS SOCIETY 40 Fortieth Annual Meeting 2004 Proceedings of the Caribbean Food Crops Society. 40:249-183. 2004 A COMMERCI AL NEMATODE FOR MOLE CRICKET CONTROL N.C. Leppla1, J.H. Frank', N. Vicente2 and A. Pantoja3. 1 University of Florida, IF AS, P.O. Box 110620, Gainesville, FL 32611-0620, 2University of Puerto Rico, Agricultural Experiment Station, P.O. Box 9030, Mayaguez, PR 00681-9030, United States Department of Agriculture, ARS, SARU, Fairbanks, AK99775-7200 ABSTRACT: In Puerto Rico, the name "changa" is generally applied to Scapteriscus didactylus (Latreille) (Orthoptera: Gryllotalpidae), the most widespread and damaging of the non- indigenous pest mole crickets in Puerto Rico. S. abbreviatus Scudder is also established but much less abundant. We conducted a T-STAR project to efficiently release, establish, distribute and evaluate the entomopathogenic nematode, Stinernema scapterisci Nguyen and Smart (Rhabditida: Steinernematidae), for controlling Scapteriscus spp. mole crickets. The University of Florida negotiated an agreement with Becker Underwood for commercial production of the nematode that is available as the product, Nematac®S. The "mole cricket nematode" has been used effectively to control non-indigenous mole crickets in pastures and turf in Florida since the early 1990s. It parasitizes only Scapteriscus spp. in nature and not indigenous mole crickets that are in a different genus, so it is safe to import and release. The level of mole cricket infection, nematode establishment and dispersal, and suppression of mole cricket populations is being quantified. This project provided data on the occurrence and life history of Scapteriscus spp.
    [Show full text]
  • New Canadian and Ontario Orthopteroid Records, and an Updated Checklist of the Orthoptera of Ontario
    Checklist of Ontario Orthoptera (cont.) JESO Volume 145, 2014 NEW CANADIAN AND ONTARIO ORTHOPTEROID RECORDS, AND AN UPDATED CHECKLIST OF THE ORTHOPTERA OF ONTARIO S. M. PAIERO1* AND S. A. MARSHALL1 1School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1 email, [email protected] Abstract J. ent. Soc. Ont. 145: 61–76 The following seven orthopteroid taxa are recorded from Canada for the first time: Anaxipha species 1, Cyrtoxipha gundlachi Saussure, Chloroscirtus forcipatus (Brunner von Wattenwyl), Neoconocephalus exiliscanorus (Davis), Camptonotus carolinensis (Gerstaeker), Scapteriscus borellii Linnaeus, and Melanoplus punctulatus griseus (Thomas). One further species, Neoconocephalus retusus (Scudder) is recorded from Ontario for the first time. An updated checklist of the orthopteroids of Ontario is provided, along with notes on changes in nomenclature. Published December 2014 Introduction Vickery and Kevan (1985) and Vickery and Scudder (1987) reviewed and listed the orthopteroid species known from Canada and Alaska, including 141 species from Ontario. A further 15 species have been recorded from Ontario since then (Skevington et al. 2001, Marshall et al. 2004, Paiero et al. 2010) and we here add another eight species or subspecies, of which seven are also new Canadian records. Notes on several significant provincial range extensions also are given, including two species originally recorded from Ontario on bugguide.net. Voucher specimens examined here are deposited in the University of Guelph Insect Collection (DEBU), unless otherwise noted. New Canadian records Anaxipha species 1 (Figs 1, 2) (Gryllidae: Trigidoniinae) This species, similar in appearance to the Florida endemic Anaxipha calusa * Author to whom all correspondence should be addressed.
    [Show full text]