34 research outputs found
Arthropods of Canadian grasslands: A retrospective of a 40-year project of the Biological Survey of Canada
No full textSHORT COMMUNICATION- An update on the diversity of \u3ci\u3eWolbachia in Spalangia\u3c/i\u3e spp. (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae)
No full textResults from 13 additional host populations improves resolution on the diversity of Wolbachia bacteria in Spalangia spp. (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae). These bacteria are of interest because they can profoundly affect their host’s reproduction. Manipulating Wolbachia infections may provide a method to improve the efficacy of biocontrol agents including Spalangia spp.
Parasitoid wasps (Pteromalidae: Hymenoptera) are of interest as biocontrol agents for pest flies (Diptera: Muscidae) of livestock confinements; e.g. dairies, cattle feedlots, poultry houses, swine barns. Many of these wasps are infected with Wolbachia bacteria that can profoundly affect their host’s reproduction. Wolbachia induce parthenogenesis in Muscidifurax uniraptor Kogan & Legner (Zchori-Fein, Gottlieb, and Coll 2000) and cytoplasmic incompatibility in Nasonia vitripennis (Walker) (Breeuwer and Werren 1990) and Urolepis rufipes (Ashmead) (Kyei-Poku, Floate, Benkel, and Goettel 2003).
Additional information on the occurrence and effect of Wolbachia on members of this parasitoid guild may facilitate their mass-production for use in biocontrol programmes. A recent survey identified infections of Wolbachia in 15 of 21 species of these wasps (Kyei- Poku et al. 2006). Most of the species were infected with single isolates of Wolbachia as determined by genetic variation in the wsp gene. Infections of two and four isolates were detected in N. vitripennis and Spalangia cameroni Perkins, respectively. The same study showed incompatible crosses of S. cameroni to produce fertilised eggs that died during embryogenesis. In addition, the progeny of infected males exhibited prolonged development regardless of whether the female parent was infected or whether the males developed from fertilised or unfertilised eggs (Kyei-Poku et al. 2006)
Chilothorax distinctus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae): an occasional pest in agro-ecosystems on the Canadian Prairies?
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Winter survival of nuisance fly parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) in Canada and Denmark
No full textWhere went the dung-breeding insects of the American bison?
No full textAbstractThe demise of the American bison, Bison bison (L.), following European settlement has given rise to two hypotheses regarding the fate of their dung-associated insects. The “extant” hypothesis proposes that all of these taxa now persist in the dung of cattle, Bos taurus L. The “extinction” hypothesis proposes that a subset of these taxa were unable to make this transition and have gone extinct. We examined these hypotheses by comparing the response of coprophilous insects to dung of bison versus cattle on similar diets and versus dung of cattle on different diets. Results showed insects to be more responsive to changes in diet than to changes in host species and, therefore, were supportive of the extant hypothesis. To our knowledge, these data provide the first experimental comparisons of bison dung versus cattle dung as habitat for coprophilous insects.</jats:p
SEASONAL ACTIVITY OF DUNG BEETLES (COLEOPTERA: SCARABAEIDAE) ASSOCIATED WITH CATTLE DUNG IN SOUTHERN ALBERTA AND THEIR GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION IN CANADA
No full textAbstractDung beetles (Scarabaeidae) were pitfall trapped at two sites in southern Alberta from 1993 to 1995. A 3-year total of 156 500 specimens representing 17 species was collected. Local assemblages were dominated, in descending order, by the exotic species Onthophagus nuchicornis (Linné), Aphodius prodromus (Brahm), Aphodius distinctus (O.F. Müller), and Aphodius fimetarius (Linné). Aphodius vittatus Say was the most common native species. Although adults were collected from mid-March to mid-November, the activity of individual species either peaked in the spring and again in the fall, or peaked once in spring to midsummer. Maps showing the Canadian distributions for 15 of these species were compiled from examination of collections and published records and identify 10 new provincial records. Most distributions are transcontinental, with the distribution of O. nuchicornis likely expanding only in the last 20–30 years to include Alberta and Saskatchewan. Aphodius erraticus (Linné) and Aphodius ruricola Melsheimer have not been previously reported from British Columbia. Aphodius pinguellus W.J. Brown, Canthon praticola LeConte, and Aphodius coloradensis Horn are restricted to western Canada.</jats:p
Reductions of non-pest insects in dung of cattle treated with endectocides: a comparison of four products
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Bioclimatic analyses for the distributions of<i>Onthophagus nuchicornis</i>,<i>Onthophagus taurus</i>, and<i>Digitonthophagus gazella</i>(Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in North America
No full textAbstractOnthophagus nuchicornis(Linnaeus),Onthophagus taurus(Schreber), andDigitonthophagus gazella(Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae: Onthophagini) are species of dung beetles that have been used in relocation programmes to accelerate the degradation of cattle dung on pastures. Exotic in North America, all three species have expanded their distributions since their introduction onto the continent. Here we report development of CLIMEX®bioclimatic models using data collected before 2011 that predict the eventual North American distributions of these species. Data collected after 2010 is used to validate these models. Model outputs identify large regions of the central United States of America suitable for establishment ofO. nuchicornisandO. tauruswhere these species have not been reported. These results indicate that the latter two species may already be present in these regions and undetected, that they have yet to expand into these regions, and (or) that factors restricting migration or dispersal prevent these species from occupying these areas. Model outputs forD. gazellasuggest that the species has largely reached its predicted maximum distribution. These models can be used to aid the success of future relocation programmes elsewhere in the world and (or) to predict regions where these species are likely to spread without human intervention.</jats:p
