In July 2017, in south-eastern Tunisia, larvae of Phycita diaphanawere observed on seedlings of castor bean. Infested pointed lobes of the leaves are characterized by the presence of shelters or nests ranging from oneto six shelters per leaf. The shelter area ranged from 1.01 to 28.27 cm2. In each shelter, we found from one to nine larvae. We conclude thatPh. diaphana spends the whole larval stage protected without changing its feeding habits.The leaf roll may reduce leaf toughness and lower levels of plant defensive chemicals, and hence provides a more easily and more safely eaten food. Larvae of Ph. diaphana use the pointed lobe to build its shelter. As Castor bean is used in several fields of economy, mainly the production of biodiesel fuel, the monitoring of this pest will be important and interesting. Thereby, studying the life cycle of pests constitute a significant element of phytosanitary control.
We report the discovery of Pseudotephritis millepunctata(Hennig, 1939) (DipteraUlidiidae) inEurope (centre of EuropeanRussia, Republic of Mordovia) for the first time. Information on identified specimens is giv-en and the habitat of the species is described.
The present paper reports cases of predation on two Italian species of stag beetles, Platycerus capreaand Platyceruscaraboides, by saproxylic Diptera of which preys were seldom reported or unknownin the litera-ture. Resulting from eight years of collections in many sites in northern Italy, the robber flies Laphria meridiona-lisandChoeradessp.eclosed inrearing boxes of P. caraboides, and the muscid fly Phaonia palpataemerged from deadwood inhabited byboth Platycerusspecies. These Dipteradeveloped in deadwood ofbroadleaves species,wherethey wereuncommon predators of Platycerusimmaturestages.Predator-prey interactions betweenAsilidaeandMuscidae larvae andPlatycerusimprove the knowledge on thecommunity of these species with hidden habitsin the saproxylic scene.
A female ofStrebloceramacroscapus(Ruthe)(Hymenoptera Braconidae Euphorinae) was captured on a yellow sticky trap during a monitoring survey aimed atstudyinginsectbiodiversityinViareggio district (Lucca, Italy). This is the first report ofthis species inItaly.Biological information onS. macroscapusand itsparticular ecological niche are reviewed,and images of the specimenare presented. The importance of urban gardens and their proximity to the surrounding wild areas is also considered.
The hitherto unknown oviparous females and apterous males of Brachycolus cucubali(Passerini,1863), living in pseudogalls on Silene vulgaris(Moench) Garcke, (1869) (Caryophyllaceae), are described based on material from the North-West of Iberian Peninsula (Province of León). Sampling and morphometric data are given for every morph. Also, field data of monitored Brachycolus cucubali colonies are reported and information of polyphenismin males is discussed.
A new alien parasite, Aclees sp. cf. foveatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is causing considerable crop losses and deaths in many Italian fig (Ficus carica L.) tree nurseries and orchards and it is quickly spreading in central Italy. The adult and larval stages of this weevil are closely related to t he fig tree. To date, no phytosanitary products are registered for fig against this insect, so if this pest is not systematically managed, fig trees could be decimated. A commercial organic product, LaserTM, widely used on other crops, was used to assess its effectiveness on the adult stage of this weevil. In the first trial, the concentration recommended on the label for other fruit trees was used and compared with the control (only water), while in the second trial a comparison between the label concentration and the half was tested. Mortality of the adults was recorded in the following 3-4 days after treatment. A very high adult mortality was recorded when LaserTM was applied, even at lowest concentrations, and damages (erosion) on the sycons were strongly reduced compared to the control. The tested commercial product is very effective in controlling this pest and can represent a possible solution by significantly reducing the adult population.
A survey on entomopathogens was carried out in Arasbaran Biosphere Reserve soils during June 2018 using Galleria mellonella L. (Lepidoptera, Pyralidae) larvae as bait insect with a modified bait insect technique. Three entomopathogen's categories were recorded in 34 out of 36 soil samples (94.4%) collected from different natural habitat; the entomopathogens were identified as nematodes (23.5%), fungi (61%) and bacteria (15.5%) using molecular and morphological techniques.
of the subject matter, indefatigable hiker and irreplaceable observer and investigator, in the woods, of the state of health and the degree of sustainability of forest ecosystems.He was also an authoritative and undisputed teacher, for the breadth of his specific skills and more, for many students, colleagues and friends who had the good fortune to know him thoroughly, to learn from him and to work and collaborate with him.A son, in love with his beautiful homeland, Carnia, Marco V. Covassi was born in Ovaro, in the Province of Udine, on December 3, 1937.Third son of Dr. Luigi Covassi, doctor in charge of the town and the neighbouring hamlets, and of Teresa Cecchetti.The paternal home is a small cottage surrounded by green meadows not far from the coniferous forests of the surrounding mountains.Since he was a boy, Marco shows a strong aptitude for natural sciences of which he will become an allround enthusiast, stimulated in this by the beauty of the nature of his region.After graduating as an Agricultural
The use of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs)as a non-chemical treatment system is one of the most mo-dern techniques promoted by the 2008/128/EC standards for the biological control of plant pathogens. The distri-bution ofEPNscould be carried out with the same sprayers used for the distribution of pesticides. This research is focusedon the effects of the mechanical stress due to hydraulic compression on EPNsItalianstrains,Stei-nernemafeltiaeand Heterorhabditisbacteriophora, to assess their residual strength and vitality under laboratory tests. Liquid suspensions of nematodes were subjected to 8 different levels of hydrostatic pressure from 5 to 40 bar. The hydraulic compression test was conducted through a hydrostatic compression system specifically de-signed for the experimental test. Although correlation curves show an increment of14%in nematode mortality, the statistical analysisdid not show any significant effect of static pressure on the vitality and infectivity of EPNs, that makes them suitable for field application with sprayers. These preliminary positive results on the effects of compression on the viability of EPNsare preparatory to subsequent field tests under high pressure
The rice root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne graminicola (Golden & Birchfield), is a nematode first described in 1965 from grasses and oats in Louisiana (US), and currently spread in rice crops in Asia, parts of the Americas and Africa. It can be detected in a wide range of more than 98 host plant species. In 2016 M. graminicola was detected for the first time in some rice fields of Northern Italy. In this paper, two greenhouse experiments (the first at 21-22 °C and the second one at 26-28 °C) are reported and discussed, in which three species containing bioactive compounds, Lepidium campestre (L.) R. Br., Eruca sativa Mill. cv. Nemat, and Crotalaria juncea L., were compared with Cucumis sativus L., a good host of M. graminicola, as control. Seedlings of each plant species were transplanted in pots containing mean 50 J2s 100 cm−3 soil. Three assessments were carried out about 30, 60, 90 days after transplantation, on both soil and roots. Temperature influenced M. graminicola life cycle, which was never completed at 21-22 °C; conversely, at 26-28 °C, both E. sativa and C. juncea reached a reproduction rate (R) = 0.01, confirming to be poor hosts, effective in decreasing the nematode infestation on the roots and in the soil, while L. campestre (R = 4.01) demonstrated to be a good host of M. graminicola more than the control C. sativus (R = 2.12), increasing considerably the nematode population after about 90 days.
Steinernema feltiae belongs to the feltiae-kraussei-oregonensis group, clade III, and is an ubiquitarian species of entomopathogenic nematode. It is found in all types of soil and in all types of habitat. Species identification in the entomopathogenic nematodes genera Steinernema is a very complex task, given the broad variability of both morphological and biological traits within populations of a single species. To accomplish this, molecular techniques have been adopted which, however, require additional knowledge. Particularly relevant would be the possibility of testing in a reliable way the variability between different populations of the same species, which might represent different strains with different biological properties. During numerous samplings in Italy, several strains of S. feltiae were isolated. In this paper we analyze the intraspecific variability of the main morphometric and biological data of juveniles and males of 50 Italian populations of S. feltiae. The aim of our work was to determine if morphometric and biological analysis were useful to identify characters having significant diagnostic value, allowing to reliably discriminate among strains. Seven characters routinely computed for morphology (5 morphometrics for infective juveniles, spicula and gubernaculum shapes for males) and 2 biological performances (time to achieve adult stage, reproduction and progeny) were considered. The results showed extreme variability from both morphological and biological points of view
The nematofauna was studied in the early stages of a remediation trial at an industrial site where pyrite cinders had accumulated for 40 years in a large area and were then covered with mineral soil. The cinders were contaminated with several metals and metalloids. The soil of the experimental plots was derived from the mixture of cinders with the covering soil in a 1:1 ratio. Plots were amended with manure and sown with 3 metal resistant plants: Sorghum bicolor L., Helianthus annuus L., and Arundo donax L. Samples were taken : a) at the beginning of the trial on the pyrite cinders and covering soil, separately; b) from the mixture before the application of manure; c) from cultivated plots. Nematode communities were compared by using general composition, trophic structure, biodiversity and ecology indices. Nematofauna and other soil fauna were not detected in the pyrite cinders. Nematodes were recorded in the covering soil and after mixing with the cinders. In these early stages of the remediation process, amending and cropping increased nematode abundance and biodiversity compared to the initial situation of the pyrite cinders. The nematode community structures and all calculated indices showed an increase in the quality of the soil after the remediation process. Our results showed that phytoremediation brought about the repopulation of an extremely compromised area. Moreover, the analysis of nematofauna could be a useful tool for assessing the degree of soil disturbance and soil remediation
Olive cultivation is of great economic, ecological, and cultural interest in Italy, as well as in the rest of the Mediterranean basin. Among the pests of olive trees, several groups of insects, mites, and nematodes have been reported. Phytoparasitic nematodes especially of the genera Meloidogyne, Pratylenchus, Helicotylenchus, Xiphinema, Tylenchulus, Rotylenchulus, and Heterodera have usually been extracted from roots and soil around trees. On the other hand, no information is available concerning nematodes directly associated with the wood. At the end of September 2018, in a high-density cultivated olive grove in Tuscany (central Italy), several olive trees with decline symptoms were observed. Three Bursaphelenchus species, B. fungivorus, B. minutus, and B. sexdentati were extracted from the wood of one dead tree. Even though these species had already been reported in Italy, these findings were the first ones recorded in olive wood. Moreover, another undescribed Bursaphelenchusspecies was found associated with the bark beetle Hylesinus fraxini collected from olive trunks and branches. Further research is needed to investigate the role of insects and Bursaphelenchus spp. in the decline processes of olive trees.
Phylogenetic analysis of ITS rDNA sequences of the entomopathogenic nematode Steinernema feltiae Filipjev, 1934 (Wouts, Mráček, Gerdin and Bedding, 1982) was used to infer intraspecific genetic variability of this rhabditid nematode. Nucleotide intraspecific differences among S. feltiae isolates reached the level of 19 base pairs per ITS rDNA region, i.e. up to 2.9%. Several weakly or moderately supported intraspecific clades were detected. Sicilian and Swiss isolates of S. feltiae were found clustering together. Swiss strain ‘St. Bernard’ has been isolated on the St. Bernardino mountain pass in Switzerland in 2000. Phylogenetic relationships among S. feltiae isolates were inferred by using three different methods (maximum parsimony, neighbor joining and maximum likelihood). The topologies of the phylogenetic trees were identical and thus only ML tree is presented. ML tree revealed that S. feltiae isolates from Israel and Armenia grouped at the basal position of the tree, while in the spanning network obtained with POPART software, Iranian and Ukrainian isolates were the closest to the outgroup. In all methods of analyses, the European and Siberian strains of S. feltiae occupied terminal positions. Thus, further studies on the intraspecific genetic variability of entomopathogenic nematodes is needed.
The Japanese Cinara shinjii Inouye, was occasionally collected in a private garden in Raddusch-Spreewald (Brandenburg), Germany, on an ornamental Japanese white pine, Pinus parviflora Siebold & Zucc. The species is redescribed providing morphological data of apterae, alatae virginoparae and oviparae females, in order to facilitate morphological identification. This finding, that represents the first record of C. shinjii in Europe, is evaluated in the context of the emerging issue represented by biological invasions. A brief overview of Cinara species alien to Europe is presented with a short critical analysis of their distribution as well as of their ecological and economic impact
Aphid flight activities were monitored in 2015 in two areas of seed potato production in Tunisia. Yellow water traps were used to investigate the diversity of aphidofauna and the incidence of aphids involved in potato virus transmission. A total of 9966 specimens belonged to 73 taxa were captured. The cumulative abundance recorded in Douala (first site) was much higher than in El Ogla (second site) (8768 vs 1189 specimens). The most preponderant species in Douala were Aphis spiraecola Patch (66.1%) and Aphis spp. group (13.5%). In El Ogla Rhopalosiphum padi (L.) comprised 58.9% of total catches, followed by Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris) (12%) and Aploneura lentisci (Passerini) (10.4%). The highest values of diversity indices were recorded on April 23 th [Shannon-Wiener index (H’)=2.58; Simpson index (1-D)=0.88] in Douala and on May 12th (H’=1.70; 1-D=0.75) in El Ogla. The detection of viral infections by DAS-ELISA determined the predominance of Potato virus Y amongst five main potato viruses tested. Overall Chi-square analysis determined significant differences crossing all areas of seed and ware potatoes and season crops. The highest incidence of viruses was recorded in Douala (18.5%) while El Ogla was under the threshold value (4%). This might be attributed to the occurrence of aphids in early season known previously to be efficient vectors of PVY and to the characteristics of area including climatic conditions, altitude and landscape structure. These results provide new evidence for El Ogla as ideal site to produce healthy tubers while conversely Douala is favourable for the propagation of vectors and viruses.
The presence of Zelus renardii (Kolenati, 1856) (Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Harpactorinae), is documented for the first time in northern Italy (Liguria region) and in Sicily. This invasive species of nearctic origin was recorded for the first time in Europe in 2010 and in Italy in 2013. It is in rapid expansion in different areas of the world, especially in the Mediterranean basin and since it is extremely polyphagous its presence could represent a new threat for indigenous species and human activities.
The human-wildlife conflict between beekeeping and wild birds is complicated, and further detailed studies are needed for a deeper understanding of the role and possible impact of predation by wild birds on honey production and bee colony health. Another potentially negative effect of birds on bees could be the dissemination of pathogens, such as Nosema ceranae. However, other important aspects of the complex relationship between bees and wild birds should be considered. First, honey bees have developed behavioural defences against the pressure of native predatory birds. Second, the ethology of some of these predators is fascinating like the interesting mutualistic relationship established between the so-called honeyguides and beekeepers. Finally, predatory birds could be important in the biocontrol of other bee enemies such as the invasive Asian hornet. Taking these additional aspects into consideration would provide a better insight into the conflict between wild animal conservation and human activity.
A population of Pratylenchus thornei was recovered from the rhizospheric soil of sugarcane in Khuzestan province, southwest Iran. It was studied using morphological and molecular data and new morphological observations were made. This population is characterized by 457-551 μm long females, lateral field with five or six smooth incisures, lip region with three annuli, stylet 14.0-16.8 μm long with rounded basal knobs, spermatheca empty, tail subcylindrical and slightly conical towards tip, tail terminus truncate, subdigitate, trilobed or indented. Comparisons with some previously reported populations and similar species are discussed. This is the first report of the species from sugarcane fields in Iran. The molecular phylogenetic analyses were done by using partial sequences of the D2-D3 expansion segments of large subunit, and internal transcribed spacer (LSU D2-D3 and ITS rDNA) regions. The studied population of the species formed a maximally supported clade with other sequences of the species in both phylogenetic analyses using Bayesian inference
Stelidotageminata(Say)(Coleoptera: Nitidulidae), also known as strawberry sap beetle is considered to be serious pest of strawberry worldwide. Allstages of this pest feed on ripe fruitswhichmakes its control with chemical insecticides extremely difficult. This work was testingsusceptibility of last instar larvae of S. geminatato three, among commerciallythe most commonly used species of entomopathogenic nematodes Heterorhabditisbacteriophora, Stei-nernemacarpocapsaeand Steinernemafeltiae(Rhabditida: Heterorhabditidae and Steinernematidae), including two native strains. The present work was carried out through two typesof the experiments.First experiment was in plastic Petri dishes with the nematodes applied on filter paper. Second one, in attemptto approachto more natural conditions, effect of the entomopathogenic nematodes on insect’smortality was tested in containers filled with sand.Mortality of S. geminatalarvae in Petri dishes in highest nematode concentrations of about 100 infective juveniles per cm2was 90%,82% and 70% for commercial strains of S. carpocapsae, H. bacteriophoraand S. feltiaeand 76% and 64% for H. bacteriophoraand S. feltiae native populations. In containers with sand mortality was higherthan in Petri dishesand the highestrecorded insect mortality with about 50nematodes per cm2was99.5%, 89%, 75.5%, 69% and 66% with commercial strainsS. feltiae,S. carpocapsaeand H. bacteriophora, and native strains H. bacteriophora andS. feltiae,respectively
