Mosquitoes, particularly Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus, are harmful urban pests that vector many dangerous and life-threatening diseases in humans and animals. The use of synthetic chemicals is the primary strategy employed against mosquitoes, exerting various negative effects on human health and the environment. This necessitates seeking novel, eco-friendly approaches with minimal ecological consequences, such as entomopathogenic fungi (EPF): which are effective biocontrol agents against many insect pests, including mosquitoes. Recently, nanoparticles have appeared as promising tools for novel pesticidal delivery mechanisms. This laboratory study evaluated the toxicity of nano-fabricated EPF Beauveria bassiana with zinc oxide (ZnO) and copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles against 3rd instar Ae. albopictus larvae. The formation of nanoparticles in pesticidal stock solutions was verified by UV-visible spectroscopy and FT-IR. A slightly modified WHO-recommended larval bioassay protocol was used for the toxicity assessment. According to the bioassay results, ZnO and CuO-basedB. bassiana formulations showed the highest larval mortality values (i.e., 66-57% and 56-45%, respectively) recorded for the highest B. bassiana concentration (0.25%) at maximum exposure time (72 h). Moreover, the larval toxicity was synergized by the administration of bimetallic mycosynthesis, incurring about 77-65% larval mortality by the highest concentration (0.25%) at 72 h post-exposure. Overall study results suggest that nanoparticle-based EPF formulation can be an effective strategy against Ae. albopictus and other vector mosquitoes.
Digital illustration provides a precise, standardized and visually clear approach for morphological studies in entomology. Accurate species identification is essential for taxonomy and biodiversity research. In this study, we applied modern digital illustration techniques to Silbomyia hoeneana (Enderlein, 1936) of the subfamily Ameniinae (Calliphoridae), providing high-resolution, standardized morphological documentation of the species. Illustrations of adult habitus, head (frontal view), and male and female terminalia accurately restored key diagnostic characters, proportional relationships, and thoracic chaetotaxy, efficiently presenting the anterior and posterior chaetotaxy of all tibiae, correcting inconsistencies in previous literature and observed geographic variation in male epiphallus between populations from two localities in Hunan Province, China. Digital illustration provides a standardized, high-resolution method that integrates multiple structural surfaces in a single image, precisely presenting minute features and proportional relationships and facilitating cross-study comparisons. These methods offer practical reference for future taxonomic studies, morphological comparisons and standardized visual documentation of insect species.
