scholarly journals Scale insect host ranges are broader in the tropics

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 20150924 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nate B. Hardy ◽  
Daniel A. Peterson ◽  
Benjamin B. Normark

The specificity of the interactions between plants and their consumers varies considerably. The evolutionary and ecological factors underlying this variation are unclear. Several potential explanatory factors vary with latitude, for example plant species richness and the intensity of herbivory. Here, we use comparative phylogenetic methods to test the effect of latitude on host range in scale insects. We find that, on average, scale insects that occur in lower latitudes are more polyphagous. This result is at odds with the general pattern of greater host-plant specificity of insects in the tropics. We propose that this disparity reflects a high cost for host specificity in scale insects, stemming from unusual aspects of scale insect life history, for example, passive wind-driven dispersal. More broadly, the strong evidence for pervasive effects of geography on host range across insect groups stands in stark contrast to the weak evidence for constraints on host range due to genetic trade-offs.

2018 ◽  
Vol 154 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-59
Author(s):  
Chris Malumphy

Two species of whitefly and six species of scale insect are recorded for the first time from the island of Antigua, Antigua and Barbuda, Lesser Antilles, Caribbean: Aleyrodidae – Dialeurodes schefflerae Hodges & Dooley and Minutaleyrodes minuta (Singh); Coccidae – Milviscutulus mangiferae (Green); Conchaspididae – Conchaspis angraeci Cockerell; Diaspididae – Duplachionaspis divergens (Green), Mycetaspis personata (Comstock), Parlatoria proteus (Curtis); and Pseudococcidae – Ferrisia dasylirii (Cockerell). The geographical distribution, host range and economic importance of each of the whiteflies and scale insects are summarised. Three of these species, D. schefflerae, M. minuta and D. divergens are native to Asia and have been spreading in the Caribbean in recent years, most probably with plant trade.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 147470492110323
Author(s):  
Ray Garza ◽  
Farid Pazhoohi ◽  
Jennifer Byrd-Craven

Ecological conditions provide information about available resources for one’s environment. In humans, this has been shown to influence reproductive behavior, as individuals may engage in trade-offs between partner quality and investment. For instance, many women may trade-off preferences for men with physical features indicative of social dominance and health over physical features indicative of commitment and investment. The current study explored women’s preferences for formidable men under safe vs. harsh ecological conditions. Across three studies, U.S. university women ( N = 1,098) were randomly assigned to a perceived harsh or safe ecological condition. They were asked to rate the attractiveness of men’s body types (i.e., muscular vs. less muscular). Findings revealed that in general, women rated stronger men as more attractive than weaker men irrespective of the ecological condition. Evidence for preference as a function of ecology appeared only when a two-alternative forced-choice task was used (Study 3), but not in rating tasks (Studies 1 and 2). Study 3 showed that women had a relatively stronger preference for stronger men for short-term relationships in a resource scarce ecological condition. This research provides some evidence that perceived ecological conditions can drive women’s preferences for men with enhanced secondary sex characteristics as a function of mating context. These findings are consistent with previous research indicating the importance of physical characteristics in men’s attractiveness, and it adds to the existing literature on ecological factors and mating preferences.


Evolution ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 70 (6) ◽  
pp. 1249-1264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachariah Gompert ◽  
Frank J. Messina

Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5039 (4) ◽  
pp. 561-570
Author(s):  
SUNIL JOSHI ◽  
HASEENA BHASKAR ◽  
V.S. AASHIQ POON ◽  
B.R. JAYANTHI MALA ◽  
P.D. KAMALA JAYANTHI ◽  
...  

The notoriously destructive and invasive soft scale, Ceroplastes cirripediformis Comstock (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Coccidae), is recorded for the first time from India. The scale is redescribed to facilitate its identification and information on its host range, natural enemies and distribution is provided. An identification key to the Indian species in this genus is given. Management options in the event of an outbreak are discussed briefly. The establishment of this scale insect warrants special attention in India as it is a potentially damaging plant pest and has a broad host range across many plant families.  


Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5052 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-40
Author(s):  
GILLIAN W. WATSON ◽  
DAVID OUVRARD

Scale insects (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Coccomorpha) are obligate plant parasites feeding on plant sap; some are damaging pests in agriculture, horticulture and forestry. Despite their economic importance, the scale insects found in continental Africa have not been extensively studied and the keys for identifying them are incomplete and scattered through the literature in several languages. The aim of this study is to improve our understanding of the African scale insect fauna. As a first step towards their identification, we provide a key to the 23 families currently known from continental Africa, based on slide-mounted adult females, covering Aclerdidae, Asterolecaniidae, Cerococcidae, Coccidae, Conchaspididae, Dactylopiidae, Diaspididae, Eriococcidae, Halimococcidae, Kermesidae, Kerriidae, Kuwaniidae, Lecanodiaspididae, Margarodidae, Matsucoccidae, Micrococcidae, Monophlebidae, Ortheziidae, Phoenicococcidae, Pseudococcidae, Putoidae, Rhizoecidae and Stictococcidae.  


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Whittaker

Abstract Magnolia scale, Neolecanium cornuparvum, is a scale insect that is native to the eastern USA, where it is a widely distributed pest of wild and ornamental Magnolia in landscapes and nurseries. In general, non-native species of Magnolia tend to be more susceptible to attack than native US species. N. cornuparvum has also been reported on Wisteria in Connecticut. The genus and species were first reported from Canada from a specimen of N. cornuparvum collected in 1998 in southern Ontario, where the insect is now an established pest of Magnolia, having probably been spread via the plant trade. An infestation of scale insects believed to be N. cornuparvum was first observed in Hawaii on Sesbania tomentosa on Kauai in August 2004; it had significant adverse effects on this endangered species.


2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 114 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Trencheva ◽  
G. Trenchev ◽  
R. Tomov ◽  
S.-A. Wu

A preliminary list of non-indigenous scale insect species on ornamental plants in Bulgaria and China is presented. The sampling was done between April and November, 2009, in the framework of the project “Invasive scale insects on ornamental plants in Bulgaria and China”. The insects were collected in nurseries, parks, gardens, botanical collections and greenhouses. Representatives from four families have been identified in Bulgaria, the most numerous of which are the Diaspididae (eight species), Coccidae (four species), Pseudococcidae (two species) and Margarodidae (one species). Three species of non-indigenous scale insects associated with ornamental plants were collected in China, all belonging to the family Pseudococcidae. A list of alien scale insect species on ornamental plants is given, including the sampling sites, host plants on which they were found, origin and first report in both countries.


Author(s):  
Olof Petersson

In one sense, Sweden follows the general pattern of constitution-making. The major shifts in the constitutional history have occurred in the aftermath of great crises. Constitutions have been important as descriptions and justifications of the prevailing forces of power. On the other hand, the constitutions of Sweden have been relatively insignificant as norms regulating political and public life. Constitutions have been important as history writing but relatively unimportant as normative principles shaping society, and, indeed, profound changes such as the introduction of parliamentary government have taken place without constitutional reform. The Swedish welfare state was built upon negotiations and practical trade-offs rather than constitutional arguments.


Viruses ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benoît Moury ◽  
Cécile Desbiez

Virus host range, i.e., the number and diversity of host species of viruses, is an important determinant of disease emergence and of the efficiency of disease control strategies. However, for plant viruses, little is known about the genetic or ecological factors involved in the evolution of host range. Using available genome sequences and host range data, we performed a phylogenetic analysis of host range evolution in the genus Potyvirus, a large group of plant RNA viruses that has undergone a radiative evolution circa 7000 years ago, contemporaneously with agriculture intensification in mid Holocene. Maximum likelihood inference based on a set of 59 potyviruses and 38 plant species showed frequent host range changes during potyvirus evolution, with 4.6 changes per plant species on average, including 3.1 host gains and 1.5 host loss. These changes were quite recent, 74% of them being inferred on the terminal branches of the potyvirus tree. The most striking result was the high frequency of correlated host gains occurring repeatedly in different branches of the potyvirus tree, which raises the question of the dependence of the molecular and/or ecological mechanisms involved in adaptation to different plant species.


Zootaxa ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4755 (1) ◽  
pp. 197-200
Author(s):  
DOUGLAS J. WILLIAMS ◽  
BARBARA D. DENNO

A list of genus names in the scale insects published between 2014 and the end of 2019 is provided; it follows on from an earlier comprehensive list of the names published between 1758 and the end of 2013. Each genus name and its type species are assigned to one of the 53 scale insect families now recognised. 


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