Morphological and molecular differentiation of the Anagrus epos species complex (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae), egg parasitoids of leafhoppers (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) in North America

The Anagrus epos Girault species complex of the fairyfly wasp genus Anagrus Haliday (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae), egg parasitoids of Erasmoneura spp., Erythroneura spp., and other leafhoppers, is reviewed using both morphological and molecular methods. A new species, A. vulneratus Triapitsyn sp. n., is described and illustrated from specimens reared from eggs of the leafhopper Erasmoneura vulnerata (Fitch) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) on grapevines from Colorado, USA. Discussed and corrected are the earlier published host and distribution records of A. epos, which is rediagnosed, and also of A. daanei Triapitsyn. Nuclear ribosomal DNA sequence data provides a genetic signature for A. epos and within the remainder of the species complex identifies A. tretiakovae Triapitsyn as being the most divergent member, confirms A. vulneratus as a separate entity, and reveals the closer similarity of specimens from Sonora, Mexico, to A. vulneratus rather than A. epos. Sequences from individuals identified as A. daanei were somewhat heterogeneous and revealed the existence of two distinct rDNA families — one represented by A. daanei from the Pacific Northwest and one by specimens from Colorado. Both gene families were represented by specimens from California, USA, and this finding is discussed in relation to recent use of “A. epos” from Colorado as a biological control agent in California.

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Toxicity of Pesticides Registered for Use in Landscape Nurseries to the Acarine Biological Control Agent, Neoseiulus fallacis

Journal of Environmental Horticulture ◽

10.24266/0738-2898-18.4.197 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 18 (4) ◽

pp. 197-201 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

P.D. Pratt ◽

B.A. Croft

Keyword(s):

Biological Control ◽

Pacific Northwest ◽

Biological Control Agent ◽

Phytoseiulus Persimilis ◽

Control Agent ◽

Current Control ◽

Pesticide Toxicity ◽

Neoseiulus Fallacis ◽

Susceptibility Data ◽

The Pacific

Abstract The predatory mite Neoseiulus fallacis (Garman) is an important biological control agent of spider mites in landscape plants produced in the Pacific Northwest. Using pesticide toxicity information from the SELCTV database and recent literature reports, we estimated toxicity of several general pesticide classes to N. fallacis, compared susceptibility of N. fallacis to 3 other predatory mites and developed summary tables of pesticide toxicity to N. fallacis. Pesticide classes ranged from low or non-toxic to N. fallacis (i.e., organosulfur) to highly toxic (i.e., oxime carbamate). Pesticide susceptibility data for N. fallacis within or between chemical classes was similar to data for either of Typhlodromus pyri Scheuten, Galendromus occidentalis Nesbitt, or Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot. While all pesticide types (i.e., insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, etc.) contained representatives that were highly toxic to N. fallacis, various compounds were rated low or non-toxic. On average, insecticides were most toxic to N. fallacis, fungicides least toxic and herbicides intermediate. Probability of exposure and integration of N. fallacis into current control practices are discussed.

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A Study on the Phylogeny of the Dyer's Woad Rust Fungus and Other Species of Puccinia from Crucifers

Phytopathology ◽

10.1094/phyto.1997.87.5.565 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 87 (5) ◽

pp. 565-571 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

Bradley R. Kropp ◽

Dane R. Hansen ◽

Paul G. Wolf ◽

Karen M. Flint ◽

Sherman V. Thomson

Keyword(s):

North America ◽

Sequence Data ◽

Biological Control Agent ◽

Rust Fungus ◽

Control Agent ◽

Nuclear Ribosomal Dna ◽

Indigenous Plants ◽

Dna Sequence Data ◽

The North ◽

The Family

The identity of a Puccinia species occurring on the introduced weed dyer's woad (Isatis tinctoria) was studied using sequences from the internal transcribed spacer of the nuclear ribosomal DNA. The relationship of this fungus to other Puccinia species occurring on the family Brassicaceae in Europe and North America was examined, and we tested the hypothesis that P. thlaspeos and P. monoica are correlated species. The data suggest that the Puccinia species from dyer's woad is closely related to the North American species P. consimilis and may be derived from an indigenous strain of P. consimilis that switched hosts. Thus, the Puccinia species from dyer's woad is probably native to North America and is unlikely to cause disease epidemics on indigenous plants if used as a biological control agent against dyer's woad. P. thlaspeos appears to be polyphyletic and, therefore, P. thlaspeos and P. monoica do not appear to be correlated species. Additional DNA sequence data will be needed to clarify further the phylogeny of Puccinia species on the family Brassicaceae.

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Seasonal abundance and synchrony between Laricobius nigrinus (Coleoptera: Derodontidae) and its prey, the hemlock woolly adelgid (Hemiptera: Adelgidae)

The Canadian Entomologist ◽

10.4039/n02-059 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 135 (1) ◽

pp. 103-115 ◽

Cited By ~ 40

Author(s):

G.M.G. Zilahi-Balogh ◽

L.M. Humble ◽

A.B. Lamb ◽

S.M. Salom ◽

L.T. Kok

Keyword(s):

North America ◽

Pacific Northwest ◽

Biological Control Agent ◽

Seed Orchard ◽

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid ◽

Control Agent ◽

Adelges Tsugae ◽

Seasonal Abundance ◽

Eastern United States ◽

Laricobius Nigrinus

AbstractLaricobius nigrinus Fender, native to the Pacific Northwest, is being evaluated as a potential biological control agent of the hemlock woolly adelgid, Adelges tsugae Annand, in the eastern United States. Members of the genus Laricobius feed exclusively on adelgids. Adelges tsugae is found on hemlocks (Tsuga sp.) in North America and Asia, but is considered only a pest of eastern [Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carrière] and Carolina (Tsuga caroliniana Engelmann) hemlocks in eastern North America. This is the first detailed study of the life history of L. nigrinus and its interaction with A. tsugae. Results of a 2-year field study conducted in a seed orchard in British Columbia on the seasonal abundance of L. nigrinus and its prey, A. tsugae, revealed that (i) the sistens generation of A. tsugae matures 2-3 months earlier than previously reported in Virginia and Connecticut, (ii) no A. tsugae sexuparae were observed, which differs from findings in Virginia and Connecticut, (iii) L. nigrinus adults undergo an aestival diapause that coincides with diapausing first instar A. tsugae sistens, and (iv) oviposition and subsequent larval development of L. nigrinus coincides with oviposition by the A. tsugae sistens adults, indicating good synchrony between L. nigrinus and suitable prey stages of A. tsugae.

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Phenotypic and molecular characterization of the causal agent of chafer beetle mortality in the wheat fields of the Kurdistan province, Iran

Journal of Plant Protection Research ◽

10.1515/jppr-2015-0031 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 55 (3) ◽

pp. 227-234 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Keivan Karimi ◽

Mahdi Arzanlou ◽

Asadollah Babai Ahari ◽

Mostafa Mansour Ghazi

Keyword(s):

Field Experiments ◽

Biocontrol Agent ◽

Galleria Mellonella ◽

Sequence Data ◽

Biological Control Agent ◽

Control Agent ◽

Internal Transcribed Spacer Region ◽

First Case ◽

Potential Biocontrol Agent

AbstractWe report the first case of chafer beetle [Anisoplia austriaca(Herbst 1783)] mortality caused byActinomucor elegansvar.elegansin wheat fields of the Kurdistan province, Iran. For three years, dead larvae ofAnisoplia austriacawere collected from wheat fields of the Kurdistan province. Similar isolates of a fast-growing fungus were recovered from all samples. The fungal isolates were identified asA. elegansvar.elegansbased on morphological and cultural characteristics. The identity of the species was further confirmed using sequence data of the ITS (Internal Transcribed Spacer) region of ribosomal DNA. Koch’s postulates were fulfilled by the inoculation of the larvae ofA. austriacaandGalleria mellonella(Linnaeus, 1758) (as the model insect) using the spore suspension ofA. elegansvar.elegans. The viability of sporangiospores was evaluated using a spore dilution technique on germination medium. The results on the pathogenicity (100% mortality inA. austriacalarvae) and viability tests (germination: 95.45%) demonstrated thatA. elegansvar.eleganscan be considered as a potential biocontrol agent against the chafer beetle. Field experiments are still required to evaluate the capacity ofA. elegansas a biological control agent.

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Genomic insight into diet adaptation in the biological control agent Cryptolaemus montrouzieri

10.21203/rs.3.rs-137484/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Hao-Sen Li ◽

Yu-Hao Huang ◽

Mei-Lan Chen ◽

Zhan Ren ◽

Bo-Yuan Qiu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Biological Control ◽

Biological Control Agent ◽

Feeding Habits ◽

Transcriptome Profiling ◽

Gene Families ◽

Control Agent ◽

Nutritional Deficiencies ◽

Cryptolaemus Montrouzieri ◽

Nutrient Metabolism ◽

Immune Effector

Abstract Background The ladybird beetle Cryptolaemus montrouzieri Mulsant (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae) is used worldwide as a biological control agent. It is a predator of various mealybug pests, but it also feeds on alternative prey and can be reared on artificial diets. Relatively little is known about the underlying genetic adaptations of its feeding habits. Results We report the first high-quality genome sequence for C. montrouzieri. We found that the gene families encoding chemosensors and digestive and detoxifying enzymes among others were significantly expanded or contracted in this ladybird in comparison to other beetles. Diet-specific larval transcriptome profiling demonstrated that differentially expressed genes on unnatural diet as compared to natural prey were enriched in pathways of nutrient metabolism, indicating that the lower performance on the tested diets was caused by nutritional deficiencies. Remarkably, the C. montrouzieri genome also showed a significant expansion in an immune effector gene family. Some of the immune effector genes were dramatically downregulated when larvae were fed unnatural diets. Conclusion We suggest that the evolution of genes related to chemosensing, digestion, and detoxification but also immunity might be associated with diet adaptation of an insect predator. These findings help explain why this predatory ladybird has become a successful biological control agent and will enable the optimization of its mass rearing and use in biological control programs.

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Egg parasitoids of the tea green leafhopper Empoasca onukii (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae) in Japan, with description of a new species of Anagrus (Hymenoptera, Mymaridae)

ZooKeys ◽

10.3897/zookeys.836.32634 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 836 ◽

pp. 93-112 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Serguei V. Triapitsyn ◽

Tetsuya Adachi-Hagimori ◽

Paul F. Rugman-Jones ◽

Adema Barry ◽

Aoba Abe ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sequence Data ◽

Egg Parasitoid ◽

Egg Parasitoids ◽

Tea Plant ◽

Nuclear Ribosomal Dna ◽

Morphological Evidence ◽

Japanese Species ◽

New Host ◽

Green Leafhopper ◽

Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region

Fairyfly (Hymenoptera, Mymaridae) egg parasitoids of the tea green leafhopper Empoasca (Matsumurasca) onukii Matsuda (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae), an economically important pest in Asia of the tea plant, Camelliasinensis, were identified from specimens reared in Japan. Using a combination of genetic and morphological evidence, Anagrus (Anagrus) rugmanjonesi Triapitsyn & Adachi-Hagimori, sp. n., is described and illustrated. It is shown to be different from the most similar A.turpanicus Triapitsyn & Hu, an egg parasitoid of a leafhopper pest of cultivated grapes which is known from Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China. Mitochondrial and nuclear ribosomal DNA sequence data provide clear evidence for the separation of A.rugmanjonesi from A.turpanicus and other members of the Anagrusincarnatus Haliday species complex. A key to females of the Japanese species of Anagrus Haliday is given. Two other species of Mymaridae, Aresconenocki (Subba Rao & Kaur) and Stethyniumempoascae Subba Rao, are also identified, albeit the latter one only tentatively. Both latter taxa are newly recorded from Japan, and E.onukii represents their new host association.

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Complete Genome Sequence Data of the Grapevine Crown Gall inhibiting bacteria Allorhizobium vitis Strain F2/5.

Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions ◽

10.1094/mpmi-09-21-0223-a ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Hangwei Xi ◽

Joshua Grist ◽

Maarten Ryder ◽

Iain Searle

Keyword(s):

Genome Sequence ◽

Crown Gall ◽

Sequence Data ◽

Biological Control Agent ◽

Control Agent ◽

Protein Coding ◽

Crown Gall Disease ◽

Allorhizobium Vitis ◽

Grapevine Crown Gall ◽

Circular Chromosomes

Crown gall disease in grapevine is caused by pathogenic strains of Allorhizobium vitis. A. vitis strain F2/5 is a non-pathogenic biocontrol agent that was previously shown to act as a biological control agent to crown gall disease and first isolated from South Africa. Here, we present the complete assembled genome and is 5.94 Mb in length with 5,414 predicted protein-coding sequences, has two circular chromosomes and five plasmids. The genome sequence has no detectable T-DNA border sequences and is missing key virulence genes which is consistent with the bacteria being non-pathogenic. The F2/5 genome sequence could contribute to understanding the molecular basis underlying the biocontrol activity.

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Characterizing the ribosomal tandem repeat and its utility as a DNA barcode in lichen-forming fungi

10.21203/rs.2.14347/v3 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Michael Bradshaw ◽

Felix Grewe ◽

Anne Thomas ◽

Cody H. Harrison ◽

Hanna Lindgren ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Complex ◽

High Throughput Sequencing ◽

Sequence Data ◽

Dna Barcode ◽

Intergenic Spacer ◽

Its Region ◽

Nuclear Ribosomal Dna ◽

Nucleotide Position ◽

Ribosomal Operon ◽

Intragenomic Variation

Abstract Background: Regions within the nuclear ribosomal operon are a major tool for inferring evolutionary relationships and investigating diversity in fungi. In spite of the prevalent use of ribosomal markers in fungal research, central features of nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) evolution are poorly characterized for fungi in general, including lichenized fungi. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the nrDNA has been adopted as the primary DNA barcode identification marker for fungi. However, little is known about intragenomic variation in the nrDNA in symbiotic fungi. In order to better understand evolution of nrDNA and the utility of the ITS region for barcode identification of lichen-forming fungal species, we generated nearly complete nuclear ribosomal operon sequences from nine species in the Rhizoplaca melanophthalma species complex using short reads from high-throughput sequencing. Results: We estimated copy numbers for the nrDNA operon, ranging from nine to 48 copies for members of thiscomplex, and found low levels of intragenomic variation in the standard barcode region (ITS). Monophyly of currently described species in this complex was supported in phylogenetic inferences based on the ITS, 28S, IGS, and some intronic regions; however, a phylogenetic inference based on the 18S provided much lower resolution. Phylogenetic analysis of concatenated ITS and intergenic spacer sequence data generated from 496 specimens collected worldwide revealed previously unrecognized lineages in the nrDNA phylogeny. Conclusions: The results from our study support the general assumption that the ITS region of the nrDNA is an effective barcoding marker for fungi. For the R. melanophthalma group, the limited amount of potential intragenomic variability in the ITS region did not correspond to fixed diagnostic nucleotide position characters separating taxa within this species complex. Previously unrecognized lineages inferred from ITS sequence data may represent undescribed species-level lineages or reflect uncharacterized aspects of nrDNA evolution in the R. melanophthalma species complex.

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Characterizing the ribosomal tandem repeat and its utility as a DNA barcode in lichen-forming fungi

10.21203/rs.2.14347/v1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Michael Bradshaw ◽

Felix Grewe ◽

Anne Thomas ◽

Cody H. Harrison ◽

Hanna Lindgren ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Complex ◽

Sequence Data ◽

Dna Barcode ◽

Intergenic Spacer ◽

Its Region ◽

Nuclear Ribosomal Dna ◽

Nucleotide Position ◽

Phylogenetic Reconstructions ◽

Ribosomal Operon ◽

Intragenomic Variation

Abstract Background Regions within the nuclear ribosomal operon are a major tool for inferring evolutionary relationships and investigating diversity in fungi. In spite of the prevalent use of ribosomal markers in fungal research, central features of nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) evolution are poorly characterized for fungi in general, including lichenized fungi. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the nrDNA has been adopted as the primary DNA barcode identification marker for fungi. However, little is known about intragenomic variation in the nrDNA in symbiotic fungi. In order to better understand evolution of nrDNA and the utility of the ITS region for barcode identification of lichen-forming fungal species, we generated nearly complete nuclear ribosomal operon sequences from approximate nine species in the Rhizoplaca melanophthalma species complex using short reads from high-throughput sequencing.Results We estimated copy numbers for the nrDNA operon, ranging from nine to 48 copies for members of this complex, and found low levels of intragenomic variation in the standard barcode region (ITS). Monophyly of currently described species in this complex was supported in phylogenetic reconstructions of the ITS, 28S, IGS, and some intronic regions; however, phylogenetic reconstructions based on the 18S provided much lower resolution. Phylogenetic analysis of concatenated ITS and intergenic spacer sequence data generated from 496 specimens collected worldwide revealed, previously unrecognized lineages in the nrDNA phylogeny.Conclusions The results from our study support the general assumption that the ITS region of the nrDNA is an effective barcoding marker for fungi. For the R. melanophthalma group, the limited number of potentially polymorphic sites generally do not correspond to fixed diagnostic nucleotide position characters separating taxa within this species complex. Previously unrecognized lineages inferred from ITS sequence data may represent undescribed species-level lineages or reflect uncharacterized aspects of nrDNA evolution.

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Cortinarius parkeri, a new species from the Pacific Northwest of North America

Botany ◽

10.1139/b2012-003 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 90 (4) ◽

pp. 327-335 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Joseph F. Ammirati ◽

Tess E. Barlow ◽

Michelle T. Seidl ◽

Oldriska Ceska ◽

Mary Berbee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

North America ◽

Pacific Northwest ◽

Internal Transcribed Spacer ◽

Nuclear Ribosomal Dna ◽

Internal Transcribed Spacer Region ◽

The Pacific ◽

Base Sequences ◽

Interspecific Genetic Distance ◽

Pileus Surface ◽

A New Species

Cortinarius parkeri , a new vernal species in subgenus Cortinarius , section Veneti , is described from the Pacific Northwest of North America. Within its subgenus, C. parkeri is unique in that its membranous universal veil is attached to the pileus edge of young mushrooms and extends as a covering over the pileus surface. At maturity, the universal veil forms a sheathing membranous volva-like structure that flares out above the stipe base. Sequences of the nuclear ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer region (ITS1-5.8s-ITS2) determined for 13 collections of C. parkeri were all identical, except for a polymorphic two base pair indel. In a phylogeny including other related species from North America and Europe, C. parkeri is monophyletic. In contrast to intraspecific distances, the interspecific genetic distance between C. parkeri and other Veneti species sequences was large. Being dikaryotic, mushrooms of C. parkeri contain genomes from two parents. As expected in a dikaryon in an interbreeding population, the polymorphic indel was homozygous in some collections but heterozygous in three collections, with conflicting sequences resulting from mixed parental types. Taken together, morphological and molecular results strongly support C. parkeri as a new and distinctive species.

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