Aeneolamia Fennah, 1949 (Hemiptera: Cercopidae) attacks pastures in Roraima, with first report in Brazil

Spittlebugs (Hemiptera: Cercopidae) are the predominant pasture pests in Brazil, mainly the Amazonia region. Despite frequent reports of attacks by these spittlebugs in Roraima, information on this insect group is scarce. Therefore, we conducted surveys and a population dynamic study in pastures in Roraima from May 2015 to July 2019. We identified the spittlebugs Aeneolamia flavilatera (Urich, 1914) and Aeneolamia reducta montana (Lallemand, 1944). This is the first report of A. reducta montana in Brazil, and the first report of A. flavilatera attacking pastures. We discuss the possible impacts of these pests on Brazilian agriculture and livestock.

Current knowledge of the family Pompilidae (Hymenoptera: Vespoidea) in Mexico: diversity and geographical distribution

The family Pompilidae is a little-known insect group in Mexico, which comprises insects known as spider-hunting wasps. This study aimed to review and update the occurrence of pompilids in Mexico and provide information on their geographical distribution. A total of 305 species and 46 genera were compiled, of which 131 species and 11 genera were added to the Pompilidae species list in Mexico. Moreover, we provided data on the geographical distribution of 216 Pompilidae species and highlighted 126 species as registered only from this country, which accounted for 41 % of the total species. The nearctic portion in Mexico is the most studied area, with 203 species, whereas only 96 species are listed from the neotropical region of the country. Four subfamilies were represented: Pompilinae with 161 species, Pepsinae with 128 species, Ceropalinae with ten species, and Notocyphinae with six species. Anoplius was the most species-rich genus with 41 species, and Sericopompilus neotropicalis was the most widely distributed species. The analysis suggests a high diversity of the family Pompilidae and underlines the need to further explore southern areas of Mexico.

Comparison of the effectiveness of fumigant storin to control insect pests warehouse Lassioderma serricorne and Pholcus phalangioides

Insects warehouse pests contained in commodities, especially tobacco, can cause a decrease in the quantity and quality of commodity. The main pest insects found in tobacco storage warehouses are Lassioderma serricorne and Pholcus phalangioides. This study aims to analyze and compare the effectiveness of the use of fumigant storin to control insect pests L. serricorne and P. phalangioides. Methods used in this study include preparation of test insects, fumigation application, identification, calculation of mortality, and data analysis. The data were analyzed statistically using the One Way ANOVA test. The results showed that there was a significant difference in morphility between groups of test insects. Mortality is highest in the L. serricorne test insect group, which indicates that fumigant storin is very effective in controlling barn pest insects, especially L. serricorne. To control insect pests warehouses in the future, it is recommended to use biopesticides to be safer for food.

A Historical Collection of Termites in Ferrara: Recovery, Cataloguing and Geographical Analyses

Termites are an insect group relevant for recycling of organic matter, but they are also biodeteriogenic and may cause serious damages to wooden structures (including historical buildings and ancient libraries) in anthropogenic environments. The collection of Italian and foreign termites gathered over the years by Antonio Springhetti, Professor of Zoology at the University of Ferrara (Ferrara, Italy) and internationally renowned entomologist, contains over 44,000 specimens, collected by Springhetti during his field campaigns or donated by other entomologists from all over the world. The collection is currently preserved at the Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology of the University of Ferrara. Unfortunately, all documents, publications and notes concerning the Springhetti Collection were lost; thus, in 2020, the collection was completely re-catalogued within the University Museum System and analyzed in detail. The collection contains specimens dating back to 1878 and represents not only a valuable scientific tool for studies on these ecologically relevant insects that may cause damages to historical buildings, ancient books and artworks but also an important cultural asset for the University Museum System.

A checklist of Indonesian scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha)

Scale insects (Hemiptera: Sternorryncha: Coccomorpha) are a very important insect group containing numerous pests of woody and herbaceous plants worldwide. The only complete study of any scale insects in Indonesia was by D.J. Williams on the mealybugs (Pseudococcidae sensu lato), published in 2004; the other scale insect families have only been documented in various small publications. Here we provide a complete checklist of the scale insects of Indonesia, which now contains 364 species belonging to 136 genera in 16 families. The family Diaspididae is the most diverse, with 158 species belonging to 44 genera, followed by Pseudococcidae with 105 species belonging to 32 genera, and Coccidae with 65 species belonging to 22 genera. The other families are, in order of size: Monophlebidae (26 species belonging to 9 genera), Rhizoecidae (12 species belonging to 4 genera), Asterolecaniidae (11 species belonging to 5 genera), Leconodiaspidae (7 species belonging to 3 genera), Cerococcidae (5 species belonging to 3 genera), Xenococcidae (5 species belonging to 2 genera), Ortheziidae (4 species belonging to 3 genera), Eriococcidae (4 species belonging to 2 genera), Aclerdidae (2 species belonging to 1 genus), and Kermesidae (1 species belonging to 1 genus).

Census of the longhorn beetles (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae and Vesperidae) of the Macau SAR, China

An intensive census, extended over a period of approximately three and a half years, October 2017– May 2021, was conducted in the remaining green areas of the Macau SAR in order to provide an updated status of the biodiversity of longhorn beetles in this region. This insect group includes more than 36,000 species worldwide, subdivided into four families of mainly xylophagous or saproxylic insects, the Vesperidae, Oxypeltidae, Disteniidae, and Cerambycidae. They are of key importance in agricultural and forestry science, and are often used as an indicator of forest habitat health. A total of 52 species was recorded during this census, 2.6 times more than previously reported in the literature for this area. However, recorded abundances and frequency of occurrence for the various species were remarkably low, and of the 20 species previously reported for the region, some prominent ones remained unaccounted for. Among others, these include Batocera horsfieldii (Hope, 1839), Apriona rugicollis Chevrolat, 1852 [previously incorrectly reported as Apriona germarii (Hope, 1831)], Aristobia reticulator (Fabricius, 1781) [previously reported as Aristobia testudo (Voet, 1778)] and Imantocera penicillata (Hope, 1831). It is hypothesised that this may be related to the ongoing manipulation of the natural vegetation of the Macau SAR, which is rapidly being converted to plantations, city parks, and gardens. In particular, dead or dying trees and lower tree branches are systematically removed in order to improve the aesthetic appearance of these green areas. However, this process is also depriving xylophagous and saproxylic species of their essential habitats.

De novo transcriptome analysis for examination of the nutrition metabolic system related to the evolutionary process through which stick insects gain the ability of flight (Phasmatodea)

Objective Insects are the most evolutionarily successful groups of organisms, and this success is largely due to their flight ability. Interestingly, some stick insects have lost their flight ability despite having wings. To elucidate the shift from wingless to flying forms during insect evolution, we compared the nutritional metabolism system among flight-winged, flightless-winged, and flightless-wingless stick insect groups. Results Here, we report RNA sequencing of midgut transcriptome of Entoria okinawaensis, a prominent Japanese flightless-wingless stick insect, and the comparative analysis of its transcriptome in publicly available midgut transcriptomes obtained from seven stick insect species. A gene enrichment analysis for differentially expressed genes, including those obtained from winged vs wingless and flight vs flightless genes comparisons, revealed that carbohydrate metabolic process-related genes were highly expressed in the winged stick insect group. We also found that the expression of the mitochondrial enolase superfamily member 1 transcript was significantly higher in the winged stick insect group than in the wingless stick insect group. Our findings could indicate that carbohydrate metabolic processes are related to the evolutionary process through which stick insects gain the ability of flight.

Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) of Ecuador: A revised checklist, new records and species of medical importance

Ecuador is one of the countries with the highest biodiversity in the world, this can also be seen in the Culicidae family. However, there are a limited number of studies on this group. This work provides a baseline reference for this insect group and information about numerous potential and vector disease species. Species names and records were extracted from the National Mosquito Reference Collection at INSPI-Quito, published literature and web databases. The specimens at the INSPI collection were identified using morphological keys and, in a few cases, using molecular markers in the genus Anopheles. An updated list includes the subfamilies Culicinae and Anophelinae, eight tribes, 22 genera and 200 species. We present 18 species cataloged as new records for Ecuador represented in two subfamilies, 6 tribes and 9 genera. Taxonomic notes, geographical distribution and medical importance data for the species involved are provided. The updated list of Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) is a guide for researchers and health personnel when studying biodiversity, fauna, insect vectors and strategies to prevent the spread of vector diseases.