Neurogenetic identification of mosquito sensory neurons.

mosquitoes, as vectors for the malaria parasite, are a global threat to human health. To find and bite a human, they utilize neurons within their sensory appendages. However, the identity and quantification of sensory appendage neurons are lacking.

A spatial map of antennal-expressed ionotropic receptors in the malaria mosquito.

The mosquito's antenna represents its main olfactory appendage for detecting volatile chemical cues from the environment. Whole-mount fluorescence in situ hybridization of ionotropic receptors (IRs) expressed in the antennae reveals that the antenna might be divisible into proximal and distal functional domains. The number of IR-positive cells appear stereotyped within each antennal segment (flagellomere).

Environmental impacts of mass drug administration programs: exposures, risks, and mitigation of antimicrobial resistance.

Mass drug administration (MDA) of antimicrobials has shown promise in the reduction and potential elimination of a variety of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). However, with antimicrobial resistance (AMR) becoming a global crisis, the risks posed by widespread antimicrobial use need to be evaluated. As the role of the environment in AMR emergence and dissemination has become increasingly recognized, it is likewise crucial to establish the role of MDA in environmental AMR pollution, along with the potential impacts of such pollution.

Olfaction in Anopheles mosquitoes.

As vectors of disease, mosquitoes are a global threat to human health. The Anopheles mosquito is the deadliest mosquito species as the insect vector of the malaria-causing parasite, which kills hundreds of thousands every year. These mosquitoes are reliant on their sense of smell (olfaction) to guide most of their behaviors, and a better understanding of Anopheles olfaction identifies opportunities for reducing the spread of malaria.

Understanding the mismatch between behaviour and development in a novel host-parasitoid association.

Foraging parasitoid females should preferentially oviposit on hosts most suitable for progeny development to maximize their fitness. However, the introduction of a new host species may disrupt the link between the reliability of the cues and the expected adaptive outcome of female choice, leading to an evolutionary trap. This mismatch between behavioural acceptance and lack of development exists for North American and European egg parasitoids (Scelionidae) that encounter invasive Halyomorpha halys in areas where this exotic host has recently established.

Day-night temperature differential, rather than mean temperature, determines age of sexual maturation in Straicosta albicosta (Noctuidae).

While pheromone traps have been effectively used to monitor the recent range expansion of the western bean cutworm (WBC), very little is known about the pheromone mediated reproductive biology of this species. The age at which females initiated calling (the behaviour associated with the release of the sex pheromone), and the pattern of calling on the first three nights following sexual maturation were determined for virgin females held under four temperature regimes (25:20; 25:15; 20:15; 20:10 °C L:D and 16L:8D photoperiod), and two RH (60 and 80%). Regardless of the rearing conditions the pre-calling period (PCP) was always several days post emergence, supporting the hypothesis that WCB is a migrant species.

An exotic parasitoid provides an invasional lifeline for native parasitoids.

The introduction of an exotic species may alter food webs within the ecosystem and significantly affect the biodiversity of indigenous species at different trophic levels. It has been postulated that recent introduction of the brown marmorated stinkbug ( (Stål)) represents an evolutionary trap for native parasitoids, as they accept egg masses as a host but produce no viable progeny. Interspecific interactions between European egg parasitoid, (Mayr), and an Asian parasitoid, (Ashmead), were assessed by providing egg masses to at various time intervals following the initial parasitization by .

Does the response of insect herbivores to cadmium depend on their feeding strategy?

Phytoremediation has been proposed for the elimination of toxic metals in soil, yet little attention has been given to the performance of insects that feed on contaminant-tolerant plants. We tested the performance of two herbivores with different feeding behaviors, the cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni, and the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae, reared on cadmium-tolerant Brassica juncea plants that contained different concentrations of cadmium. We also tested the performance of the aphid parasitoid Aphidius colemani developing in aphids reared on plants with different levels of cadmium.

Costs of insecticide resistance in Cydia pomonella (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae).

The obvious benefits associated with insecticide resistance for pest species may come at a cost to other life-history traits. In this study, we compared the larval and pupal developmental times, pupal mass wing surface area and wing fluctuating asymmetry (FA) in insecticide resistant and control strains of codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), collected from apple (Malus spp.