A synthetic lure for Anopheles gambiae (Diptera: Culicidae) based on the attractive plant Parthenium hysterophorus.

Sugar is the sole diet for male mosquitoes and a complementary meal for females. Searching for natural sources of sugar is mediated by semiochemicals. Floral nectars, extra floral nectaries, damaged tissues of plants and rotten fruits are the most common sources of sugar in nature.

Deterrent Effects of Glyphosate on Oviposition and Larval Development of Culex quinquefasciatus.

Glyphosate is one of the most common herbicides used to control weeds in the USA. This herbicide can impact the mosquito life cycle through being carried to mosquito habitats by runoff. This study investigates the effects of glyphosate on the larval development and oviposition of a laboratory colony of Culex quinquefasciatus.

Toxic Effect of Blood Feeding in Male Mosquitoes.

Blood- and sugar feeding of female mosquitoes has been frequently observed in the laboratory and in the field, but only sugar feeding of males has been reported. Here, we describe for the first time that Culex quinquefasciatus males feed on blood as well. Blood feeding easily happened on a blood-soaked cotton roll and, to a lesser extent, through a thin artificial layer.

Orientation of Anopheles gambiae (Diptera: Culicidae) to Plant-Host Volatiles in a Novel Diffusion-Cage Olfactometer.

A novel diffusion-cage olfactometer tested the responses of Anopheles gambiae Giles to plant volatiles. Green-leaf volatiles are often released from cut or injured plant tissue and may alter the headspace of plants used in olfactometer assays. The diffusion-cage olfactometer is designed for use with whole, intact plants, hence giving a more realistic behavioral assay.

Evaluation of Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis as a Control Agent for Adult Anopheles gambiae.

Unlike the application of Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) for the control of larval mosquitoes, studies of its effects on adults, for its possible use in attractive toxic sugar baits, have resulted in conflicting results. Five species have shown a decrease in adult survival due to Bti ingestion, whereas adults of Anopheles arabiensis have not. We sought to determine if ingestion of Bti by adults of Anopheles gambiae, a sibling species of An.

Olfactory basis of floral preference of the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae (Diptera: Culicidae) among common African plants.

Mosquitoes of both sexes feed on plants to obtain sugar. Nocturnal species probably locate the plants primarily by their volatile semiochemicals that also form the basis for the mosquitoes' innate plant-species preferences. To evaluate these olfactory preferences quantitatively, we used a two-choice wind-tunnel olfactometer to measure the upwind orientation of Anopheles gambiae Giles, an important vector of malaria in equatorial Africa, toward odor plumes produced by nine plant species common where this mosquito occurs.

Rapid discrimination between Anopheles gambiae s.s. and Anopheles arabiensis by High-Resolution Melt (HRM) analysis.

There is a need for more cost-effective options to more accurately discriminate among members of the Anopheles gambiae complex, particularly An. gambiae and Anopheles arabiensis. These species are morphologically indistinguishable in the adult stage, have overlapping distributions, but are behaviorally and ecologically different, yet both are efficient vectors of malaria in equatorial Africa.

Two volatiles from the venom gland of the Samsum ant, Pachycondyla sennaarensis.

Allergy and anaphylactic reactions after the stings of the Samsum ant Pachycondyla sennaarensis (Mayr, 1862) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) have been reported from several countries along the Persian Gulf coast, but no analysis has been yet carried out on the ant's venom gland secretions. This study is focused on the identification of volatiles from the venom gland of Pachycondyla sennaarensis using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, which showed the presence of The main volatile components of the venom gland were phenol-2,4-bis(1,1 dimethylethyl) and trimethyl pyrazine. This is the first record of the occurrence of phenol-2,4-bis(1,1 dimethylethyl) in insects.

Intraspecific transfer of cantharidin within selected members of the family Meloidae (Insecta: Coleoptera).

The use of deuterium-labelled cantharidin (CAN-D(2)) to study details of cantharidin transfer in blister beetles indicates that the dynamics of organ-selective cantharidin accumulation may differ over time. Although the accessory glands absorb a high amount of CAN-D(2) in the short term, they ultimately accumulate less than the testes. Confirming previous studies, the last steps in the pathway of biosynthesis of cantharidin occur in the male's body distantly from the reproductive system but the ultimate product, cantharidin, is transported into the male reproductive tract via the membrane of the accessory glands.