Wingless strain created using binary transgenic CRISPR/Cas9 alleviates concerns about mass rearing of Hermetia illucens.

Larvae of the black soldier fly Hermetia illucens have potential as a natural waste recycler and subsequent use as protein-rich feed for livestock. A common question about the insect-farming processes is, what about the concerns of mass escape of insects from large populations? Here, we present a binary transgenic CRISPR/Cas9 system to generate wingless strain with the potential to address this issue. We identified gonad-specific promoters in vivo and evaluated use of the two strongest promoters, nanos and exuperantia, to drive Cas9 expression.

The Professional Identity of STEM Faculty as Instructors of Course-based Research Experiences.

The professional identity of scientists has historically been cultivated to value research over teaching, which can undermine initiatives that aim to reform science education. Course-Based Research Experiences (CRE) and the inclusive Research and Education Communities (iREC) are two successful and impactful reform efforts that integrate research and teaching. The aim of this study is to explicate the professional identity of instructors who implement a CRE within an established iREC and to explore how this identity contributes to the success of these programs.

NS2B-D55E and NS2B-E65D Variations Are Responsible for Differences in NS2B-NS3 Protease Activities Between Japanese Encephalitis Virus Genotype I and III in Fluorogenic Peptide Model.

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) NS2B-NS3 is a protein complex composed of NS3 proteases and an NS2B co-factor. The N-terminal protease domain (180 residues) of NS3 (NS3(pro)) interacts directly with a central 40-amino acid hydrophilic domain of NS2B (NS2B(H)) to form an active serine protease. In this study, the recombinant NS2B(H)-NS3(pro) proteases were prepared in and used to compare the enzymatic activity between genotype I (GI) and III (GIII) NS2B-NS3 proteases.

Phasmavirus-derived genome sequences and endogenous viral element identified in the small hive beetle, Aethina tumida Murray.

The small hive beetle (SHB), Aethina tumida Murray is an invasive pest of the honey bee. This beetle feeds not only on bee resources within the hive such as honey and pollen, but also on bee brood and dead bees. The impact of this beetle's intimate parasitic association with the honey bee on virus transmission is poorly understood.

Field-evolved resistance to neonicotinoids in the mosquito, Anopheles gambiae, is associated with mutations of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunits combined with cytochrome P450-mediated detoxification.

New insecticides prequalified for malaria control interventions include modulators of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors that act selectively on different subunits leading to variable sensitivity among arthropods. This study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying contrasting susceptibility to neonicotinoids observed in wild populations of two mosquito sibling species. Bioassays and a synergist test with piperonyl butoxide revealed that the sister taxa, Anopheles gambiae and An.

Automated entrance monitoring to investigate honey bee foraging trips using open-source wireless platform and fiducial tags.

Honey bee foraging is a complex behavior because it involves tens of thousands of organisms making decisions about where to collect pollen and nectar based on the quality of resources and the distance to flowers. Studying this aspect of their biology is possible through direct observations but the large number of individuals involved in this behavior makes the implementation of technologies ideal to scale up this type of study. Consequently, there is a need for instruments that can facilitate accurate assessments of honey bee foraging at the colony level.

Evaluation of tick salivary and midgut extracellular vesicles as anti-tick vaccines in White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus).

Current tick control measures are focused on the use of synthetic acaricides and personal protective measures. However, the emergence of acaricide resistance and the maintenance of tick populations in wildlife has precluded the efficient management of ticks. Thus, host-targeted, non-chemical control measures are needed to reliably reduce ticks parasitizing sylvatic reservoirs.

Genome assembly of the southern pine beetle ( Zimmerman) reveals the origins of gene content reduction in .

also known as southern pine beetle (SPB), is the most damaging insect forest pest in the southeastern United States. Genomic data are important to provide information on pest biology and to identify molecular targets to develop improved pest management approaches. Here, we produced a chromosome-level genome assembly of SPB using long-read sequencing data.

Murine typhus: a re-emerging rickettsial zoonotic disease.

Murine typhus, caused by , is re-emerging in many parts of the world. The disease is also called endemic typhus to differentiate from epidemic typhus (caused by ), and sometimes also named flea-borne typhus. Occasionally, literature sources will include as a causative agent of flea-borne typhus, but illnesses caused by are actually flea-borne spotted fever.

A complete DNA repair system assembled by two endosymbionts restores heat tolerance of the insect host.

DNA repair systems are essential to maintain genome integrity and stability. Some obligate endosymbionts that experience long-term symbiosis with the insect hosts, however, have lost their key components for DNA repair. It is largely unexplored how the bacterial endosymbionts cope with the increased demand for mismatch repairs under heat stresses.

Crop, semi-natural, and water features of the cotton agroecosystem as indicators of risk of infestation of two plant bug (Hemiptera: Miridae) pests.

Introduction: This study considers concepts and tools of landscape ecology and geographic information systems (GIS) to prioritize insect monitoring in large-scale crops, using the cotton agroecosystem of the Texas Gulf Coast and two plant bug species ( Distant and (Reuter) [Hemiptera: Miridae]) as a case study. The two species differed in host plants and time span as cotton pests.

Methods: and abundance in early growth of cotton were regressed on landscape metrics.

Annotated catalogue of Pakistani Acrididae (Orthoptera: Caelifera: Acridoidea).

An annotated catalogue of Acrididae (Orthoptera: Caelifera) of Pakistan and its two adjacent territories is presented. A total of 169 species (including subspecies) belonged to 66 genera and 29 tribes with 14 subfamilies are reported from this region. Oedipodinae (56) was the most species-rich subfamily, followed by Gomphocerinae (30), Acridinae (15), Calliptaminae with (12), Eyprepocnemidinae (12) Oxyinae (9), Hemiacridinae (10), Cyrtacanthacridinae (8), Catantopinae (7), Tropidopolinae and Teratodinae each with (3), Spathosterninae (2) and Coptacrinae, and Melanoplinae are represented by a single species.

Studies in Mexican grasshoppers: four new species of the genus Oaxaca Fontana, Buzzetti & Mariño-Pérez, 2011 with the erection of the subgenus Paraoaxaca (Caelifera: Acrididae: Melanoplinae).

After a thoughtful review of 159 specimens collected from 17 localities from multiple collections in Mexico and the U.S.A.

Phylogenomics, male internal genitalia, a new species, and other notes on New World Stenopelmatus Jerusalem crickets (Orthoptera: Stenopelmatoidea: Stenopelmatini).

Based on past and expanded DNA sampling, the orthopteran families Stenopelmatidae and Anostostomatidae, as currently structured, are shown to be non-monophyletic. The splay-footed cricket genus Comicus is confirmed to be genetically distinct from all Stenopelmatidae. We add two specimens to our previously published phylogenetic tree for New World Stenopelmatus Jerusalem cricket species and report the first multilocus DNA recovery for S.

A new apterous species of the genus Ploiaria (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae) from Maharashtra, India.

A new species of thread-legged assassin bugs, Ploiaria enigmatica sp. nov. (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Emesinae: Leistarchini), is described from Western Ghats of Maharashtra, India.

One must imagine Sisyphus happy: Integrative taxonomic characterization of 22 new Ceroptres species (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Ceroptresini).

We describe new species in the genus Ceroptres Hartig, 1840 (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Ceroptresini) represented by voucher material sequenced by Ward et al. (2024). We describe 22 new species, all authored by Nastasi, Smith, & Davis: C.

New World Orphanostigma Guenée, 1854, including a new species from Costa Rica (Lepidoptera: Crambidae: Spilomelinae).

Orphanostigma haemorrhoidalis Guenée, 1854, was described from Brazil and introduced worldwide for the biological control of Lantana camara L. (Verbenaceae). Orphanostigma futilalis (Barnes & McDunnough, 1914), rev.

Guidelines for species descriptions of free-living aquatic nematodes: characters, measurements and their presentation in taxonomic publications.

Free-living aquatic nematodes are abundant, diverse and of general environmental importance. However, knowledge of species distributions of both marine and freshwater nematodes is sparse. Species distribution data are crucial for evaluating environmental impacts from human activities and to conduct integrated nematode community assessments.

Catalog of the Neuropterida of India (Insecta: Neuroptera, Megaloptera, Raphidioptera).

A catalog of the species and subspecies of Neuropterida (Insecta: Neuroptera, Megaloptera, and Raphidioptera) occurring in modern India is presented, based primarily on an extensive review of relevant literature published through mid 2024. The currently known extant fauna comprises 3 orders, 15 families, 129 genera, 368 species, and 6 subspecies (Neuroptera: 11 families, 119 genera, 332 species; Megaloptera: 2 families, 8 genera, 31 species; Raphidioptera: 2 families, 2 genera, 5 species). In addition, one extinct species is known, †Spiloconis eominuta (Neuroptera: Coniopterygidae).

A new species of Meadow Katydid (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Conocephalini) from the Apalachicola River Basin of Florida, USA.

Odontoxiphidium apalachicolae, sp. nov., is described from seasonally flooded savannah habitats of the Central Panhandle of Florida.