In Drosophila melanogaster, transformer-2 (TRA-2) which is a non-sex-specific auxiliary splicing factor, is required to promote female sexual differentiation by interaction with the female-specific TRA. The two proteins positively regulate the splicing of both doublesex (dsx) and fruitless (fru) pre-mRNAs, which in turn regulate phenotypic and behavioural sexual dimorphism. In the Mediterranean...

Bacillus pumilus strain 15.1 was previously found to cause larval mortality in the Med-fly Ceratitis capitata and was shown to produce crystals in association with the spore. As parasporal crystals are well-known as invertebrate-active toxins in entomopathogenic bacteria such as Bacillus thuringiensis (Cry and Cyt toxins) and Lysinibacillus sphaericus (Bin and Cry toxins), the B. pumilus crysta...

A liquid diet for rearing Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae) was developed. Several yeast-based products were evaluated as diet ingredients, and a combination of whole cell yeast (LBI2240) and hydrolyzed yeast (such as FNILS65) in 1:1Ð3:1 ratio was selected for use in the study. Larvae reared in a liquid dietwithLBI2240:FNILS65 ratios of either 1:1 or 3:1 resulted in the same...

The relative abundance of indigenous and invasive frugivorous fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) was evaluated spatially and temporally along an altitudinal transect between 581-1650 m in the Uluguru Mountains near Morogoro, Tanzania. The polyphagous invasive fruit fly Bactrocera invadens Drew, Tsuruta, and White and the indigenous fruit fly Ceratitis rosa Karsch show a similar temporal pattern...

Female Mediterranean fruit flies, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), from the sterile-male rearing facility in El Pino, Guatemala, were exposed to broadcasts of wing-fanning vibrations recorded from males engaged in calling behavior to investigate the feasibility of developing a female-selective acoustic trap. The recorded signals had frequent amplitude fluctuations and peak frequencies approximat...

This review summarizes recent data on the development of non-drosophilid insect transformation systems. The discussion focuses on one particular approach to developing transformation systems that relies on the use of short inverted repeat-type transposable elements analogous to that employed for Drosophila melanogaster transformation. Representatives from four families of short inverted repeat-...

Direct costs and benefits to females of multiple mating have been shown to have large effects on female fecundity and longevity in several species. However, with the exception of studies examining genetic benefits of polyandry, little attention has been paid to the possible effects on offspring of multiple mating by females. We propose that nongenetic effects of maternal matings on offspring fi...

The postponement of human aging is a long-standing aspiration in many cultures, particularly non-Western ones. Renewed interest in this goal is now being shown within the biomedical research context. This interest has probably arisen because several different approaches have yielded dramatic increases in mean and maximum life span in laboratory organisms. Among the cases where aging has been po...

Center for Evolutionary Functional Genomics, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-5301 School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-4501 Department of Electrical Engineering, Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe AZ 85287-5706 Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering, Ar...

An instrument that identifies Mediterranean fruit flies entering a trap by detecting and discriminating their wingbeat sounds from background noises was developed and tested in an anechoic chamber and in field environments. Although the system works well in the absence of background noise, it has some difficulty identifying the wingbeats in high levels of background noise, and additional versio...