The western flower thrips Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) is a cosmopolitan, polyphagous insect pest that causes bronzing to fruit of strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa). The main aim of this study was to test whether mass trapping could reduce damage and to predict whether this approach would be economically viable. In semi-protected strawberry crops, mass trapping...

Nucleotide sequences from the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene were used to test for genetic differentiation in the rocky intertidal isopod crustacean, Ligia occidentalis (Ligiidae), from the eastern Pacific. Phylogenetic analyses showed that individuals of L. occidentalis from southern California, USA to Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico partitioned into 15 highly-divergent clades. Mean Kimu...

—We examined aspects of preand postprandial metabolism in the diurnally active Western Fence Lizard, Sceloporus occidentalis, by measuring rates of oxygen consumption (Vo2) and carbon dioxide production (Vco2) at 308C. Sceloporus occidentalis exhibited strong circadian variation in metabolism that continued throughout digestion, with diurnal peaks in metabolism up to four times as high as noctu...

Western flower thrip (Frankliniella occidentalis) is a major global pest of agricultural products. It directly damages crops through feeding, oviposition activity or transmission of several plant viruses. We describe a Taqman real-time quantitative PCR detection system, which can rapidly identify F. occidentalis from thrips larvae to complement the traditional morphological identification. The ...

Changes in plants following insect attack are referred to as induced responses. These responses are widely viewed as a form of defence against further insect attack. In the current study we explore whether it is possible to make generalizations about induced plant responses given the unpredictability and variability observed in insect-plant interactions. Experiments were conducted to test for c...

In an region of Atlantic Rainforest corresponding to the geopolitical area of the Pedra Branca State Park, Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil, 160 small mammals were captured, of which 64 rodents and 96 marsupials from October 2005 to October 2007. There were collected in these hosts six flea species from three families (Ctenophthalmidae, Rhopalopsyllidae and Pulicidae), totalizing 162 specime...

Thrips is one of the most harmful insect groups attacking many field and vegetable crops. Predatory mites, especially those in family Phytoseiidae, are considered as good bioagents to control thrips where application of chemical pesticides can be decreased. This work was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of the two phytoseiid mites, Amblyseius swirskii (Athias-Henriot) and Neoseiulus cucumeris...

Orius sauteri (Poppius; Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) is an important predator of western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande; Thysanoptera: Thripidae). O. sauteri would be directly exposed to the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana (Bals.) Vuillemin in the field should the fungus be used as a biopesticide. If the fungus were to negatively affect O. sauteri in agro-ecosystems,...

Background & Objectives. The plan of this work was to study the larvicidal activity of Cassia occidentalis (Linn.) against the larvae of Culex quinquefasciatus. These larvae are the most significant vectors. They transmit the parasites and pathogens which cause a deadly disease like filariasis, dengue, yellow fever, malaria, Japanese encephalitis, chikungunya, and so forth, which are considered...