Entomologia

On some interesting African katydids (Orthoptera Tettigoniidae)

B. Massa — 2016-10-14

Results of the study of specimens collected in Africa and preserved in different European collections and museums are reported and extensively illustrated. The tribe Preussiini Karsch, 1890 is resurrected for the genera Preussia Karsch, 1890, Enochletica Karsch, 1896 and Weissenbornia Karsch, 1888. The following three new species are described: Eurycorypha ndokiensis n. sp., Eurycorypha feai n. sp. and Eurycorypha kenyensis n. sp. Rhacocleis dernensis Salfi, 1926 is confirmed in its original genus, Conocephalus algerinorum Massa, 1999 is moved into the subgenus Anisoptera. In addition, new diagnostic characters or distributional data for Horatosphaga crosskeyi Ragge, 1960, Horatosphaga somali (Schulthess-Schindler, 1898), Ducetia crosskeyi Ragge, 1961, Ducetia fuscopunctata Chopard, 1954, Tropidonotacris amabilis Ragge, 1957, Tropidonotacris carinata Chopard, 1954, Pardalota asymmetrica Karsch, 1896, Eurycorypha stylata Stål, 1873, Eurycorypha velicauda Karsch, 1893, Eurycorypha kevani Chopard, 1954 and Oxygonatium huxleyi Ragge, 1980 are reported.

Dirhinus giffardii (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae), parasitoid affecting Black Soldier Fly production systems in West Africa

Emilie Devic — 2015-12-09

Interest for insect farming is currently growing globally. Conditions in West Africa appear suitable for developing such farming systems that can benefit communities by improving livelihoods, food and feed security or sanitation. In Ghana and Mali, the Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens Linnaeus, 1758) is being produced for waste recycling and animal feed. In a two stages process (egg and larvae production), egg production was hampered by a pupal parasitoid, Dirhinus giffardii Silvestri, 1913 (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae), which reduced future broodstock by almost 72%. This is the first time D. giffardii is reported as a parasitoid of H. illucens pupae and one of the first reports of parasitism in this commercially important fly species. The introduction of precautionary measures is highly recommended for the success of H. illucens production systems in West Africa.

Development time plasticity of the pine processionary moth (Thaumetopoea pityocampa) populations under laboratory conditions

L. Berardi — 2015-12-15

The pine processionary moth Thaumetopoea pityocampa (Lepidoptera, Notodontidae) is a univoltine defoliator that is active over a wide range of latitudes and elevations, being largely influenced by temperature variations, especially during larval development across the winter. This work compares field development time with that observed in the laboratory rearing under controlled conditions, in four Th. pityocampa populations characterized by different life history phenology: two populations from the Italian Alps characterized by early and late adult emergence, and two populations from Portugal, the first characterized by winter feeding and late adult emergence, the second by a switch of the larval feeding from winter to summer. The rearing started from the egg stage and was maintained in the laboratory at 20-25°C under natural light in transparent boxes. In spite of the different geographic origins and asynchrony of the period of larval development, all populations maintained an annual life cycle under laboratory conditions, as well as a phenology similar to that of the field populations. Such an outcome was possible due to a trade-off in the duration of the larval and pupal stages, the latter being identified as the phase of development when an efficient regulatory mechanism is acting to maintain the univoltine life cycle.