Aphids are major pests of wheat crop in Pakistan inflicting considerable economic losses. A better knowledge of landscape scale spatial distribution of aphids and their natural enemies could be used to improve integrated pest management programs. Therefore, the present study aimed to document spatio-temporal variations in populations of wheat aphids and their natural enemies in Pakistan. The 2-year survey study was carried out at ten experimental farms located in five districts of four contrasted agro-ecological zones of eastern Pakistan (Punjab area) i.e. District Chakwal in arid zone, Gujranwala in rice-cropped zone, Faisalabad in central mixed-cropped zone, and Khanewal and Multan in cotton-cropped zone. The dominant aphid species i.e. Schizaphis graminum, Rhopalosiphum padi, R. maidis and Sitobion avenae varied significantly among the five districts surveyed. The population of S. graminum was observed more abundant in arid, R. padi in rice, S. avenae in aird and rice, and R. maidis in cotton-I zones. Aphids ended their population dynamics on 25th March in central mixed-cropped zone and 12th April in other three zones. Various species of natural enemies, mainly Coccinella septumpunctata, C. undecimpunctata, Menochilus sexmaculata, Chrysoperla carnea, Syrphidae and parasitoid mummies were inconsistently observed in four agro-ecological zones. The population of C. septumpunctata, was observed more abundant in rice zone, C. undecimpunctata and C. carnea in cotton-I and arid zones, M. sexmaculata in cotton-I and II zones, Syrphidae in cotton-I zone and parasitoid mummies in rice and arid zones. There were no clear relationships between aphid and the natural enemy populations. The present study may serve as a baseline regarding distribution of wheat aphids and their natural enemies and the results provided insights for further studies on the potential top-down (natural enemies) versus bottom-up (fertilization and irrigation regimes) forces in management of wheat aphids in eastern Pakistan.
Two new species of the genus Odochilus Harold, 1877 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae: Odochilini) from the Oriental Region are described as follows: O. shavrini Rakovič Anichtchenko, new species from the Philippines (Mindanao) and O. borneensis Rakovič Anichtchenko, new species from Malaysia (Sarawak). Photographs of their habitus are presented. Differential diagnoses are mentioned.
Hexane, dichloromethane and methanol extracts of the roots of Piper sarmentosum Roxb. were screened for toxicity towards Sitophilus oryzae (L.), Rhyzopertha dominica (F.), and Plodia interpunctella (Hübner) and the hexane extract exhibited the highest mortality percentage. Bioassay-guided fractionation of the hexane extract resulted in the isolation of asaricin 1, isoasarone 2, and trans-asarone 3. Asaricin 1 and isoasarone 2 were the most toxic compounds to Sitophilus oryzae, Rhyzopertha dominica, and Plodia interpunctella. Sitophilus oryzae and Rhyzopertha dominica exposed to asaricin 1 and isoasarone 2 required the lowest median lethal time. Insecticidal activity of trans-asarone 3 showed consistent toxicity throughout the 60 days towards all three insects as compared to asaricin 1 and isoasarone 2. Asaricin 1 and isoasarone 2 at different doses significantly reduced oviposition and adult emergence of the three insects in treated rice. Trans-asarone 3 had lowest toxicity with highest LC and LT values in all tested insects relative to its mild oviposition inhibition and progeny activity. Moreover, asaricin 1 and isoasarone 2 significantly inhibited acetylcholinesterase in comparison with trans-asarone 3 and the control. Acetylcholinesterase inhibition of Rhyzopertha dominica and Plodia interpunctella by asaricin 1 and isoasarone 2 were lower than that of Sitophilus oryzae, which correlated with their higher resistance.
A new genus and species, Portentus marschneri Trzna Baa gen. nov. sp. nov. (Anthribidae: Anthribinae: Phloeophilini), from Penang National Park, Malaysia is described. Male genitalia are studied and illustrated and colour photographs are provided. A key is provided to distinguish Portentus from similar Palaearctic and Oriental genera of the tribe Phloeophilini: Phloeophilus Schoenherr, 1833, Bothrus Wolfrum, 1956, and Morimotanthribus Senoh Trzna, 2006.
Entomologi forensik dapat ditakrifkan sebagai pengetahuan mengenai serangga yang berkait rapat dengan bangkai terutamanya manusia, dengan tujuan ia dapat digunakan dalam penentuan jangka masa pascakematian. Jangka masa pascakematian (PMI) dapat ditentukan dengan mengambil kira spesies serangga dan peringkat perkembangan setiap spesies tersebut. Oleh kerana penentuan jenis spesies memerlukan serangga berkembang ke peringkat dewasa dan ini mengambil masa yang lama, maka objektif utama kajian ini adalah untuk mengoptimumkan suhu dan kelembapan terhadap perkembangan serangga dengan menggunakan larva Chrysomya megacephala sebagai spesimen. Larva C. megacephala dipindahkan ke dalam bekas khas, kemudiannya dimasukkan ke dalam pengeram yang telah dilaraskan suhunya kepada 27, 30, 33, 36 dan 39°C. Selepas menentukan suhu optimum perkembangan larva, aras kelembapan relatif ditentukan. Ini dilakukan dengan menentukan tempoh masa yang diperlukan untuk mengembangkan telur C. megacephala hingga ke peringkat dewasa. Untuk itu aras kelembapan relatif dalam pengeram tersebut dilaraskan kepada 54.2, 57.6, 76.0 dan 67.5% (kawalan). Peringkat perkembangan C. megacephala direkodkan. Hasil yang diperolehi menunjukkan perkembangan C. megacephala lebih pantas pada suhu 33oC berbanding suhu-suhu lain yang digunakan. Aras kelembapan relatif yang optimum juga telah dikenal pasti iaitu pada 76.0%. Dengan menggunakan keduadua data didapati keseluruhan peringkat perkembangan C. megacephala iaitu daripada peringkat telur hingga dewasa dapat dipendekkan daripada 8 hingga 9 hari kepada 5 hari.
This study was carried out in Agricultural Park, Teluk Cempedak and Bukit Pelindung at Kuantan, Pahang in October 2007. These three areas were different in ecological characteristic, Agricultural Park is a lowland region in Kuantan rural area, Teluk Cempedak is Kuantan’s most famous beach, and Bukit Pelindung is a reserved rainforest which is 200 meters from the sea level. Fly specimens were collected using four different kinds of baits: dry prawn, salted fish, pork and mango. Each of these baits was placed in a plastic container and exposed for one hour to attract flies. Within 5 minutes, flies started swarming around the baits. The flies were more attracted to the pork and salted fish compared to the other two baits. Fifty one flies, one moth (Lepidoptera) and one wasp (Hymenoptera) were collected. In Agricultural Park, two Lucilia cuprina, one Chrysomya megacephala and one Sarcophaga sp. were collected. For Teluk Cempedak beach, there were two Sarcophagids, 31 Chrysomya megacephala, five Musca domestica, one Lucilia cuprina and one moth were caught. Flies collected from Bukit Pelindung included five C.megacephala, two Sarcophagids, one Musca domestica and one wasp. Most C.megacephala were attracted to the pork and salted fish.
Ahmad Firdaus Mohd Salleh, Anita Talib, Mohamed Abdullah Marwi, Noor Hayati Mohd Isa, Syamsa Rizal Abdullah, Raja Muhammad Zuha Raja Kamal Bashah, et al.
Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius) dan Chrysomya rufifacies (Macquart) adalah merupakan dua spesies lalat penting yang boleh dijadikan sebagai penunjuk terbaik untuk menganggarkan selang masa kematian atau Post Mortem Interval (PMI) untuk kegunaan dalam sains forensik. Penentuan PMI adalah berdasarkan kepada saiz dan peringkat perkembangan larva. Kajian perkembangan telur, larva dan pupa lalat Ch. megacepahala dan Ch. rufifacies dijalankan di bawah suhu 27ºC, 30ºC dan 33ºC di makmal dengan menggunakan kebuk pertumbuhann serangga. Data daripada kajian digunakan untuk menghasilkan satu graf pertumbuhan dan Jam Darjah Terkumpul (ADH) bagi kedua-dua spesies. Ch. megacephala mengambil masa selama 9.15 hari pada suhu 27ºC, 8.54 hari (30ºC) dan 6.76 hari (33ºC) untuk melengkapkan satu kitar hidup. Pada C. rufifacies pula, kitar hidupnya lebih lama berbanding Ch. megacephala iaitu 9.92 hari pada suhu 27ºC, 9.13 hari (30ºC) dan 7.44 hari (33ºC). Telur bagi kedua-dua spesies menetas lebih cepat pada suhu 33ºC berbanding dua suhu yang lainnya. Nilai ADH yang rendah pada sesuatu suhu, menunjukkan sesuatu spesies lebih cepat melengkapkan suatu kitar hidup. Penemuan ini berguna dalam menganggarkan selang masa kematian bagi mayat yang dijumpai pada suhu persekitaran yang berlainan.
The genus Airapus Stebnicka Howden, 1996 currently comprises 26 extant species distributed in the Australian and Oriental zoogeographical regions (Stebnicka Howden 1996; Stebnicka 1998, 2009; Rakovič et al. 2019; Král et al. 2019; Minkina 2020) and one fossil species from the Eocene Baltic amber (Tamutis et al. 2017). Of the continental Southeast Asia, only three species have been known so far: Airapus cechovskyi Král, Mencl Rakovič, 2019 (mainland Malaysia: Kelantan), A. tyri Král, Mencl Rakovič, 2019 (Central Thailand: Phetchaburi Province) and A. sicardi ( Paulian, 1945) (Laos: "Cochinchine: Long Xuyen" and South Vietnam: "Annam: Tanh Hoa") (Paulian 1945; Balthasar 1964; Král et al. 2019). Examination of the material housed in the collections of the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China, revealed Airapus material belonging to an undescribed species. Its formal description is presented in this paper. This new species is another, fourth species occurring in mainland Southeast Asia. It is also the first country record from China. The geographical distribution of the genus is now known to the north as far as Fujian Province.
A new species of firefly (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) Pygoluciola dunguna Nada sp. nov. is described from males and reliably associated females, collected mainly from lowland dipterocarp forests of Peninsular Malaysia at elevations below 300 m a.s.l. This species is found to be terrestrial, flying at low heights between 10-15 m above ground in between the herbaceous plants. Males are intermediate between the two types of Pygoluciola Wittmer known until now. A list of species, and a key to males and known females of Pygoluciola is given. The female bursa has paired elongate hook like bursa plates.
The genus Morphosphaera Baly, 1861 is revised. Eleven species are considered as valid, including, M. takizawai sp. nov. (Mt. Basor, 90 km N of Gua Musang, Malaysia, W. Kelantan), described from Malaysia and Indonesia. Color photos of habitus and drawings of diagnostic characters from eleven species are presented. The following synonymies are proposed: M. sodalis Chen, 1935 and M. brunnea Maulik, 1936 are junior synonyms of M. albipennis Allard, 1889; M. margaritacea Laboissière, 1930, M. viridipennis Laboissière, 1930, and M. prava Maulik, 1936 are junior synonyms of M. coomani Laboissière, 1930; M. gracilicornis Chen, 1963 is a junior synonym of M. maculicollis Baly, 1861; M. cavaleriei Laboissière, 1930, M. cincticollis Laboissière, 1930, M. marginata Laboissière, 1930, M. purpurea Laboissière, 1930, M. gingkoae Gressitt & Kimoto, 1963, and M. metallescens Gressitt & Kimoto, 1963 are junior synonyms of M. sumatrana Jacoby, 1886. The type material of M. impunctata Allard, 1890 from the Philippines was not found and its taxonomic status remains uncertain. Morphosphaera peregrina Weise, 1913 is transferred to the genus Borneola Mohamedsaid, 1998 nov. comb. A neotype is designated for Chrysomela japonica Hornstedt, 1788. Lectotypes are designated for the following species: Adorium chrysomeloides Bates, 1866, A. japonicum Baly, 1874, Morphosphaera albipennis Allard, 1889, M. bimaculata Chûjô, 1938, M. caerulea Jacoby, 1896, M. cavaleriei Laboissière, 1930, M. collaris Laboissière, 1930, M. formosa Laboissière, 1930, M. marginata Laboissière, 1930, M. montivaga Maulik, 1936, M. prava Maulik, 1936, M. purpurea Laboissière, 1930, M. sumatrana Jacoby, 1886, M. viridipennis Laboissière, 1930, and Galerucida simplex Weise, 1922.
The genus Theopea Baly, 1864 is redefined. Seventeen species from Sundaland and the Philippines are recognized and classified into four species groups (including seven new species): T. impressa (Fabricius, 1801), T. longicollis (Jacoby, 1896), T. louwerensi Jolivet, 1951, T. lunduensis Mohamedsaid, 1998, T. chungi sp. nov. in the T. impressa group; T. flavipalpis Laboissère, 1940, T. guoi sp. nov., T. lui sp. nov., T. sabahensis sp. nov. in the T. flavipalpis group; T. elegantula Baly, 1864, T. pulchella Baly, 1864, T. fairmairei Duvivier, 1885, T. kedenburgi Weise, 1922, T. houjayi sp. nov., T. tsoui sp. nov., T. yuae sp. nov. in the T. pulchella group; and T. costata (Allard, 1889) in the T. costata group. The following new synonyms are established: Theopea pulchella Baly, 1864 = T. nigricollis Jacoby, 1892 syn. nov.; Theopea impressa (Fabricius, 1801) = T. impressa flavicornis Laboissère, 1940 syn. nov. and T. impressa malaccana Laboissère, 1940 syn. nov.; T. lunduensis Mohamedsaid, 1998 = T. sepilokensis Mohamedsaid, 2000 syn. nov. Lectotypes are designated for Crioceris impressa Fabricius, 1801, Ozomena longicollis Jacoby, 1896, Theopea elegantula Baly, 1864, T. fairmairei Duvivier, 1885, T. nigricollis Jacoby, 1892, and T. pulchella Baly, 1864. Theopea obliterata Jacoby, 1884, T. variabilis (Jacoby, 1887), T. incostata (Allard, 1889), T. clypeata Jacoby, 1896, T. modiglianii Jacoby, 1896, T. dohrni (Jacoby, 1899), T. viridipennis (Jacoby, 1899), and T. weberi (Weise, 1913) are removed from Theopea and regarded as species incertae sedis.
The species of the genus Coeligetes Jacoby, 1884 distributed in Malaysia and Indonesia are revised, illustrated and keyed. New species, C. howardi sp. nov. from Borneo is described. New synonymy Coeligetes submetallica Jacoby, 1884 = C. wilcoxi Mohamedsaid, 1994 (syn. nov.) is proposed. New genus and species Coeligetoides trifurcatus gen. nov., sp. nov. (Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and Thailand) is described, illustrated and compared with related genera.
Palpoxena hajeki sp. nov. from continental Malaysia, characterised by completely reddish brown body and deeply excavated anterior of male head with a pair of large twisted tufts of setae, is described and compared with the similar species. Colour photos of habitus, body details and penis are presented.
A human corpse at an advanced stage of decomposition was found in a house in the residential area of Bukit Mertajam, Penang, Malaysia. Entomological specimens were collected during the post-mortem and the live specimens were subsequently reared at room temperature. The time of death was estimated to have been 14 days previous to the discovery of the body based on the police investigation. Both adult and larvae of the beetle Dermestes ater (De Geer) were found to be infesting the corpse and from the stage of decomposition of the body and the estimated time of death it would appear that infestation may have begun at a relatively early stage of decomposition.
The genus Carlschoenherria Bezděk, 2016 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Melolonthini) in the Philippines is reviewed. Three new species: Carlschoenherria adoradae Calcetas, new species, C. hadsallae Calcetas, new species, and C. gapudi Calcetas, new species are described, figured and compared with their close relatives. The following new combinations are proposed: Carlschoenherria palawana (Moser, 1915) new combination, C. philippinica (Brenske, 1894) new combination, C. argus (Burmeister, 1855) new combination, C. hastata (Arrow, 1938) new combination and C. vervex (Sharp, 1876) new combination. A new C. adoradae species-subgroup is proposed under the broader C. sulcipennis species-group. A key of the Carlschoenherria of the Philippines Islands, Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Java is provided.
We report a rare, potentially sight-threatening ocular complication due to central venous stenosis related to a previous site of haemodialysis catheter. A dialysis-dependent woman in her 60s presented with left eye redness for 1 month followed by a remarkably prominent vessel on the left upper eyelid for 2 weeks. Examinations found left eyelid oedema with prominent venous dilatation on the upper eyelid as well as left eye mild proptosis, conjunctiva injection with corkscrew vessels, raised intraocular pressure, and dilated and tortuous retina vessels. Central thoracic venogram showed total occlusion on the left brachiocephalic vein with retrograde reflux to the jugular vein. An endovascular percutaneous transluminal balloon angioplasty was performed for the left brachiocephalic vein stenosis, which resolved the orbital, facial and neck venous congestion. The patient remained asymptomatic after 1 year.
The diversity of beetle assemblages in different habitat types (primary forest, logged forest, acacia plantation and oil palm plantation) in Sabah, Malaysia was investigated using three different methods based on habitat levels (Winkler sampling, flight-interception-trapping and mist-blowing). The overall diversity was extremely high, with 1711 species recorded from only 8028 individuals and 81 families (115 family and subfamily groups). Different degrees of environmental changes had varying effects on the beetle species richness and abundance, with oil palm plantation assemblage being most severely affected, followed by acacia plantation and then logged forest. A few species became numerically dominant in the oil palm plantation. In terms of beetle species composition, the acacia fauna showed much similarity with the logged forest fauna, and the oil palm fauna was very different from the rest. The effects of environmental variables (number of plant species, sapling and tree densities, amount of leaf litter, ground cover, canopy cover, soil pH and compaction) on the beetle assemblage were also investigated. Leaf litter correlated with species richness, abundance and composition of subterranean beetles. Plant species richness, tree and sapling densities correlated with species richness, abundance and composition of understorey beetles while ground cover correlated only with the species richness and abundance of these beetles. Canopy cover correlated only with arboreal beetles. In trophic structure, predators represented more than 40% of the species and individuals. Environmental changes affected the trophic structure with proportionally more herbivores (abundance) but fewer predators (species richness and abundance) in the oil palm plantation. Biodiversity, conservation and practical aspects of pest management were also highlighted in this study.
Two new species of Ancyronyx Erichson, 1847 (Coleoptera: Elmidae) are described from Borneo: A. pulcherrimus (Brunei) and A. reticulatus (Sabah). Habitus views, illustrations of important characters as well as plastron structures of Ancyronyx reticulatus are presented and discussed.