Entomopathogenic fungi of the genus Aschersonia are specific for whitefly and scale insects. They can be used as biological control agents against silverleaf whitefly, Bemisia argentifolii and greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum. Forty-four isolates of Aschersonia spp. were tested for their ability to sporulate and germinate on semi-artificial media and to infect insect hosts. Seven isolates sporulated poorly (less than 1x10(7) conidia/dry weight) and 10 were not able to infect either of the whitefly species. Several isolates were able to produce capilliconidia. Infection level was not correlated with germination on water agar. After a selection based on spore production and infection, virulence of 31 isolates was evaluated on third instar nymphs of both whitefly species on poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima). Whitefly infection levels varied between 2 and 70%, and infection percentages of B. argentifolii correlated with that of T. vaporariorum. However, mortality was higher for T. vaporariorum than for B. argentifolii, as a result of a higher 'mortality due to unknown causes.' Several isolates, among which unidentified species of Aschersonia originating from Thailand and Malaysia, A. aleyrodis from Colombia, and A. placenta from India showed high spore production on semi-artificial medium and high infection levels of both whitefly species.
The leafhopper genus Dusuna Distant is revised to include seven species including one new species D. anacantha sp. nov. from China and one new combination D. distanti (Schmidt) n. comb. All species are described and illustrated. A checklist to species of the genus is provided together with a key to separate the two species known from the male. Figures of an unknown species from Malaysia (possibly new) are also included.
Matched MeSH terms: Hemiptera/anatomy & histology; Hemiptera/classification*; Hemiptera/growth & development
A new species, Busoniomimus umbellatus sp. nov. is described and illustrated from Malaysia. In addition the female of B. hainanensis Zhang & Li is described from China. A key is provided to males of this genus.
Matched MeSH terms: Hemiptera/anatomy & histology; Hemiptera/classification*; Hemiptera/growth & development
The genus Eleazara Distant is reported from Malaysia for the first time based on one new species, E. viraktamathi sp. nov. This new species is described and illustrated. A checklist and key to the known species of Eleazara are provided.
The leafhopper subfamily Idiocerinae is revised for Malaysia. Thirteen genera and 17 species are recognized including 1 new genus, Serridiocerus n. gen., 2 new species, Serridiocerus membranaceus n. sp. and Burmascopus longidens n. sp., 3 newly recorded genera and 2 newly recorded species: Burmascopus n. rec., Chunra n. rec., Philipposcopus n. rec., Chunra australis n. rec., Philipposcopus maquilingensis n. rec.. A checklist and a key to species of Malaysian Idiocerinae are also provided.
The Oriental leafhopper genus Abcoronalis gen. nov. is described and illustrated, and placed in the subtribe Paraboloponina (Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae: Drabescini). The genus differs from other Paraboloponina in having the coronal suture vestigial and the dorsal margin of the male pygofer with a pair of long, curved processes. The type species, Abcoronalis protrusus sp. nov. is from Borneo (Malaysia). A checklist and key of the subtribe Paraboloponina from Northern Borneo is provided.
Two new genera of Idiocerini, Lambirocerus gen. nov. with type species Lambirocerus cycloformulus sp. nov. and Undophomorpha gen. nov. with type species Undophomorpha glauctata sp. nov., are described and illustrated from Malaysia. The type species of Paraidioscopus Maldonado-Capriles, P. tagalicus (Baker) is also redescribed and illustrated.
Two new genera, Malaysiapona gen. nov. and Chandrapona gen. nov. of Paraboloponina leafhoppers (Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae: Drabescini) with their unusally developed aedeagal base are described from the Pacific (Malaysia). The following new species are also described with the new genera: Malaysiapona brevipenis sp. nov. from Sabah, M. filamenta sp. nov., from Sarawak and Chandrapona vespertilis sp. nov. from Sabah.
The Oriental leafhopper genus Kalasha Distant is reviewed with redescriptions and photos of all known species, and two new species are described and illustrated. The female ovipositor of K. nativa Distant is described and photographed. Kalasha sondaica Jacobi, 1914 is proposed as a junior synonym of K. nativa Distant, 1908. A key to species of the genus is provided. Kalasha nativa Distant, originally described from India (Assam), is recorded from Malaysia, Thailand and Viet Nam for the first time, also representing the first records of the genus from Malaysia and Thailand.
Many insect pests, including the brown planthopper (BPH), undergo windborne migration that is challenging to observe and track. It remains controversial about their migration patterns and largely unknown regarding the underlying genetic basis. By analyzing 360 whole genomes from around the globe, we clarify the genetic sources of worldwide BPHs and illuminate a landscape of BPH migration showing that East Asian populations perform closed-circuit journeys between Indochina and the Far East, while populations of Malay Archipelago and South Asia undergo one-way migration to Indochina. We further find round-trip migration accelerates population differentiation, with highly diverged regions enriching in a gene desert chromosome that is simultaneously the speciation hotspot between BPH and related species. This study not only shows the power of applying genomic approaches to demystify the migration in windborne migrants but also enhances our understanding of how seasonal movements affect speciation and evolution in insects.
One new genus of the tribe Ledrini, Yelahanka gen. nov. is described with Petalocephala granulosa Distant as its type species. The genus is characterised by the flexing of the forewing laterad of a strongly carinate or keeled outer claval vein and the claval veins fused in the distal two thirds. Seven new species, Yelahanka canaraica sp. nov. (India: Karnataka), Y. kodaiensis sp. nov. (India: Tamil Nadu), Y. montana sp. nov. (India: Tamil Nadu), Y. nepalica sp. nov. (Nepal), Y. sikkimensis sp. nov. (India: Sikkim), Y. shillongensis sp. nov. (India: Meghalaya) and Y. trifida sp. nov. (India: Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh) are described and illustrated. The following new combinations are proposed: Yelahanka bainbriggei (Distant) comb. nov., Y. granulosa (Distant) comb. nov., Y. punctata (Walker) comb. nov. and Y. tabulata (Distant) comb. nov.; originally punctata was placed in the genus Ledra Fabricius and remaining species were placed in Petalocephala Stål. Petalocephala bainbriggei Distant 1916 is treated as a junior synonym of Y. granulosa (Distant 1910) syn. nov. and P. tabulata Distant 1908 is treated as a junior synonym of Yelahanka punctata (Walker 1851) syn. nov. Y. granulosa is newly recorded from Africa (Tanzania and Kenya) and Malaya. Relationships of the new genus with other genera of Ledrini are discussed and a key to species of the genus is also provided.
The morphology of the adult male of Drosichoides ?haematoptera (Cockerell) is redescribed and illustrated and the adult female of Buchnericoccus sp. (Hemiptera: Monophlebidae) is also described and illustrated. These male and female specimens perhaps are conspecific. Genus Buchericoccus Reyne may be a junior synonym of genus Drosichoides Morrison.
Aspects of the incidence and spread of the citrus disease huanglongbing (HLB) in relation to the vector Diaphorina citri population fluctuation were studied from January 1999 to December 2001 seasons in a 0.8 ha citrus orchard at Jemukan (1° 33'N, 110° 41'E), Southwest Sarawak in Malaysia. In relation to insecticide and horticultural mineral oils (HMOs) use, levels of HLB infection rose quite rapidly over the next 3 years in the unsprayed control and less rapidly in the other treatments such as imidacloprid, nC24HMO, and triazophos/cypermethrin/chlorpyrifos. Levels of HLB as determined by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) were 42.2%, 9.4%, 11.4%, and 22.7%, respectively. The effects of nC(24)HMO and conventional pesticides on the citrus psyllid population and parasitoids in citrus orchard were also determined.
In August 2008, 30% of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) plants in plots in Lubbock County, Texas showed yellowing, lateral stem dieback, upward leaf curling, enlargement of stems, adventitious roots, and swollen nodes. Yellowing in leaves was similar to that seen with zebra chip disease (ZC) of potato that was confirmed in a potato field 112 km away in July 2008 and was associated with a 'Candidatus Liberibacter' species (1), similar to findings earlier in 2008 in New Zealand and California (2,3). Tissue from four symptomatic plants of cv. Spitfire and two of cv. Celebrity were collected and DNA was extracted from midribs and petioles with a FastDNA Spin Kit (Qbiogene, Inc., Carlsbad, CA,). PCR amplification was done with 16S rRNA gene primers OA2 and OI2c, which are specific for "Ca. Liberibacter solanacearum" from potato and tomato and amplify a 1.1-kb fragment of the 16S rRNA gene of this new species (1,3). Amplicons of 1.1 kb were obtained from all samples and these were sequenced in both orientations (McLab, San Francisco, CA). Sequences of the 16S rRNA gene were identical for both Spitfire and Celebrity and were submitted to the NCBI as GenBank Accession Nos. FJ939136 and FJ939137, respectively. On the basis of a BLAST search, sequence alignments revealed 99.9% identity with a new species of 'Ca. Liberibacter' from potato (EU884128 and EU884129) in Texas (1); 99.7% identity with the new species "Ca. Liberibacter solanacearum" described from potato and tomato (3) in New Zealand (EU849020 and EU834130, respectively) and from the potato psyllid Bactericera cockerelli in California (2) (EU812559, EU812556); 97% identity with 'Ca L. asiaticus' from citrus in Malaysia (EU224393) and 94% identity with both 'Ca. L. africanus' and 'Ca. L. americanus' from citrus (EU921620 and AY742824, respectively). A neighbor-joining cladogram constructed using the 16S rRNA gene fragments delineated four clusters corresponding to each species, and these sequences clustered with "Ca. L. solanacearum". A second PCR analysis was conducted with the CL514F/CL514R primer pair, which amplifies a sequence from the rplJ and rplL ribosomal protein genes of "Ca. L. solanacearum". The resulting 669-bp products were 100% identical to a sequence reported from tomato in Mexico (FJ498807). This sequence was submitted to NCBI (GU169328). ZC, a disease causing losses to the potato industry, is associated with a 'Candidatus Liberibacter' species (1-3) and was reported in Central America and Mexico in the 1990s, in Texas in 2000, and more recently in other states in the United States (4). In 2008, a "Ca. Liberibacter solanacearum" was detected on Capsicum annuum, S. betaceum, and Physalis peruviana in New Zealand (3). Several studies have shown that the potato psyllid, B. cockerelli, is a potential vector for this pathogen (2,4). To our knowledge, this is the first report of "Ca. Liberibacter solanacearum" in field tomatoes showing ZC-like foliar disease symptoms in the United States. References: (1). J. A. Abad et al. Plant Dis. 93:108, 2009 (2) A. K. Hansen et al. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 74:5862, 2008. (3) L. W. Liefting et al. Plant Dis. 93:208, 2009. (4) G. A. Secor et al. Plant Dis. 93:574, 2009.
The leafhopper subfamily Signoretiinae is redescribed and includes two tribes: Signoretiini Baker and Phlogisini Linnavuori. Redescriptions of included tribes, diagnoses and a taxonomic key to genera are provided. New records for genera of Signoretiinae are as follows: Phlogis in Central African Republic, Malaysia and Thailand; Preta in Thailand; and Signoretia in the Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Taiwan (China). Signoretia pacifica is newly recorded from Cameroon. In addition, detailed illustrations of the male genitalia of the previously described species, Chouious tianzeus, Preta gratiosa,and Signoretia yangli are provided; the male genitalia of Signoretia malaya are described for the first time; and two new species of Signoretia are described, Signoretia delicata sp. n. from the Philippinesand Signoretia kintendela sp. n. from the Republic of the Congo.
Species of Signoretia Stål from the Oriental region are reviewed and types of five species described by Baker, two species described by Distant and one species described by Schmidt are illustrated. A checklist of 20 species of the genus from the Oriental region including 9 new species is given. The new species described and illustrated are Signoretia dulitensis sp. nov. (Malaysia: Mt Dulit), S. lunglei sp. nov. (India: Mizoram), S. mishmiensis sp. nov. (Myanmar: Mishmi Hills), S. quoinensis sp. nov. (Malaysia: Quoin Hill), S. rubra sp. nov. (Thailand: Chiang Mai), S. sahyadrica sp. nov. (India: Kerala), S. similaris sp. nov. (Vietnam: Fyan), S. sinuata sp. nov. (India: West Bengal) and S. takiyae sp. nov. (India: Andaman Is.). Both S. aureola Distant and S. maculata Baker are redescribed and illustrated. Lectotypes are designated for S. greeni Distant and S. aureola Distant.
Matched MeSH terms: Hemiptera/anatomy & histology*; Hemiptera/classification*; Hemiptera/growth & development
The species of Billaea Robineau-Desvoidy (Diptera, Tachinidae) from the eastern Palearctic and Oriental regions are revised. Ten described species are recognized, viz. B. atkinsoni (Baranov) (new records for Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Pakistan and Thailand), B. ficorum (Townsend), B. fortis (Rondani), B. impigra Kolomiets (new record for China), B. kolomyetzi Mesnil, B. malayana Malloch, B. morosa Mesnil, B. robusta Malloch, B. steini (Brauer et Bergenstamm) and B. triangulifera (Zetterstedt) and nine species are described as new to science, B. brevicauda Zhang et Shima sp. nov. (China), B. carinata Zhang et Shima sp. nov. (China), B. chinensis Zhang et Shima sp. nov. (China and Vietnam), B. flava Zhang et Wang sp. nov. (China), B. kurahashii Zhang et Shima sp. nov. (Laos and Thailand), B. micronychia Zhang et Shima sp. nov. (China and Japan; previously misidentified from China as B. irrorata (Meigen)), B. papei Zhang et Shima sp. nov. (Malaysia), B. setigera Zhang et Shima sp. nov. (China) and B. verticalis Shima et Zhang sp. nov. (China). Billaea fasciata (Townsend, 1928) is treated as a junior synonym of B. ficorum (Townsend, 1916), syn. nov. Billaea irrorata is no longer recorded from the eastern Palearctic. A key to 19 species of Billaea from the eastern Palearctic and Oriental regions and 101 figures of male terminalia, bodies, heads and abdomens are given.
Morphological and host-plant relationship studies were conducted to differentiate two sympatric populations of brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens, one from rice (Oryza sativa) and the other from Leersia hexandra, a weed grass. In morphometric studies based on esterase activities, an UPGMA dendrogram using 17 quantitative morphological characters, including stridulatory organs (courtship signal-producing organs) between two sympatric populations of N. lugens, one from rice and the other from L. hexandra, a weed grass revealed that both populations were separated from each other. An out-group, N. bakeri, was found to be completely different from the two sympatric populations of N. lugens. Rice plants were best suited for the establishment of the rice-infesting population, and L. hexandra was a favourable host for the Leersia-infesting population. The individuals derived from one host did not thrive on the other host, as shown by a significant reduction in survival and nymphal development, ovipositional preferences, ovipositional response, and egg hatchability. Therefore, morphological and host-plant relationship studies indicate that rice-associated population with high esterase activities and L. heaxandra-associated population with low esterase activities are two closely related sibling species.
Direct amplified length polymorphism (DALP) combines the advantages of a high-resolution fingerprint method and also characterizing the genetic polymorphisms. This molecular method was also found to be useful in brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens species complex for the analysis of genetic polymorphisms. A total of 11 populations of Nilaparvata spp. were collected from 6 locations from Malaysia. Two sympatric populations of brown planthopper, N. lugens, one from rice and the other from a weed grass (Leersia hexandra), were collected from each of five locations. N. bakeri was used as an out group. Three oligonucleotide primer pairs, DALP231/DALPR'5, DALP234/DALPR'5, and DALP235/DALPR'5 were applied in this study. The unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) dendrogram based on genetic distances for the 11 populations of Nilaparvata spp. revealed that populations belonging to the same species and the same host type clustered together irrespective of their geographical localities of capture. The populations of N. lugens formed into two distinct clusters, one was insects with high esterase activities usually captured from rice and the other was with low esterase activities usually captured from L. hexandra. N. bakeri, an out group, was the most isolated group. Analyses of principal components, molecular variance, and robustness also supported greatly to the findings of cluster analysis.
The inheritance of 31 amplicons from short and long primer RAPD was tested for segregating ratios in two families of the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens, and they were found to be inherited in a simple Mendelian fashion. These markers could now be used in population genetics studies of N. lugens. Ten populations of N. lugens were collected from five locations in Malaysia. Each location had two sympatric populations. Cluster and principal coordinate analyses based on genetic distance along with AMOVA revealed that the rice-infesting populations (with high esterase activity) at five localities clustered together as a group, and Leersia-infesting populations (with low esterase activity) at the same localities formed another distinct cluster. Two amplicons from primers OPD03 (0.65 kb) and peh#6 (1.0 kb) could be considered diagnostic bands, which were fixed in the Leersia-infesting populations. These results represent evidence of a sibling species in the N. lugens complex.