Although rove beetles (Paederus spp.) play a beneficial role as biological control agents to manage crop pests in agro-ecosystems, their high prevalence in human settings has elevated them to pest status in urban areas. Rove beetles neither bite nor sting, but accidental crushing on human skin causes them to release the toxin paederin, which causes dermatitis linearis. This review integrates currently available knowledge about the issues pertaining to Paederus infestation. For instance, the results of life history studies conducted under different food and temperature regimes are summarized, as they indicate how large a population can be in a habitat to cause massive and widespread infestation and illustrate the physiological traits required to maintain the population at the maximum level even under adverse conditions. In contrast to what is generally reported, we speculate that climatic factors do not necessarily result in Paederus dispersal in temperate regions; instead, habitat disturbance and site unsuitability may be the main factors that lead to massive dispersal to human settings. Factors such as whether dispersers are adaptable to xeric conditions in human settings, the probability that dispersed Paederus mate with the opposite sex, and whether dispersers have adequate nutrient intake to reproduce are considered to evaluate their potential to reproduce in human settings. Finally, the effectiveness of current commercial insecticides, challenges faced in managing infestations, and sustainable management practices are discussed to provide information for long-term control programs.
We report a retrospective review of 12 medical students with a peculiar erythemato-vesicular dermatitis entomologically caused by an endemic beetle Paederus fuscipes. The clinical features, outcome in these cases and treatment are discussed. The students were residents of hostels in the USM campus in Kubang Kerian, Kelantan. The causative agent in all these cases were found to be Paederus fuscipes (rove beetle). The most common site of involvement in all these cases was the face, followed by the neck. The average duration of symptoms was two days and pruritus was a common symptom. About 83% of the patients made a complete recovery. However two patients (16%) had residual pigmentation.
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.
This paper reports a new weevil genus Devernodes gen. n. established for five new species from Southeast Asia: D. alkippe sp. n. (China: Mt. Emei), D. asteria sp. n. (Vietnam: Tam Dao), D. chthonia sp. n. (Vietnam: Tam Dao; the type species), D. drimo sp. n. (Malaysia: Pasoh Forest Reserve) and D. methone sp. n. (Malaysia: Tanah Rata). All Devernodes are wingless and inhabit the forest leaf litter. Adult Devernodes share a combination of two head characters unique among weevils in Asia: antenna with apparently unsegmented club and 6-segmented antennal funicle, as well as strong constriction separating the eye-bearing rostrum from the head capsule. To test monophyly and investigate phylogenetic relationships of Devernodes, Maximum Likelihood phylogenetic analysis was undertaken using parts of mitochondrial (COI) and nuclear ribosomal (28S) genes, as well as the nuclear internal transcribed spacer (ITS2) from 14 Devernodes and 55 outgroup Curculionidae specimens. Results strongly corroborated monophyly of Devernodes and did not suggest its realistic sister-group. The new genus is assigned to the molytine tribe Lymantini (not represented in the DNA analysis) based on two potential synapomorphies: head markedly constricted behind eyes and presence of undivided female hemisternites IX (= "merged coxite and stylus"). Thus interpreted, Devernodes is the twelfth nominal genus of Lymantini and the first record of the tribe outside of the Americas. All original data (localities, DNA sequences, specimen images) are available online in public datasets dx.doi.org/10.5883/DS-DEVERNO1 and dx.doi.org/10.5883/DS-DEVERNO2.
The 'Cephennomicrus group' of Cephenniini includes nine genera distributed mostly in SE Asia (but with some species known also from other continents, except for the Americas). Four new Oriental species are described: Cephennococcus penangensis sp. n. (W Malaysia), Cephennomicrus matangensis sp. n. (E Malaysia), Cephennomicrus selangorensis sp. n. (E Malaysia), and Trurlia nova sp. n. (E Malaysia). Cephennomicrus selangorensis is unique in having the pronotum in both sexes with broad lateral impressions demarcated from the disc by a sharp ridge, a modification slightly similar to that of only one (Australian) congener.
The genus Marcepania is a sole member of the tribe Marcepaniini, known to occur in SE Asia. The five hitherto described species inhabit the Malay Peninsula and Borneo. The first species discovered in the Philippines, Marcepania princesa sp. n. is described here, based on a male specimen found on the island of Palawan. It is most similar to its geographically closest relative, M. elongata of northern Borneo.
The glandulariine genus Siamites is amongst the rarest Oriental ant-like stone beetles. To date, only three species have been known, distributed in Thailand and Vietnam. A new species, S. sarawakensis sp. n. is described here, based on a male specimen collected in Sarawak, East Malaysia. This finding extends the known range of Siamites over 1200 km southeastward.
Pederin, a vesicant chemical and one of the most powerful animal toxins in the world, is produced by an endosymbiont bacteria (Pseudomonas spp) found on the beetle Paederus fuscipes. This small, red- and black-striped beetle is also commonly known as the Charlie or rove beetle. Accidental contact with skin causes Paederus dermatitis, with the clinical presentation ranging from mild dermatitis to more severe vesiculobullous lesions. We report a rare case of severe lip destruction caused by the Charlie beetle in a 24-year-old man. Treatment involved intravenous antibiotics in addition to local wound debridement. The thinner stratum corneum on the lips and close proximity to the oral cavity could have resulted in the severe tissue destruction encountered.
Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier) (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae) is an economically important pest of palm trees in the subtropics. Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo-Crivelli) Vuillemin (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae), has been shown to be pathogenic against R. ferrugineus in laboratory and field studies. However, because they remain inside the trunks until adulthood, the slowing of feeding and increases in mortality of internally feeding R. ferrugineus larvae over time after B. bassiana treatment has not been established. To explore the potential of acoustic methods to assess treatment effects, sound impulses produced by untreated, 10(4)-, and 10(6)-conidia ml(-1) B. bassiana-treated larvae in palms were recorded for 23 d, after which the palms were dissected and the larvae examined. Analyses were performed to identify trains of impulses with characteristic patterns (bursts) produced frequently by moving and feeding larvae but only rarely (3-8% of the larval rate) by interfering background noise or tree vibrations. The rates of bursts, the counts of larval impulses per burst, and the rates of impulses in bursts decreased significantly over time in both B. bassiana treatments but not in the control. This supports a hypothesis that larvae had briefer movement and feeding bouts as they became weaker after infection, which reduced the counts of larval impulses per burst, the rates of bursts, and the rates of impulses in bursts. There is considerable potential for use of acoustic methods as tools for nondestructive assessment of effects of biological control treatments against internally feeding insect pests.
Metarhizium anisopliae Metchnikoff (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) is a fungal pathogen that causes disease in various insect pests, and it can be exploited and developed as a biological control agent to combat the red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae). The study on indigenous isolates is crucial especially for development of bioinsecticides in the future. The M. anisopliae strain called MET-GRA4 was tested for pathogenicity against adult red palm weevil and treated in vitro with different spore viabilities. The isolates exhibited pathogenicity with 100% mortality 21 d postinfection. The median lethal time (LT50) for 85% viable spores was 8.6 d, while 39% viable spores had an LT50 value of 21.37 d, with 92 and 16.6% mycosis, respectively. The species MET-GRA4 strain was molecularly characterized using ITS1 and ITS4 from pure culture (Isolate A), mass-produced spores (Isolate B), and infected red palm weevil cadavers (Isolate C). The DNA sequences obtained matched M. anisopliae sequences, with 99% similarity. This new isolate of M. anisopliae has potential as a targeted bioinsecticide for management of red palm weevil.
The genus Anipocregyes Breuning, 1939 is reviewed. Cristipocregyes rondoni Breuning, 1965, Metipocregyes rondoni Breuning, 1965, and Mesosa (Perimesosa) seminivea Breuning, 1965 are transferred to the genus Anipocregyes, and Setomesosa rondoni Breuning, 1968 is synonymized with A. seminivea comb. nov. As a result, two genera, Cristipocregyes Breuning, 1965 and Setomesosa Breuning, 1968, are synonymized with Anipocregyes. Metipocregyes rondoni Breuning, 1965 becomes a secondary homonym and Anipocregyes albifrons nom. nov. is proposed as a replacement name. Anipocregyes kawakamii sp. nov. and A. wakabayashii sp. nov. are described from Borneo. All the seven known species of Anipocregyes are illustrated with their male genitalia (except for A. laosensis) and a key to the species is provided.
This case study reports on two unrecorded Coleopteran species found together on a human corpse in Malaysia. The mummified human remains were discovered in a house in Selangor, Malaysia. The pathologist confirmed that the death was due to a traumatic chest injury. Maggots, beetles, and fly pupal casings were found mainly on the front part of the body. Empty puparia of Diptera were collected during the autopsy and identified later as the muscid Synthesiomyia nudiseta (van der Wulp, 1883) (Diptera: Muscidae). Also, the insect evidence received included larvae and pupae of Megaselia sp. (Diptera: Phoridae). According to the insect development data, the minimum postmortem period was estimated by the time to reach the pupal developmental stage (in days). The entomological evidence included the first record of Dermestes maculatus De Geer, 1774 (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) and Necrobia rufipes (Fabricius, 1781) (Coleoptera: Cleridae), which have not previously been recorded on human remains in Malaysia.
Up to date, Eutheimorphus Franz & Lbl included a sole species known from a holotype male collected in Sabah, Borneo. An occurrence of this enigmatic and extremely rare genus in Thailand is reported, and Eutheimorphus thailandicus sp. n. is described. Among diagnostic characters are unique grooves on the head and a symmetrical (in contrast to strongly asymmetrical in E. paradoxus Franz & Lbl) set of endophallic sclerites.
Resource partitioning among tropical bats in agricultural areas of Peninsular Malaysia remains unclear. This study was conducted to evaluate resource partitioning among bats by examining their fecal samples. The main bat species sampled included: Rhinolophus coelophyllus, Rhinolophus malayanus, Rhinolophus pusillus, Rhinolophus refulgens, Taphozous melanopogon and Hipposideros larvatus. Two harp traps were set at different elevations on a hilltop (Gunung Keriang) and two high nets were used in neighboring rice fields at three sites, for three consecutive nights per sampling from April 2021 to February 2022. A total of 301 bats and 1,505 pellets were analyzed using a conventional approach which examined the fecal sample under the microscope. All of the bat species within the study had insects from the order Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Diptera and Hemiptera in their diet. Larger bats exhibited a greater variety of prey consumption. Male individuals were observed to be generalists while female individuals were specialists, particularly during pregnancy and lactating reproductive stages. Bat species and insect order had a significant impact on the percentage fragment frequency of the insects consumed. Rhinolophus coelophyllus specialized in feeding on Coleoptera and Diptera, H. larvatus fed on Coleoptera, R. malayanus fed on Hemiptera, R. pusillus and T. melanopogon fed on Lepidoptera. Future molecular analysis can be carried out to further identify the insect pests consumed by these bats up to species level. These findings enhance our understanding of bats' ecological roles in agricultural landscapes and contribute to conservation and pest management strategies.
New species of the Scirtes flavoguttatus species-group are described from SE Asia. Altogether 34 species are newly described, including Scirtes beccus sp. nov. (Malaysia), S. bocakorum sp. nov. (Indonesia), S. crockerensis sp. nov. (Malaysia), S. decorus sp. nov. (Malaysia), S. dumogensis sp. nov. (Indonesia), S. gunongmulensis sp. nov. (Malaysia), S. ishikawai sp. nov. (Vietnam), S. kinabalensis sp. nov. (Malaysia), S. kundasangensis sp. nov. (Malaysia), S. lambriensis sp. nov. (Indonesia), S. leuserensis sp. nov. (Indonesia), S. luteus sp. nov. (Malaysia), S. malaisei sp. nov. (Myanmar), S. melinauensis sp. nov. (Malaysia), S. noonadan sp. nov. (Philippines), S. pallicolor sp. nov. (Malaysia), S. penampangensis sp. nov. (Malaysia), S. phoupanensis sp. nov. (Laos), S. prodigiosus sp. nov. (Malaysia), S. punctatus sp. nov. (Philippines), S. quasibalehensis sp. nov. (Malaysia), S. ranauensis sp. nov. (Malaysia), S. sarawakensis sp. nov. (Malaysia), S. seblatensis sp. nov. (Indonesia), S. sibayensis sp. nov. (Indonesia), S. sibolangitensis sp. nov. (Indonesia), S. sulawesicus sp. nov. (Indonesia), S. sulcigeroides sp. nov. (Malaysia), S. talinisensis sp. nov. (Philippines), S. ulukimanisensis sp. nov. (Malaysia), S. velutinus sp. nov. (Malaysia), S. vietnamicus sp. nov. (Vietnam), S. wallacei sp. nov. (Indonesia), S. yangsinensis sp. nov. (Vietnam). New localities of six species are provided. An updated identification key, checklist and a summary of distributional data are included. Probability of the occurrence of the Scirtes flavoguttatus species-group was evaluated with an analysis in MaxEnt software. It is highly plausible that members of the group occur in most mountainous rainforests of SE Asia.
Matched MeSH terms: Beetles/anatomy & histology; Beetles/classification*; Beetles/growth & development
The Oriental pselaphine genus Horniella Raffray, 1905 (tribe Tyrini: subtribe Somatipionina) is redefined and revised. Twenty-five new species are described: H. centralis Yin & Li, sp. n., H. confragosa Yin & Li, sp. n., H. dao Yin & Li, sp. n., H. hongkongensis Yin & Li, sp. n., H. nakhi Yin & Li, sp. n., H. schuelkei Yin & Li, sp. n., H. sichuanica Yin & Li, sp. n., H. simplaria Yin & Li, sp. n., and H. tianmuensis Yin & Li, sp. n. from China, H. himalayica Yin & Li, sp. n. from Nepal and North India, H. asymmetrica Yin & Li, sp. n., H. burckhardti Yin & Li, sp. n., H. intricata Yin & Li, sp. n., H. kaengkrachan Yin & Li, sp. n., H. khaosabap Yin & Li, sp. n., H. loebli Yin & Li, sp. n., H. phuphaman Yin & Li, sp. n., H. prolixo Yin & Li, sp. n., and H. schwendingeri Yin & Li, sp. n. from Thailand, H. philippina Yin & Li, sp. n. from the Philippines, H. awana Yin & Li, sp. n., H. gigas Yin & Li, sp. n., H. pilosa Yin & Li, sp. n., and H. smetanai Yin & Li, sp. n. from Malaysia, and H. cibodas Yin & Li, sp. n. from Indonesia. The two previously described species, H. hirtella Raffray, 1901 (type species) from Sri Lanka and H. falcis Yin & Li, 2010 from China are redescribed, and a lectotype is designated for H. hirtella. Illustrations of habitus and important diagnostic features, an identification key, and distributional maps for all species are provided. Eleven unidentified species represented only by females are left unnamed. Illustrations of the habitus and the genital complex, and label data of these species are given to facilitate future study. All available data indicates that species of Horniella typically inhabit leaf litter of various kinds of forests, and can be most efficiently collected by sifting and use of Winkler-Moczarski extractors.
Matched MeSH terms: Beetles/anatomy & histology; Beetles/classification*; Beetles/growth & development
Pycnotarsobrentus inuiae Maruyama & Bartolozzi, gen. nov. and sp. nov. (Brentinae: Eremoxenini) is described from the Lambir Hills National Park, Borneo (Sarawak, Malaysia) based on specimens collected from Crematogaster difformis F. Smith, 1857 ant nests in the myrmecophytic epiphytic ferns Platycerium crustacea Copel. and Lecanopteris ridleyi H. Christ. A second species of Pycnotarsobrentus is known from Malaysia but is represented by only one female and consequently not yet described pending discovery of a male. Pycnotarsobrentus belongs to the tribe Eremoxenini and shares some character states with the African genus Pericordus Kolbe, 1883. No species of Eremoxenini with similar morphological modifications are known from the Oriental region.
Matched MeSH terms: Beetles/anatomy & histology; Beetles/classification*; Beetles/growth & development
Tmesiphodimerus Coulon and Yin, new genus (Pselaphitae: Tmesiphorini) is proposed for T. sinensis Yin and Coulon, new species from Hainan, South China (type species), and T. malaysianus Coulon and Yin, new species from Perak, West Malaysia. The new taxa are described, with their major diagnostic features illustrated. The taxonomic placement of Tmesiphodimerus is discussed.
Matched MeSH terms: Beetles/anatomy & histology; Beetles/classification*; Beetles/growth & development
The ground beetle genus Hexachaetus Chaudoir, 1871 is re-defined and reviewed. Bearing six setae on ligula is no more considered as a crucial characteristic for Hexachaetus. Members of Hexachaetus share the following combination of morphological features: body polish, smooth, and impunctate, ligula more or less dilated at apex, bearing 4, 6, or even 12 setae apically, prosternal process unbordered at apex, elytra distinctly and obliquely truncated at apex, with the apical inner angles very sharp in most species (except for H. mulan n. sp.), and interval 3 with anterior and posterior setiferous pores (median one lacking). The members of Hexachaetus are about 20 species which could be divided into six species groups. All except angulatus species group are dealt with in this paper, with descriptions of four new species: H. kirschenhoferi n. sp. (Indonesia: Kalimantan), H. brunki n. sp. (Malaysia: N. Borneo), H. vietnamensis n. sp. (Vietnam: Annam) and H. mulan n. sp. (Malaysia: Perak and Pahang). H. maindroni Tian & Deuve, 2006 is proposed as a subspecies of H. lateralis Guérin, 1843, n. stat. A key to species groups and species of the genus is also provided.
Matched MeSH terms: Beetles/anatomy & histology; Beetles/classification*; Beetles/growth & development
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.