Jian-Feng Liu

University of Auckland · School of Biological Sciences

BACKGROUND The potato tuber moth (PTM), Phthorimaea operculella, is an economically important pest of potato crops worldwide. So far, the application of chemical pesticides is the major measure to manage PTM, but it induces serious deleterious impacts on the environment and human health. Here, we screened the entomopathogenic fungi that are lethal...

Oribatid mites play a crucial role in nutrient cycling, litter decomposition, and humus formation in the ecosystem. Here, an Illumina HiSeq platform was used to sequence the complete mitochondrial (mt) genome of Ceratozetella imperatoria. The mt genome is a circular molecule of 14,229 bp (GenBank number: PP419053), and a total of 37 genes were desc...

BACKGROUND Potato, Solanum tuberosum, is one of the most important food crops in the world, playing a significant role in global food security. However, many potato industries and farms may suffer losses of tuber yield and quality in storage due to lepidopteran pests. Here, we evaluated the effectiveness of an ectoparasitic idiobiont mite Pyemotes...

Polyandrous mating can result in sexual conflict and/or promote the evolution of mating patterns. Does multiple mating by females support the genetic benefits hypothesis and can it be validated as an evolutionary strategy? If we are to decipher the consequences of sexual interactions and understand the interplay of sexual conflict and multiple gene...

The honey locusts (genus Gleditsia) are a genus of high-value trees in Asia. Seed beetle, Megabruchidius dorsalis (Fåhraeus) (Col.: Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae), is a Gleditsia oligophagous pest that causes severe yield reduction. To understand the cold tolerance of M. dorsalis adults, this study investigated its cold tolerance strategy and the influe...

Spodoptera litura is an important pest that seriously affects Asparagus officinalis production. To clarify the population characteristics and feeding preference of S. litura on different asparagus tissues, asparagus stems and leaves were selected as the research objects, related studies were conducted by constructing the life table and the feeding...

Phytoseiidae is the most common and widespread mite family inhabiting plants all over the world. This review investigated the development time, longevity, and lifespan of the species in Phytoseiidae based on literature published from 1968 to 2022. We found 132 references including 571 datasets in 57 species of 12 genera, with a focus on sex-specifi...

Pyemotes zhonghuajia Yu, Zhang & He (Prostigmata: Pyemotidae) is an ectoparasitic mite species with a variety of insects-specific protein toxins, which are harmless to mammals and human. This mite can cause the death of many agricultural and forestry pests which can be 680,000 times greater than its own body weight (Tian et al., 2020; Chen et al.,...

Oulenziella bakeri is often used as an alternative prey for the mass rearing of Neoseiulus californicus in China. Long-term alternative prey feeding experience may cause a decline in the predatory capacity of phytoseiid mites toward their target prey. Learning behavior of predatory mites can help them adapt to the changes from preying on thrips to...

Pyemotes zhonghuajia Yu, Zhang & He is an ectoparasitic mite of various pests. Our studies found that P. zhonghuajia could kill Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith), Mythimna separata (Walker), and Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) at different developmental stages. Through an integrated approach of lipidomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics, we explored the...

The melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae Coquillett (Diptera: Tephritidae), is a quarantine pest that causes considerable economic losses to growers of vegetables and fruits worldwide. Spalangia endius (Walker) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) is a solitary pupal parasitoid of various dipteran hosts. We assessed the impact of the host pupal age (2, 4, and 6...

Pyemotes zhonghuajia Yu, Zhang & He (Prostigmata: Pyemotidae), discovered in China, has been demonstrated as a high-efficient natural enemy in controlling many agricultural and forestry pests. This mite injects toxins into the host (eggs, larvae, pupae, and adults), resulting in its paralyzation and then gets nourishment for reproductive developmen...

Fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is a highly invasive polyphagous pest that causes great economic losses to agricultural production. Emamectin benzoate (EMB) is one of the most popular biopesticides with high antipest, anti-parasitic and anti-nematode activities and low toxicity. The present study was conducted t...

Neotoxoptera formosana (Takahashi), the onion aphid, is an oligophagous pest that mainly feeds on plants from the Allium genus. It sucks nutrients from the plants and indirectly acts as a vector for plant viruses. This aphid causes severe economic losses to Allium tuberosum agriculture in China. To better understand the host plant specificity of N....

Simple Summary Fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J E Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is an invasive worldwide agricultural pest that seriously threatens the safety of grain production. Temperatures and hosts play vital roles in the performance of S. frugiperda. In this study, we studied the effects of three different temperatures (20, 25,...

Chelonus formosanus Sonan 1932 (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is a wasp capable of parasitizing a variety of lepidopteran pests at the "egg-larval" stage which distributes throughout Taiwan, Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Hainan provinces of China. This wasp has been successfully used to control pests such as Spodoptera litura Fabricius, 1775, Spodoptera frug...

The cigarette beetle Lasioderma serricorne (Fabricius) is a major pest of stored products worldwide, especially tobacco and foods, causing huge economic losses. This study aimed to experimentally investigate the population dynamics of this pest at different temperatures and provide theoretical input for its control. Populations of L. serricorne wer...

The complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Aglossa dimidiata (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) was sequenced using high-throughput sequencing. The mitogenome of A. dimidiata was 15,225 bp in length. It comprised 37 typical genes and one control region. All protein-coding genes (PCGs) were initiated with ATN, except for COX1 (TTG). All PCGs used TAN a...

In this research, the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Phthorimaea operculella was sequenced and annotated. The mitogenome of P. operculella is 15,269 bp in length and contains 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, 2 ribosome RNA (12s and 16srRNA) genes and 1 control region. In addition, we used Endoclita signif...

Pyemotes spp. are small, toxic, ectoparasitic mites that suppress Coleoptera, Hemiptera, and Lepidoptera plant pests. To explore their potential use as a biocontrol agent, we studied the reproductive development, paralytic process, time to lethality and mortality, and searching ability of Pyemotes zhonghuajia on different developmental stages of th...

In this study, we sequenced and annotated the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Neotoxoptera formosana (Takahashi) (Hemiptera: Aphididae). The complete mitogenome of N. formosana is 15,642 bp in length, and includes 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 2 ribosome RNA (rRNA) genes, 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, and one control region. The ove...

Host plant preference during the larval stage may help shape not only phenotypic plasticity but also behavioral isolation. We assessed the effects of diet on population parameters and mate choice in Spodoptera litura. We raised larvae fed on tobacco, Chinese cabbage, or an artificial diet, and we observed the shortest developmental time and highest...

Intraguild predation interactions have substantial theoretical and practical implications for the dynamics of natural competitor populations used for biological control. Intraguild predation on parasitized aphids not only has a direct, negative effect on the parasitoid species, but it may indirectly influence the predator’s development, survival, r...

The two biological control agents, predatory mite Amblydromalus limonicus Garman & McGregor (Acari: Phytoseiidae) and entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin (Hypocreales: Cordycipitaceae), have the potential to independently suppress the invasive tomato potato psyllid (TPP), Bactericera cockerelli (Šulc), in New Zealand...

The tomato/potato psyllid (TPP), Bactericera cockerelli (Šulc) (Hemiptera: Triozidae), is an important, difficult to control, agricultural insect pest of solanaceous crops. To identify suitable candidate organisms that could form the basis of an integrated pest management strategy for the control of TPP in New Zealand, we screened 16 native strains...

BACKGROUND Tomato/potato psyllid (TPP), Bactericera cockerelli (Šulc), is a recently established invasive pest of solanaceous crops in New Zealand. No alternative control strategies are available against TPP due to the development of insecticidal resistance. We investigated the combined use of the predatory mites Amblydromalus limonicus or Neoseiul...

BACKGROUND Predator–prey interactions consist of direct consumption of prey by predators and indirect non‐consumptive effects on prey. Predator cues can induce predation stress in prey that negatively influences the survival, development, reproduction, and feeding behaviour of the prey. This study evaluated the effects of hemipteran‐tending ant (Te...

Immature instars of mites can provide valuable information for understanding mite taxonomy and evolution. However, most taxonomists described only adults and rarely did they also describe immature stages and the ontogenetic sequence. For example, only about 8% of the known oribatid mites (excluding Astigmata) have one or more juvenile instars descr...

Habitat dispersion, diet and density can influence the per capita population growth of predators, and dispersed habitat can provide a spatial refuge that reduces the possibility of cannibalism among predators, thereby increasing their realized population growth rate. We tested the influence of variable habitat dispersion (dispersed patches, general...

A pheromone-mediated mating disruption is a vital tool in the management of insect population dynamics that not only prevents mating but also delays mating in the target insect. Here, we examined the effect of delayed mating on the longevity and reproductive performance of the global pest, Spodoptera litura Fabricius (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Delay...

A list of type depositories of new mite species published in two journals (Systematic & Applied Acarology and Zootaxa) during the last five years (2012–2016) is presented in this paper. The 1370 new species are deposited unevenly among 134 collections. The top collection is the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg...

The performance of a New Zealand strain of the generalist predatory mite Amblydromalus limonicus (Garman & McGregor) (Acari: Phytoseiidae) on factitious and artificial diets was evaluated in the laboratory at 25 ± 1°C. In experiment 1, A. limonicus individuals were reared in enclosed cells without access to water in a room with an ambient relative...

A bibliometric survey of Systematic & Applied Acarology (2006–2015)

This paper reveals the hotspots of new mite discovery through of a survey of type localities of new Trombidiformes species described in two journals (Systematic & Applied Acarology and Zootaxa) during the last three years (2013–2015). Taxonomically, the 491 new species of the Trombidiformes are highly unevenly distributed among 55 families with top...

The leafhopper Cicadella viridis (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), a sap-sucking insect, is a notorious pest of fruit trees and seedlings. They harbor “Candidatus sulcia merii” which is an obligatory symbiotic bacterium housed in a special organ called the bacteriome. In this study universal eubacterial primers 27F and 1513R were used to amplify approxima...

Oulenziella bakeri (Acari: Winterschmidtiidae) is a fungus feeder, commonly found in tropical regions and frequently intercepted on bananas imported from Ecuador and the Philippines at the New Zealand border. To assess its potential to establish in New Zealand, this study tested the effects of short-term exposure to low temperatures (3, 0, –3, –5,...

The larvae of Orthopygia glaucinalis (L.) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) are used to produce insect tea in Guizhou, China. We investigated the development and survival of O. glaucinalis reared on dried leaves of Platycarya strobilacea under laboratory conditions at 19, 22, 25, 28, 31, 34, and 37°C. The duration of development from egg deposition to adult...

In order to provide a basis for the resource, development and application of insect tea in Guizhou Province, we investigated the species and distribution of producing insect tea insect, host plant, cultivars of insect tea and the utilization situation of insect tea by using outdoor field investigation and indoor rearing and identification. The resu...

The effect of constant temperatures on development and survival of Lista haraldusalis (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), a newly reported insect species used to produce insect tea in Guizhou province (China), was studied in laboratory conditions at seven temperatures (19 °C, 22 °C, 25 °C, 28 °C, 31 °C, 34 °C, and 37 °C) on Platycarya strobilacea. I...

Orthopygia glaucinalis (Linnaeus) is the main insect which produces insect tea. A systematic study was carried out to research the morphological characteristics of Orthopygia glaucinalis reared on Platyearya Strobilacea Sieb.et Zuee and its insect tea. The morphological characteristics of all life stages of O. glaucinalis were carefully observed an...

Insect tea, characterized in high nutrition and health function, is a unique forest resource insect product in China.Currently, the morphological characters of three common insect tea, i,e.Aglossa dimidiata-Litsea coreana insect tea (ALIT for short), Sanye insect-fermented tea (SIFT for short) and Pyralis farinali-Litsea coreana insect tea (PLIT fo...

In order to provide a scientific basis for integrated pest control, insect pests and nature enemies on E.rutaecarpa in Guizhou were investigated by outdoor field invetigation and indoor breeding from July 2010 to July 2011.The results showed that there were totally 37 species belonging to 6 orders, 25families. Pseudaulacaspis pentagona and Toxopter...