Robert S Copeland

• PhD
• Principal Investigator at International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology

Two new species of Calliscelio Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) are described: C. safavii Popovici & Talamas, sp. nov. from Iran and C. rungu Talamas & Copeland, sp. nov. from Kenya. Bidentate mandibles are found in both species, a rare condition for Calliscelio that is also known from two other species in Africa, C. erana (Nixon) and C. aphrodit...

The current knowledge on insects feeding on fruits is limited, and some of the scarce existing data on the fruit‐associated insects are secluded within the host institutions. Consequently, their value is not fully realized. Moreover, in countries like Kenya, the integration of biocollections data within a digital framework has not been fully exploi...

Before the invasion of the fall armyworm (FAW) Spodoptera frugiperda into Africa, smallholder farmers had been using indigenous practices such as applying fish soup to plants to manage stemborer pests. Although farmers have since begun adapting this practice against FAW, no attempt has been made to scientifically evaluate this practice. Therefore,...

Chalcidoidea are mostly parasitoid wasps that include as many as 500 000 estimated species. Capturing phylogenetic signal from such a massive radiation can be daunting. Chalcidoidea is an excellent example of a hyperdiverse group that has remained recalcitrant to phylogenetic resolution. We combined 1007 exons obtained with Anchored Hybrid Enrichme...

Eleven species of Platyplectrus have been recorded from the Afrotropical region. Ch. Ferrière described nine species in 1941: two of them as Platyplectrus (P. capensis and P. ornatus) and seven under Euplectromorpha (Platyplectrus ausensis, P. brevicornis, P. kiambuensis, P. obscuratus, P. nitidiceps, P. striolata and Euplectromorpha variegata (not...

The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda, an invasive pest originating from the Americas is a serious pest threatening cereal production and food security in Zambia. We studied the prevalence and abundance of natural enemies of FAW in three Agroecological regions (AERs I, II, and III) to identify those that could potentially serve as bio-cont...

Before the invasion of the fall armyworm (FAW) Spodoptera frugiperda into Africa, smallholder farmers had been using indigenous practices such as applying fish soup onto plants to manage stemborer pests. Although farmers have since begun adapting this practice against FAW, no attempt had been made to evaluate the practice scientifically. Therefore,...

The schizophoran superfamily Ephydroidea (Diptera: Cyclorrhapha) includes eight families, ranging from the well-known vinegar flies (Drosophilidae) and shore flies (Ephydridae), to several small, relatively unusual groups, the phylogenetic placement of which has been particularly challenging for systematists. An extraordinary diversity in life hist...

Capturing phylogenetic signal from a massive radiation can be daunting. The superfamily Chalcidoidea is an excellent example of a hyperdiverse group that has remained recalcitrant to phylogenetic resolution. Chalcidoidea are mostly parasitoid wasps that until now included 27 families, 87 subfamilies and as many as 500,000 estimated species. We comb...

Smicromorpha Girault (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae) is distributed in the old world tropics and subtropics from Australia through New Guinea, Southeast and South Asia. Since its original description in 1913 conclusive evidence of its host has been lacking although it has been collected in association with weaver ants (Oecophylla spp.; Formicidae: Formi...

The endemic Afrotropical genus Dinapsis is revised, and seven new species are described and illustrated: D. bicolor van Noort & Shaw, sp. nov. , D. gamka van Noort & Shaw, sp. nov. , D. igneus van Noort & Shaw, sp. nov. , D. spinitibia van Noort & Shaw, sp. nov. , D. taita van Noort & Shaw, sp. nov. , D. tricolor Shaw & van Noort, sp. nov. , D. zul...

Eight new species of Eucosmocydia Diakonoff are described and illustrated from the Afrotropical region: E. pappeana Brown and Razowski, new species (TL: Kenya); E. deinbolliana Brown and Razowski, new species (TL: Kenya); E. ugandensis Aarvik, new species (TL: Uganda); E. lecaniodiscana Brown and Razowski, new species (TL: Kenya); E. nigeriana Brow...

The abandonment of insecticide treatments to achieve sustainable crop production calls for a combination of methods to obtain satisfactory pest control. To this end, net houses and biological control are two promising methods, though we suspected that most natural enemies are blocked outside the net houses. In Kenya, tomato crops are particularly t...

The mining bees (Andrenidae) are a major bee family of over 3000 described species with a nearly global distribution. They are a particularly significant component of northern temperate ecosystems and are critical pollinators in natural and agricultural settings. Despite their ecological and evolutionary significance, our knowledge of the evolution...

Anaplasmosis, caused by infection with bacteria of the genus Anaplasma, is an important veterinary and zoonotic disease. Transmission by ticks has been characterized but little is known about non-tick vectors of livestock anaplasmosis. This study investigated the presence of Anaplasma spp. in camels in northern Kenya and whether the hematophagous c...

The promotion of edible insects, including saturniid caterpillars as potential food source is widely gaining momentum. They are adequately rich in nutrients such as proteins, amino acids, fatty acids, and micronutrients. Despite saturniids being a traditional food source with economic benefits, information on their diversity, host plants and their...

Palm weevils, Rhynchophorus spp. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) double as devastating invasive pests of palms, and delicacies in many communities. This study evaluated ethyl acetate and 3-methyl-octan-4-ol for trapping palm weevils from coconut, oil and raffia palms in Kenya and Uganda; taking into account the distance of traps on oil palm from a fore...

Anaplasmosis, caused by infection with bacteria of the genus Anaplasma is an important veterinary and zoonotic disease. The characterization of transmission has concentrated on ticks and little is known about non-tick vectors of livestock anaplasmosis. This study investigated the presence of Anaplasma spp. in camels in northern Kenya and whether th...

Bees of the tribes Biastini, Neolarrini, and Townsendiellini are cleptoparasites in the subfamily Nomadinae (Hymenoptera, Apidae) and parasitize solitary bees. Understanding their phylogenetic relationships has proven difficult for many decades. Previous research yielded ambiguous results because of conflicting phylogenetic signals of larval and ad...

Doggerella knobkerrie Quicke, new species (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Braconinae), from Kenya is described and illustrated photographically. The description is justified because of the remarkably developed, club-like, ovipositor sheaths, not known elsewhere in the Ichneumonoidea.

There is a paucity of information on the edible grasshoppers and their host plants in East Africa. This study adopted morphological and molecular analysis to identify edible grasshoppers in Kenya and Uganda. The associated host plants were identified through molecular analysis of the gut contents of the grasshoppers. The cytochrome b and 16s gene p...

The genus Tanaostigma is newly recorded from the Afrotropical region and three new species are described: Tanaostigma lasallei van Noort sp. nov. (South Africa), Tanaostigma mulu van Noort sp. nov. (Kenya) and Tanaostigma ukumbusho van Noort sp. nov. (Kenya). We provide comprehensive images of the holotypes and an illustrated identification key to...

The African citrus triozid (ACT), Trioza erytreae (Del Guercio), is the primary vector of Candidatus Liberibacter africanus (CLaf), the causative agent of Africa citrus greening disease (ACGD). This study evaluates the diversity of ACT parasitoids and further characterizes endosymbionts associated with both T. erytreae and its parasitoids that coul...

Eniacomorpha hermetiae Delvare sp. n. (Hymenoptera, Chalcididae, Dirhininae), reared from pupae of black soldier fly (BSF), Hermetia illucens (Linnaeus, 1758) (Diptera, Stratiomyidae), is described and illustrated from Africa and compared with other similar species newly considered as forming the ehrhorni species-group within Eniacomorpha Girault,...

An updated revision of Afrotropical Dryinidae is presented. Nine subfamilies, 23 genera and 430 species (including 60 new species) are treated. Six new species-level synonymies and three new combinations are proposed. Descriptions, geographic distribution, known hosts, natural enemies and type material of each species are presented, together with i...

The family Ismaridae Thomson, 1858 is reported from the Afrotropical region for the first time. A total of 15 species are recognised, 14 of which are described as new: Ismarus africanus sp. n. from Cameroon, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa; I. apertus sp. n. from Kenya; I. bicolor sp. n. from Cameroon, Kenya; I. goodrichi sp. n. from Kenya; I. kakamege...

Despite having only one named species, confusion surrounds the identity of Afroserphus wasps. We hereby describe Afroserphus masneri Buffington, Copeland and van Noort, new species, to accommodate some of the specimens previously attributed to Afroserphus bicornis Masner, and redescribe A. bicornis in the process, including description of the femal...

A new cricket of the genus Scapsipedus is described from Kenya. The distribution, acoustic behavior, including call and courtship song, mitochondrial sequences, and data on the biology of that new species are given. This edible cricket is a very promising species for mass production for food and feed.

Chalcid wasps are one of the most diverse lineages of Hymenoptera also highly disparate in terms of morphologies and biologies. The evolutionary relationships among Chalcidoidea have remained virtually untested. No multilocus molecular phylogeny has been deployed heretofore towards assessing the basal tree topology with appropriate sampling. Here w...

Five new species belonging to Dirhinus Dalman are described: D. quadrhinus Delvare sp. nov., D. gigasetosus Delvare sp. nov., D. kambae Delvare sp. nov., D. maasaii Delvare sp. nov. and D. leakeyorum Delvare sp. nov. These species belong to the newly defined and characterized quadrhinus species group, included in the subgenus Dirhinus of Dirhinus D...

This proceedings contains papers dealing with issues affecting biological control, particularly pertaining to the use of parasitoids and predators as biological control agents. This includes all approaches to biological control: conservation, augmentation, and importation of natural enemy species for the control of arthropod targets, as well as oth...

The Afrotropical Stichopogoninae is discussed. Nanoculcita kenya gen. et sp. n. is described from 10 localities in Kenya. A key for the identification of Afrotropical stichopogonine genera is provided. The distribution of Clinopogon nicobarensis (Schiner, 1868) is reviewed, showing its wide distribution on beaches throughout the region.

The species Hedychridium buffingtoni Kimsey & Copeland, sp. n. is described from two male specimens collected in Kasaala, Kenya. They are distinguished from other species of Hedychridium by the strongly transversely carinate metasomal terga II and III, edentate apical rim of tergum III, strongly lobed propodeal tooth, ecarinate frons and darkly pig...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.585.7503.].

This paper describes five new Ceratitis species from the eastern and southern parts of the Afrotropical Region: C. (Pterandrus) quilicii De Meyer, Mwatawala & Virgilio sp. nov.; C. (Ceratalaspis) pallidula De Meyer, Mwatawala & Virgilio sp. nov.; C. (Ceratalaspis) taitaensis De Meyer & Copeland sp. nov.; C. (Ceratalaspis) sawahilensis De Meyer & Vi...

Research up to this point has recorded two species of Afrotropical Heloridae: Helorus ruficornis Förster and H. elgoni Risbec. After examining recently collected specimens from Kenya and Burundi, we have been able to better understand intraspecific variation within Helorus ruficornis, and as a result, we hereby synonymize H. elgoni with H. ruficorn...

Two new species, Dvivarnus elektrolythron Talamas & Mikó, sp. n. and D. mikuki Talamas & Mikó, sp. n. are described. The genus is redescribed and a key is provided to separate Dvivarnus from other groups in Teleasinae with mesoscutellar spines.

A survey of seed chalcids from woody plants in Kenya revealed 12 species belonging to the genus Megastigmus Dalman, 1820, and has increased to 16 the number of Megastigmus species presently recorded from the Afrotropical Region, of which at least 13 are seed feeders. A key to female Megastigmus of the Afrotropical Region is provided. Eight new spec...

Sampling details on specimens used in the genetic study

A second species of the genus Alhajarmyia Stuckenberg (A. stuckenbergi Swart, Kirk-Spriggs & Copeland, sp. n.), is described and figured, from the Eastern Arc Mountains of Kenya (Kasigau Mountain and Taita Hills), being the first vermileonid recorded from East Africa. The species is shown to differ from its congener, A. umbraticola (Stuckenberg & F...

A remarkable new eucoiline genus and species, Muhaka icipe, is described herein. The genus is clearly a Kleidotomini, but is distinguished from other genera in the tribe by a unique head and scutellar morphology. The genus belongs to the ‘wedge-head’-syndrome group of species that, to date, is unique to Afrotropical eucoilines. The new genus and sp...

An updated checklist of Dryinidae, Embolemidae and Sclerogibbidae from Burundi and Kenya is presented. The following new species of Dryinidae are described from Burundi: Anteon nkubayei sp. nov. (Anteoninae); from Kenya: Aphelopus severancei sp. nov. (Aphelopinae); Conganteon lymanorum sp. nov. (Conganteoninae); Anteon alteri sp. nov., A. blacki sp...

This paper presents the results of investigations conducted between 2011 and 2013 to discover additional populations of Mormotomyia hirsuta Austen. These investigations were conducted primarily in the relatively dry savanna of eastern Kenya, focusing on small hills and rocky outcrops resembling that of Ukasi Hill, the type locality of the “terrible...

We present host records for the following Afrotropical Tortricidae reared from fruit in Kenya : Idiothauma nr africanum Walsingham, Paraccra mimesa Razowski, Apotoforma nr uncifera Razowski, Eugnosta percnoptila (Meyrick), Phtheochroa aarviki Razowski & Brown, Actihema hemiacta (Meyrick), Choristoneura dinota (Meyrick), Choristoneura occidentalis (...

We revise two relatively rare ensign wasp genera, whose species are restricted to Sub-Saharan Africa: Afrevania and Trissevania. Afrevania longipetiolata sp. nov., Trissevania heatherae sp. nov., T. hugoi sp. nov., T. mrimaensis sp. nov. and T. slideri sp. nov. are described, males and females of T. anemotis and Afrevania leroyi are redescribed, an...

A South American leaf galling psyllid, Calophya schini Tuthill, has recently been discovered attacking the South American tree Schinus molle L. in Kenya and Ethiopia. This represents the first record of the psyllid in each country and the only record of C. schini in Africa outside of South Africa. In Kenya, the psyllid was parasitized by an unident...

The Afrotropical robber fly genus Hermannomyia Oldroyd, 1980 is reviewed. A new species, H. ukasi sp. n., is described from the biologically interesting Ukasi region of the Eastern Province of Kenya, while all known locality records are provided for previously described species, H. engeli (Hull, 1962) and H. oldroydi Londt, 1981. An identification...

A survey of the aquatic weed Hydrilla verticillata was conducted in selected Kenyan and Ugandan lakes, and emerging chironomid adults were collected from samples of Hydrilla and seven other aquatic macrophytes. Hydrilla was absent from Lake Victoria, in sites where it previously occurred. Hydrilla was found in four of nine lakes examined in Uganda,...

To search for potential biological control agents of the aquatic weed, Hydrilla verticillata (L.f.) Royle, emerging chironomid adults were collected from aquatic macrophytes sampled between 2007 and 2009 from near shore sites in Lake Tanganyika, Burundi. Initial surveys identified H. verticillata populations at all sampled locations between Bujumbu...

Sixty-two years since last observed alive, Mormotomyia hirsuta Austen, the "terrible hairy fly", was found inside and outside a large, cave-like cleft boulder at the summit of Ukasi Hill in eastern Kenya, the type locality of the species. Adults were observed climbing the walls of the boulder and walking on thick layers of bat guano, in which larva...

The aquatic macrophyte, Hydrilla verticillata is a serious invasive plant in many countries. In East and Central Africa, H. verticillata is present in some water bodies, but not considered a weed. Hydrilla verticillata leaves collected in this region often appear to be chewed, and many stems are missing their apical meristems. Based on this damage,...

La planta acuática sumergida, Hydrilla verticillata (L.f.) Royle (hydrilla), es una seria maleza invasiva en el sur de los Estados Unidos, pero en lagos de África Central, esta no es considerada un problema. Muestreos previos en el Lago Tanganyika identificaron dos especies de moscas chironomidas en el género Polypedilum Kieffer que posiblemente oc...

Mormotomyia hirsuta Austen, 1936 is one of the most extraordinary and unusual looking Diptera and was placed by E.E. Austen into a family of its own, the Mormotomyiidae, upon its discovery in 1933. Adults superficially resemble small solifugids (sun spiders), having extremely long legs that are clothed, especially in males, in very long, closely-pa...

The following new species of Dryinidae are described from Kenya: Anteoninae: Anteon bytebieri, A. copelandi, A. shimbanum, A. whartoni; Dryininae: Dryinus copelandi, D. shimbanus; Gonatopodinae: Gonatopus baginei. The following new species of Embolemidae are described: Ampulicomorpha nzigidaherai, from Burundi and Kenya; Embolemus burundensis, from...

We examined cold hardiness of the overwintering stages of five species of North American tree-hole mosquitoes through laboratory experiments and field observations. Among the species that overwinter as larvae, fall-collected individuals were freeze tolerant, whereas all summer-collected larvae were killed by freezing. Cold hardiness varied among sp...

A survey of floating-leafed and submersed aquatic plants was conducted in Lake Bisina, Uganda. Seven of the species collected were not previously reported from Lake Bisina, including Stuckenia pectinata (L.) Bôrner, Utricularia reflexa Oliv., Utricularia foliosa L., Caldesia parnasszfolia (L.) Pan., Wiesneria filzfolia Hook. f., Brasenia schreberiJ...

Twenty-five species of African Blastobasinae (Lepidoptera: Coleophoridae) are reviewed; 12 species are redescribed, and 13 species are described as new. Rearing of Lepidoptera ancillary to sampling efforts targeted for fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) and their parasitoids was conducted in and near forested areas in coastal, central highland, and...

Munromyia marsabitensis sp. nov. is described from the isolated mountains of Marsabit in northern Kenya. It can be distinguished from the two known congeners by the thoracic and abdominal colour patterns, structure of the male and female terminalia, and host plants. Larvae are seed predators, developing within the green, aborted fruits of Chionanth...

F. ceratitivorus Wharton es un parasitoide Braconido de la mosca del Mediterráneo (= moscamed), Ceratitis capitata (Wied.), recientemente descubierto. A diferencia de otros parasitoides previamente usados en el control biológico de la moscamed, F. ceratitivorus fue colectado originalmente de moscamed en su supuesta región de origen, al este de Afri...

A summary is presented of the data collected during a 5-year survey of the indigenous fruits of Kenya and the insects reared from them. A total of 3838 collections were made representing 910 distinct plant taxa from 118 families. Insects were reared from fruit of 57.5% of the species. Tephritidae (fruit flies) was the family most commonly produced...

Among the insects reported by Copeland (1989) breeding in the waters retained by treeholes in Indiana was a scuttle fly identified by W. H. Robinson as Megaselia scalaris (Loew). It is here reported that in fact this fly, along with fresh material from Illinois and Missouri, is M. imitatrix Borgmeier, whose type series was from Puerto Rico. An aqua...

To evaluate its importance as a possible reservoir host of tephritid pests (Diptera) of cultivated fruit, we sampled fruit of the exotic invasive Solanum mauritianum Scop. in various sites throughout its range in central and western Kenya. Tephritids were reared from S. mauritianum wherever the plant was found, except at the highest altitudes (2,20...

The fruit of indigenous, cultivated, and naturalized exotic plants was sampled in Kenya to determine the geographical and host plant distributions of the fruit fly pests Ceratitis anonae (Graham), Ceratitis cosyra (Walker), Ceratitis fasciventris (Bezzi), and Ceratitis rosa Karsch. In 1997, cultivated and wild fruit were sampled on the Kenya coast...

To study the relationship of Mediterranean fruit fly or medfly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), to native plant hosts in an area within its original home range, fruits were sampled in diverse areas of Kenya from 1999 to 2001. Sampling effort was concentrated in and around forested areas in coastal, central highland, and western highland habitats. M...

Identification of specimens from Malaise trap collections and rearings of tephritids from native and cereal grasses confirm the presence in Kenya of Bistrispinaria magniceps, B. fortis, and B. woodi, of which the latter two species are recorded for the first time. Including an earlier, but uncertain, record of B. atlas, all four species of Bistrisp...

Notommima parallela gen. et sp. nov. is described from Kenya based on adults, third‐instar larvae, and puparia. The larvae infest the fruits of Hunteria zeylanica (Retz.) Gardn. (Apocynaceae). Important characters are illustrated, including drawings and photographs. Notommima is compared to several other superficially similar genera and found most...

The predominantly Afrotropical fruit fly genus Ceratitis contains many species of agricultural importance. Consequently, quarantine of Ceratitis species is a major concern for governmental regulatory agencies. Although diagnostic keys exist for identification of all described Ceratitis species, these tools are based on adult characters. Flies inter...

As an addition to earlier published systematic revisions of the genus Ceratitis MacLeay, five new species are hereby described: Ceratitis (Pardalaspis) millicentae sp. n., C. (Ceratalaspis) oraria sp. n., C. (C.) perisae sp. n., and C. (C.) perseus, sp. n. all from Kenya, and C. (C.) ealensis sp. n. from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Their rela...

A list of the Tephritidae from Kakamega Forest and it environs was compiled from published records, Malaise trap, baited trap, and sweep-net collections, rearings from flowers and fruits, and examination of museum specimens. One hundred and thirty-five species are recorded, and collection information is provided for all of them. Twenty-five of thes...

Collections of fruits from indigenous species of Oleaceae were made in Kenya between 1999 and 2003. Members of the four Kenyan genera were sampled in coastal and highland forest habitats, and at altitudes from sea level to 2979 m. Schrebera alata, whose fruit is a woody capsule, produced Lepidoptera only, as did the fleshy fruits of Jasminum specie...

A new fruit fly species suspected to be from the Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) group (originating from Asia), was detected during routine field surveys in the Coast Province of Kenya. Since most species in this group are of tremendous quarantine concern when introduced, and considering the fact that it has never before been detected or reported in c...

The genus Trirhithrum Bezzi is revised and 8 new species described. A key to species and a host plant list are included. (2003) Cimbebasia 18: 71-137.

Arabica coffee was sampled from two sites in the central highlands of Kenya (Rurima, Ruiru) and one site on the western side of the Rift Valley (Koru). Three species of ceratitidine Tephritidae, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), C. rosa Karsch and Trirhithrum coffeae Bezzi, were reared from sites in the central highlands, and an additional species, C...

We developed a nitrocellulose-based, dipstick circumsporozoite (CS)-enzyme immunoassay [ELISA] for the simultaneous detection of Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax-210 CS protein. The assay had a detection threshold of < 250 P. falciparum or 400 P. vivax sporozoites per sample, gave results concordant with dissection of salivary glands and CS-ELISA...

Laboratory experiments lasting 1-3 days were conducted in 10-liter glass aquaria to evaluate the ability of the Louisiana red swamp crawfish (Procambarus clarkii [Decapoda: Cambaridae]) to consume the aquatic forms of mosquitoes. With Anopheles gambiae as the target species, significantly fewer mosquito larvae or pupae survived in the presence of e...

Malaria prevalence and status among other diseases were assessed in Suba District, Kenya, using data from past parasitological surveys and hospital records of clinically-diagnosed cases. A short prospective survey was also carried out to determine the methods people used for self protection against mosquito bites. Malaria was the leading cause of m...