Science topic
Insect Distribution - Science topic
Significant factors limiting the geographic distribution of individual species of insects relative to climate change
Questions related to Insect Distribution
I am working with tuta abusoluta, testing eficcacy of several pesticides. My challange is on finding the artificial diet for the insects. What type of artificial diet which can be used to rear Tuta absoluta?
An alternative wihch can be dissolved easily in order (with citrus oil our other safety product) to study trapped insects in the lab. I'm looking for a product which can be brushed on plastic.Thanks.
I can find literature discussing the temperature tolerances of individual species but not the family Formicidae as a whole. Is anyone aware of any literature discussing their climatic tolerances or their use as climatic proxies?
Thanks,
Chris
From January 2014 to December 2016, I conducted monthly field trips in three different areas of Dhaka city, Bangladesh to investigate how butterflies survive in an inner-city habitat. I have found that the species richness (I did not count the species abundance) is declining with time.
Presently, I have:
* monthly species-specific data of three continuous years (36 continuous months) of the three different areas
* Four environmental variables (temperature, rainfall, humidity and sunshine hours)
* Pollution level
* IUCN Red List status
* Land-use analysis of these three different areas
Now, I am really confused considering the proper way to link these pieces of information! Could anyone of you please share some ideas?
Hello researchers!
I'm currently undertaking a project that seeks to asses the distribution of a minute gall midge, Arthrocnodax fraxinellus, and its associated parasitoids (Aphanogmus spp.) in Europe.
I'm asking for material of ash cauliflower galls (Aceria fraxinivora) on ash (Fraxinus spp) as the gall midge feeds on the mite in the larval stage.
Material from the following countries are of interest:
Austria
Belarus
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Estonia
Finland
Greece
Iran
Kosovo
Latvia
Lithuania
Macedonia
Moldova
Montenegro
Russia
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Turkey
Ukraine
I have attached a PDF with details about the project - please have a look.
Thanks in advance!
Simon Haarder
Dear RG Colleagues,
Can someone help me to identify this ladybug (Coccinellidae)?
Thank you
Anyone does have this paper ? I don't find it on Internet:
Mutin, Va, 1983: A review of the genus Graptomyza Wiedemann, 1820 (Diptera, Syrphidae) in the USSR. Entomological review 62(3): 170-174
Thanks in advance !
V.N.
Who can identify/clasify this species? find in Gansu China, the host is Astragalus membranaceus .the length is about 7 mm. thank you!
Recent news is worrying. Caterpillars of the wax moth Galleria mellonella digest artificial plastics (Bombelli et al 2017) and it has been suggested that they might be produced en masse to help consume the vast amounts of waste plastic that have accumulated worldwide. One can imagine that releasing large numbers of the caterpillars could pose a serious problem for honeybee colonies.
I observed one pupa of genus Striglina(Lepidoptera:Thyrididae), found 8 cremasters at the pupa‘s end. But I don’t know if other species of this genus are all the same, who has researched them? Can you give me some lectures, especially in 3 tea plant pests, Striglia suzukii, Striglina glareola and Striglina scitaria, in China.

Need to confirm identification of the larvae in the soil (eastern china agricultural landscape). Adult trap data suggest a mix of two species (H. parallela and A. corpulenta) but need to confirm on laval populations. Cannot find any good key on the larvae.
Does anyone have specimens of Agra (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Lebiinae) and can provide me with informations (localities, data) of determined specimens, deposition of type material, photographs and with undetermined materials as loan or exchange? If you have material for loan, any ecological / habitat informations are very welcome. (=> longterm study interest of myself)
Any specimen is well appreciated.
Thank you
Ingo
I am searching methods to control spider webs in houses especially in the tropics. Your experiences/experiments are welcome. Thanks.
Dear all, I’m looking for dispersal distances of Cucujus cinnaberinus but I didn’t find any references about it.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
Thank you in advance.
Best wishes
Francesca
Our research data detected some important census of seasonal migration of the few families of Butterfly fauna, to proceed of analysis we need adequate references on the subject basis. appreciating your helps!
I am interested in collecting adult wood-boring beetles (Buprestidae) in deciduous cropping systems. The purple prism or panel traps have been effective for monitoring emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) as well as other buprestids. However, other traps have been successful: Lindgren (green and purple), intercept trap, stove pipe, and cross vane traps.
Which trap would be most effective for capturing the most buprestid species (species richness)? Thanks
I am collaborating with Masahiko Tanahashi on a comparative study of their mycangium xylose-fermenting yeasts. Presently, we need specimens across their range; except for the UK and Switzerland. Specimens from Spain are top priority; this is to solve the riddle of the origin of the famous Pichia stipitis yeast CBS 6054. For more see: The mystery of the lesser stag beetle Dorcus parallelipipedus (L.) (Coleoptera: Lucanidae) mycangium yeasts. Bulletin of the Amateur Entomologists' Society, 72 (510): 146-152.
We know Nicrophorus spp. experience heat stress, sterility, and/or death from high temperatures, but at what temperature does N. americanus begin to experience morbidity, sterility, and/or mortality? Even related articles would be helpful. There seems to be a paucity of literature regarding the upper temperature thresholds.
LEDs are energy efficient and robust and therefore suitable for field work. However, do they attract moths and other insects well? Which wavelengths can be recommended, UV or blue and green in addition?
Does Lasius niger distribution include any countries in Africa?
Dear all,
Im working in a field experiment with 20 traps (pitfall traps to collect ground atrhopods) in a treatment field and 20 traps in a reference field (so potentially spatially autocorrelated).
I performed a nMDS (non param multidimensional scaling) plot to assess multivariate ordination of those samples and I plotted also 95% confidence ellipses to visualize effective discrimination between the treatment and the reference field. Then I would like to have a statistical measure of this discrimination so my idea was to perform a perMANOVA (adonis function in R software) to test dissimilarity between fields. So my question is:
-Can I use perMANOVA with such experimental design? If not, is there a way to deal with such autocorrelation? Suggestion on alternatives?
Thanks a lot
Alessandro
I've been using Zippin's method of calculating estimate of population size (calculating R based on k trappings and using the graph to find 1-q^k) I just was wondering how you can calculate 1-q^k without using the included graphs in his article. There must be a way of calculating it if he created the graph. I'm asking because I want to create a formula in Excel to calculate it automatically using R; but I don't know how.
I collected this specimes from olive trees and I want to know as species level.
I can send my material.
thanks
To develop a program inside the device
I intend to study the dispersal pattern of phlebotomine sand flies in a forested area in the cerrado (savanna) biome of Northeastern Brazil. Human dwellings and domestic animals are commonly found in the area. What is the best statistical test that should be applied in the analysis? The insects will be trapped, marked with fluorescent dust and then released at different collecting points. I will try to recapture the phlebotomine sand flies in the next ten days. I want to gather information about dispersal range, spatial memory, host fidelity, site fidelity and longevity. Can you help me?
One of the reviewers of my new paper on forest ant communities in western Carpathians (Central Europe) stated, that there is not a litter ant fauna in the temperate zone forest. That was something I did not expect to hear, regarding a number of species that can be found in European forest leaf-litter layer including Stenamma debile, Temnothorax crassispinus, T. parvulus, Myrmecina graminicola, which I always considerd to be litter species. Then I started to realize, that they really dont have to be strict litter dwellers, and might simply belong to epi- or even hypogeic species. I would really appreciate to see some more opinions on this topic.
I am studying biodiversity of Diptera and I am looking for 5 bogs in this region
As individuals of drywood termite colony are distributed on different position inside nest-gallery, how do they "attract" nest-mate or inform their presence in certain chambers?
It was collected on the Delta of the Parana river



We have been monitoring insect species and dynamics with different sampling traps including malaise traps, nest traps and yellow pan-traps. Are there any approaches/equipments to record insects automatically? We would like to try them, if available for insect diversity or agriculture studies.
Thanks for your kind inputs.
cd in Beijing
The human flea, Pulex irritans, is a cosmopolitan flea species that has, in spite of the common name, a wide host spectrum. It is one of six species in the genus Pulex; the other five are all confined to the Nearctic and Neotropical regions. The species is thought to have originated in South America, where its original host may have been the guinea pig or peccary.
We are organising insect diversity monitoring networks in China.
I just drafted the talk to present on the 1st Biodiversity Monitoring Conference, China. All texts are in Chinese at the moment. http://blog.sciencenet.cn/blog-536560-860261.html
If you have any interests, comments or suggestions, please kindly contact me. Certainly, you are welcome to discuss on potential collaborations.
cd in Beijing
I need recent identification keys to identify the seed beetles in my collection from Turkey.
Since the unintentional Nearctic introduction of O. taurus to the Mid-Atlantic in the 1970's, the species has been spreading - colonizing & naturalizing as it goes. While mostly recorded spreading due-West & North-East along the coast from its original landfall to date, Georgia now marks the most southerly progression of the species. Both its adaptability to the environs of the Eastern US, as well as its remarkable population growth once present, should be of note for both researchers and farmers.
To track the progression of Osmia taurus into the Deep South, I would really appreciate any peer-reviewed literature which identified O. taurus outside its suspected original Mid-Atlantic port-of-call - most importantly South of the Mason-Dixon (anywhere from MD through WV, VA, KY, TN, SC, NC...).
** Also, any papers like those requested above - but pertaining to the presence of Osmia cornifrons & Anthidium manicatum - would likewise be very much appreciated!! **
We have collected male and female Megasoma mars in Paraguay, however, scarce information from the web suggests a different distribution range. I would appreciate any information regarding this species as well as sources of information to contrast. Both specimens were found dead in forest islets and with almost five years apart when found them. I also attached two pictures in case this might be a case of wrong identification.


Hi,
I wonder if there is anybody who could help with distribution and identification of turnip aphids. What is the most popular ID key used to identify this species? Where have turnip aphids been reported? Especially across the US. What are the suitable conditions for this species?
Thank you in advance.
Mustafa
Badister males are well distinguished , but females, especially Baudia subgenus, are mystical. Is it not?
I found adult moths, caterpillars, and pupa of the Lantana Stick Moth (Neogalea sunia) on a Lantana plant in Sacramento County, in California. Range information shows this as a first record of this species in California. Where can I go to find out if this is really the first recorded time this moth has been found in California, or at least in Sacramento County? If this is a first appearance for the state or county, how do I and should I report this pest? I have live caterpillar specimens, live cocoons, and a dead moth specimen.
I'm trying to model the distribution of a species of fly, so I used the Bioclim data from Worldclim.org. The problem is that relative humidity plays an important role in insects distribution and I can't find the data for it anywhere.
Is there any place where I can download it?
Thanks in advance
Citrus flatid planthopper, a native insect to North America, have had for a long time a scarce economic importance there. However, being polyphagous made small damage on citrus trees and some ornamentals. In 1979 it was introduced to Italy where it established and spread quickly. It is now an invasive alien species (IAS) continually spreading in South and Central Europe causing considerable damage in grapevine, fruit trees and various ornamentals.
In Hungary M. pruinosa causes damage - as in other European countries - in grapevine, fruit and other ornamental trees and shrubs. Unfortunately, it spreads in semi-natural and natural areas like hedges. I have observed nymphs, adults and vaxy filaments of M. pruinosa on the majority (70%) of the trees and shrubs in a hedge.
Infested plants – among them some with American origin – were: Acer negundo, Celtis occidentalis, Clematis vitalba, Crataegus monogyna, Hedera helix, Juglans regia, Lycium barbarus, Malus domestica, Morus alba, Prunus domestica, Prunus padus, Prunus serotina, Prunus spinosa, Robinia pseudo-acacia, Rosa canina, Ulmus campestris but also Euphorbia cyparissias.
The length of similar hedges can be several hundred km long, which means M. pruinosa has plenty of opportunity for spreading along the railway and infesting agricultural and ornamental cultures.
Where and on which vegetation have you observed this IAS? How much important damage have you detected?
I am working in an area and have caught some mosquitoes over a period of time? How can i determine the population of mosquitoes in the location and in the state in general? Is there any formula I can use, please how do I go about it?
Threatened insects are not so common and nearly none of them are parasitoids.
But some of the parasitoids species could probably also be considered as threatened because their high specialization to one or few hosts, their distribution (a lot of species of Braconidae are known only from few specimens or few places, even if this could be a bias of sampling) or their presence in threatened area (like rain forests).
Is this opportunity could help to their studies or the conservation of several areas/ecosystems? Did you have information, ideas, papers, example of such cases?
I am researching the internal anatomy and microbiology of the beetle Sinodendron cylindricum to compare with that of the other two UK lucanids (Lucanus cervus and Dorcus parallelipipedus. Live specimens are required in order to compare living microorganisms contained in various organs.
Colin Hawes
I am looking for a collaborator and possible co-author in a project aimed to re-describe some Australian Lucanidae and describe new spp. I need to carry out DNA studies, what I can't afford financially on my own, being a private researcher.
Hi all,
I would like to compare and abundance of weevils on two sites to learn if the increased weevil infestation of acorns is due to differences in abundance of those insects. Thus, I need some index of abundance. I have not yet worked with weevils yet so I am not sure what kind of method should I use.
I read on the Internet about weevil traps and I found for example traps like that:
Maybe installing them on trees in autumn and then couting catched indivuduals in spring will work? Or maybe I could even install them now and get and index of abundance this year?
I am doing my research on red oaks in eastern US.
Anyone who has any experience with the subject - please share!.
This specimen is collected on mulerry, boxwood, raspberry, citrus and many other host plant.

If possible, in AL, GA, MS, TN, FL
Can the caterpillars be found in bio soil crusts? I collect adult Cisthene angelus by the thousands along the riparian corridor of the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park, but their caterpillars are nowhere to be found. There's not a ton of lichen throughout the river corridor, it depends on which rock layers are exposed (seems like the lichen is mostly on limestones). What can you tell me about these elusive caterpillars? Where have you found them?
The lower the elevation, the more diverse the insect species are than those living in places at higher altitude.
Working on the spread of Lygaeus creticus (Heteroptera) I suggested that the median of the highway, which is made up of oleander, has transferred this species from southern to northern Italy. It seems that even windage operated by heavy goods vehicles has a significant impact. I'm checking out the possibility that this hypothesis is applicable to other species of insects and am looking for references in Literature.
I am interested in migration pathways of fruit flies in general and Medfly in particular. Medfly tend to reappear “out of the blue” in certain places without living a clue to where they came from and how. Many insects are flying quite high when crossing long distances, and I guess so are the tephritids. So I guess this question is mainly addressed to aerobiologists who are practicing different approaches to detect flying insects.
In Fauna Europaea Orthopodomyia pulcripalpis is listed as present in NW Russia in the region where St Petersburg is. I cannot find any reference to this record. Does anybody know where that record is listed?
Link to map in Fauna Europaea: http://www.faunaeur.org/Maps/display_map.php?map_name=euro&map_language=en&taxon1=135026
In Western Kenya, termites are a delicacy.
One of my students would like to work on Lampyrid fauna of Kerala, India. Unfortunately, there are not many publications on this group in India.
When I observed various species, alfa and beta diversity of fauna (insects) is much influenced by ecological aspects. How does resource partition occur in Butterflies? Do you have evidence? Please send some literature.
Vespa velutina, according to Hua (Hua, L.-Z. 2006. List of Chinese Insects. Vol. IV. Sun Yat-sen University Press, Guangzhou, China), is found north to the province of Hubei in China. I would be very interested in hearing from anyone in China whether or not this wasp survives even further north, or whether other records of it (such as reported by Villemant et al. from Beijing: Villemant, C., Barbet-Massin, M., Perrard, A., Muller, F., Gargominy, O., Jiguet, F. and Rome, Q. 2011. Predicting the invasion risk by the alien bee-hawking Yellow-legged hornet Vespa velutina nigrithorax across Europe and other continents with niche models. Biological Conservation 144(9):2142-2150) might represent introductions to northern areas without establishment.
I am assessing the risk of this wasp to Canada, which is a rather cold, northern country, colder on average than Hubei province, but not colder than Beijing, at least in parts of the country.
Im looking for an ant species, easy to rear, that should be indigenous to the Philippines to avoid the risk of introducing an exotic species. Has anyone heard about commercially available breeding sets / colonies / formicidaria in SE Asia or the Philippines?
I want to know much food does this moth consume during the period of egg until becoming pupa.
Identification to species level of the genus Culex
I am collecting some potential abiotic factors for determining the most important risk factor(s) associated with the infestation of one of the Lepidopteran insect pests in vineyards. One of the potential factors that I am considering is 'proximity to a forest', assuming that wild vines might contribute to vineyard infestations. I am planning to use google maps/google earth to measure the distance, however, I am not sure what the best way to measure would be. Could I average the perpendicular distances between forest edge and vineyard edge taken at three different points on each side? Is there any standard method that researchers have been following?
For scientific purposes, collecting specimens of butterflies is important to understand different subjects of their biology. Now we are in a time in where a lot species are endangered or with populations declines, should it be justified?
Impact of landscape anthropization ( e.g. Forest degradation ) on insect population dynamics
I'm new to insect sampling and taxonomy. What is the best way to sample Mirids especially the species of Helopeltis in an island? Can anybody recommend a taxonomist of this genus to consult with?
Is it possible with spectophotometer.