Effect of the insect growth regulator diflubenzuron on the predator Podisus nigrispinus (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae)

Podisus nigrispinus (Dallas) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) is a common natural predator of defoliating caterpillars in agricultural and forest systems. Insecticides acting as growth regulators of insect pests can indirectly affect their predators through consumption of contaminated prey. We examined the reproductive performance of P. nigrispinus fed on caterpillars of Anticarsia gemmatalis Hubner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) reared on soybean leaves exposed to the chitin synthesis inhibitor, diflubenzuron. Caterpillars of A. gemmatalis were fed for 12 h with treated soybean leaves and offered to adults of the predator P. nigrispinus over five consecutive days. The fertility of P. nigrispinus was reduced when feeding on diflubenzuron treated caterpillars, especially at the beginning of the reproductive period, but recovered 3 weeks later. The effects of diflubenzuron ingestion on the life table parameters of P. nigrispinus included an increase in the period taken to double the population size, and reductions in the intrinsic rate of population increase, generation duration, and net reproductive rate. Diflubenzuron therefore had an indirect negative effect on the reproduction and the population dynamics of the non-target predator P. nigrispinus. Clearly, its use in integrated pest management requires further evaluation.

Predation potential and biology of Protogamasellopsis posnaniensis Wisniewski & Hirschmann (Acari: Rhodacaridae)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Biological aspects of Orius insidiosus (Say) feeding on eggs of Plutella xylostella (Linnaeus) and Anagasta kuehniella (Zeller).

The objective of this work was to evaluate the biology of Orius insidiosus fed on eggs of Plutella xylostella and Anagasta kuehniella. The eggs used were obtained from the Laboratorio de Biologia e Criacao de Insetos, Departamento de Fitossanidade, FCAV/UNESP. The experiment was carried out with a total of 50 12-to-24-hour-old O. insidiosus nymphs, 1 per Petri dish (50 replications). P. xylostella or A. kuehniella eggs were places into each Petri dish daily, along with a small cotton pad moistened with distilled water. The evaluations were carried out daily. The adults were separated in couples, and placed in Petri dishes. The following biological aspects were evaluated: duration, survival rate and consumption of the nymph instars and of the nymph period; longevity of males and females; consumption per day and adult longevity; eggs per day; female fecundity; egg viability; embryonic period; preoviposition period, oviposition period, post-oviposition period. The fertility life table parameters were also evaluated. The predator O. insidiosus did not present significant differences for its biological characteristics, when feeding on P. xylostella and A. kuehniella eggs, however it showed improved fertility life table parameters when fedo n eggs of P. xylostella, suggesting the possibility of using these eggs in the mass rearing of this insect.

Social organization of the eusocial wasp Mischocyttarus cerberus styx (Hymenoptera, Vespidae)

The present study was carried out under field conditions in Rio Claro, Southeastern Brazil. The following average life-spans of adults of Mischocyttarus cerberus styx were observed: queens 191.1 days, workers 14.0 days, and males 10.7 days. The short longevity of workers is attributed to the early foraging activity which was performed since the first week of adult age. The life table of the workers revealed high mortality rates during the first three weeks of life. Twenty-four behavioral categories were reported for these wasps and a comparative behavioral catalogue showed that the solitary foundresses (pre-emergence stage) are significantly more active than the queens (post-emergence stage) because they have to perform all the tasks for the nest maintenance. On the other hand, the queens were highly active even in the presence of the workers. The small number of individuals on the nest was the probable cause of the high activity of the queens in the post-emergence colonies. There was no clear division of tasks among workers according to their age (in weeks), so that most of the behavior categories were potentially performed by any worker of any age. Dead queens were replaced by their daughters.

Tabelas de esperança de vida e fertilidade para Lipaphis erysimi (Kalt.) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) em condições de laboratório e campo

In this study, the aphid Lipaphis erysimi (Kalt) was reared at different temperatures, under laboratory and field conditions, aiming to obtain age-specific life tables. In the laboratory, L. erysimi was fed on kale, Brassica oleracea L. var acephala, and kept in incubators adjusted to 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30°C, 14h photophase and 70±10% RH. The longest mean generation time (T) was observed at 15°C (23.86 days) and the shortest at 30°C (7.18 days), while the smallest net reproductive rate (R0) occurred at 15°C (4.30) and largest one at 25°C (38.29). For the temperatures of 15, 20, 25 and 30°C, the intrinsic rate of natural increase (rm) and the finite rate of increase (λ) were 0.06/1.06, 0.24/1.27, 0.28/1.33 and 0.23/1.25, respectively. The doubling time (DT) at 15, 20, 25 and 30°C were 11.55, 2.80, 2.47, and 3.01 days, respectively. Under field conditions, the net reproductive rate (R0) of L. erysimi was larger in the winter (53.50) than in the summer (40.99), the same being observed for the mean generation time (T), which was 13.85 days in the winter and 7.57 days in the summer. The intrinsic rate of natural increase (rm) and the finite rate of increase (λ) were 0.29/1.34 and 0.40/1.63 for winter and summer, respectively. The doubling time (DT) observed for winter (2.39 days) was larger than the one observed for summer (1.41 days). The temperature affects longevity of L. erysimi and the best parameters of life table of fertility under laboratory conditions are obtained at 25°C. The data obtained in field conditions reinforced this finding. The daily fecundity was higher and longevity was smaller in the summer than in the winter, thus increasing the innate capacity of increasing in number and duplicating the population in a shorter period of time.

Biologia comparada de Trialeurodes vaporariorum (West.) (Hemiptera - Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) em soja e cinco cultivares de feijão

With the development of greenhouse grown crops, the whitefly Trialeurodes vaporariorum (West.) has become an important pest. Aiming at verifying the effect of host on the development of this species, the biology of the whitefly was studied on bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cultivars IAC-Carioca Pyatã, IAPAR-57, Jalo Precoce, IAC-Bico de Ouro, IAC-Maravilha and on soybean (Glycine max L.) cultivar Cristalina. The study was conducted at the Laboratório de Entomologia Agrícola - FCA-UNESP, at 25 ± 3°C temperature, 80 ± 10% RH and 14h photophase. The biological parameters assessed were duration, viability and number of nymphal instars; male and female longevity, oviposition period, number of eggs per female and sex ratio; egg viability and incubation period and the life cycle duration. Based on data obtained, fertility life tables were constructed to allow a comparative analysis of the effect of cultivars on the biological development and consequent population growth of this species. The bean cultivars IAC-Maravilha and Jalo Precoce negatively influenced T. vaporariorum development, whereas, the other bean cultivars studied, as well as the soybean cultivar Cristalina, provided good conditions for development of this pest.

Population dynamics of Ectatomma brunneum (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) under laboratory conditions

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Estudo multicêntrico Brasileiro - Adesivo contraceptivo transdérmico semanal: Preferência e satisfação das usuárias

Background: To assess satisfaction with the weekly transdermal contraceptive patch, compared to the previous contraceptive method. Adhesion, cycle control, safety and efficacy were secondary outcomes. Methods: A multicenter, open label, descriptive study. Subjects received the weekly transdermal contraceptive patch for 6 cycles. At the baseline and after the 1 st, 3 rd and 6 th cycles, satisfaction with the method was assessed. The contraceptive efficacy was assessed by the Pearl Index and by life table analysis. Results: An ITT analysis was performed with 494 subjects. At the endpoint, 95.3% of women were satisfied with the patch compared to the previous method; 59.5%, 58.0% and 63.2% of women reported improvement in the physical and emotional well-being, and pre-menstrual symptoms, respectively. Pre-menstrual symptoms frequency decreased from 85.0% (CI 95%: 80.8-87.4%) to 55.0% (CI 95%: 49.9-66.0%). There was a significant increase in hemoglobin levels, and also a significant decrease in total serum cholesterol and tryglicerides.. There were no significant adverse events. The adjusted Pearl Index was 1.1 pregnancies per 100 women-years. Conclusions: The weekly contraceptive transdermal patch is a safe and effective method, and there was a high rate of satisfaction with its use among brazilian women. The patch was associated to a good cycle control, with easiness of use, improvement in the physical and emotional well-being and improvement in the premenstrual symptoms and lipid profile. © Copyright Moreira Jr. Editora. Todos os direitos reservados.

Performance de Trichogramma pretiosum Riley, 1879 e T. exiguum Pinto & Platner, 1978 (Hymenoptera: trichogrammatidae) em ovos de populações de Plutella xylostella (LINNAEUS, 1758) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) sob ação de Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner, 1915 (Bacillales: Bacillaceae)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Podisus nigrispinus (Dallas, 1851) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae): efeito do alimento e da temperatura de armazenamento de ovos no desenvolvimento do inseto

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Fatores naturais e Telenomus remus Nixon (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) na mortalidade de Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) em milho

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Ocorrência sazonal da acarofauna em videira no município de Jales-SP e avaliação de resistência de variedades a Tetranychus urticae Koch (acari: tetranychidae)

Pós-graduação em Agronomia - FEIS

Modelo arquitetônico de ninhos, biologia e divisão de trabalho de Pachycondyla striata Fr. Smith, 1858 (Hymenoptera : Formicidae : Ponerinae)

Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Zoologia) - IBRC

Aspectos biológicos de Orius insidiosus (Say, 1832) (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) alimentado com larvas de Plutella xylostella (Linnaeus, 1758) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) criadas em brassicáceas

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Caracterização biológico-comportamental de Podisus nigrispinus (Dallas, 1851) predando Plutella xylostella (L., 1758)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)