flies
not annotated - annotated - LINNAEUS only
20923688
Universal primers for rapid detection of hytrosaviruses.
Hytrosaviridae is a proposed virus family encompassing viruses that cause salivary gland hypertrophy (SGH) syndrome in infected insects and reduce the fertility in their dipteran insect hosts. They contain a large, double stranded DNA genome of 120-190 kbp. To date, these viruses have been detected only in adult Diptera. These include hytrosaviruses detected in various tsetse fly species (Glossina spp.), the narcissus bulb fly Merodon equestris and the house fly Musca domestica. The limited number of hytrosaviruses reported to date may be a reflection of the frequent absence of external symptoms in infected adult flies and the fact that the virus does not cause rapid mortality. Based on the complete genome sequence of Glossinia pallidipes (GpSGHV) and Musca domestica (MdSGHV) salivary gland hypertrophy viruses, a PCR based methodology was developed to detect the viruses in these species. To be able to detect hytrosaviruses in other Diptera, five degenerate primer pairs were designed and tested on GpSGHV and MdSGHV DNA using gradient PCR with annealing temperatures from 37 to 61^0C. Two pairs of primers were selected from p74, two pairs from PIF-1 and one pair from ODV-e66 homologous proteins. Four primer pairs generated a virus specific PCR product on both MdSGHV and GpSGHV at all tested annealing temperatures, while the ODV-e66 based primers did not generate a virus specific product with annealing temperatures higher that 47^0C. No non-specific PCR product was found when using genomic DNA of infected flies as template DNA. These results offer new sets of primers that could be used to detect hytrosaviruses in other insects.
21526930
Fire ant decapitating fly cooperative release programs (1994-2008): two Pseudacteon species, P. tricuspis and P. curvatus, rapidly expand across imported fire ant populations in the southeastern United States.
Natural enemies of the imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta Buren S. richteri Forel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), and their hybrid, include a suite of more than 20 fire ant decapitating phorid flies from South America in the genus Pseudacteon. Over the past 12 years, many researchers and associates have cooperated in introducing several species as classical or self-sustaining biological control agents in the United States. As a result, two species of flies, Pseudacteon tricuspis Borgmeier and P. curvatus Borgmeier (Diptera: Phoridae), are well established across large areas of the southeastern United States. Whereas many researchers have published local and state information about the establishment and spread of these flies, here distribution data from both published and unpublished sources has been compiled for the entire United States with the goal of presenting confirmed and probable distributions as of the fall of 2008. Documented rates of expansion were also used to predict the distribution of these flies three years later in the fall of 2011. In the fall of 2008, eleven years after the first successful release, we estimate that P. tricuspis covered about 50% of the fire ant quarantined area and that it will occur in almost 65% of the quarantine area by 2011. Complete coverage of the fire ant quarantined area will be delayed or limited by this species' slow rate of spread and frequent failure to establish in more northerly portions of the fire ant range and also, perhaps, by its preference for red imported fire ants (S. invicta). Eight years after the first successful release of P. curvatus, two biotypes of this species (one biotype occurring predominantly in the black and hybrid imported fire ants and the other occurring in red imported fire ants) covered almost 60% of the fire ant quarantined area. We estimate these two biotypes will cover almost 90% of the quarantine area by 2011 and 100% by 2012 or 2013. Strategic selection of several distributional gaps for future releases will accelerate complete coverage of quarantine areas. However, some gaps may be best used for the release of additional species of decapitating flies because establishment rates may be higher in areas without competing species.
22182614
Short-Term Population Redistribution of Pseudacteon tricuspis (Diptera: Phoridae) From Point Source Releases.
There is a need for quantitative data on patterns and rates of movement of organisms to understand their movement behavior and predict their rates of spread. Opportunities for studying movement of biological control agents are presented during release programs. However, despite these opportunities, patterns and range of dispersal are often not considered. For example, information about effects of wind on dispersal patterns and heterogeneities in rates of movement is critical to predicting future range expansion of biological control agents and determining proximity of multiple releases. Here, the pattern and range of movement of a fire ant parasitoid, Pseudacteon tricuspis Borgmeier, was investigated by performing a series of mass-release-resighting experiments. Flies were released at a central location surrounded by radial transects containing trays of host ants at variable distances along four axes. Resighted flies were censused at these trays at 30 min intervals, up to 2 h postrelease. The dispersal pattern of P. tricuspis in the short term was consistent with a simple diffusion model. On average, 50% of P. tricuspis dispersed =<10 m, and 95% dispersed =<29 m. Diffusion rates were variable, depending on release densities, but tended to decline over time after release. Drift of dispersing flies was detected in several trials, and was attributed to prevailing wind dynamics. Data from this assessment of the short term redistribution pattern of P. tricuspis could be useful in determining proximity of releases of this, and other fire ant parasitoids.
21039561
Ecological trade-offs between jasmonic acid-dependent direct and indirect plant defences in tritrophic interactions.
Recent studies on plants genetically modified in jasmonic acid (JA) signalling support the hypothesis that the jasmonate family of oxylipins plays an important role in mediating direct and indirect plant defences. However, the interaction of two modes of defence in tritrophic systems is largely unknown. In this study, we examined the preference and performance of a herbivorous leafminer (Liriomyza huidobrensis) and its parasitic wasp (Opius dissitus) on three tomato genotypes: a wild-type (WT) plant, a JA biosynthesis (spr2) mutant, and a JA-overexpression 35S::prosys plant. Their proteinase inhibitor production and volatile emission were used as direct and indirect defence factors to evaluate the responses of leafminers and parasitoids. Here, we show that although spr2 mutant plants are compromised in direct defence against the larval leafminers and in attracting parasitoids, they are less attractive to adult flies compared with WT plants. Moreover, in comparison to other genotypes, the 35S::prosys plant displays greater direct and constitutive indirect defences, but reduced success of parasitism by parasitoids. Taken together, these results suggest that there are distinguished ecological trade-offs between JA-dependent direct and indirect defences in genetically modified plants whose fitness should be assessed in tritrophic systems and under natural conditions.