The following report on recent entomological investigations in Northern Nigeria is based on a short tour made by the writer, from the 11th of August, 1910, to the 21st of January, 1911. But incorporated with my own observations are numerous records made by several medical officers and other officials in the Protectorate. The present work deals exclusively with the blood-sucking insects and other arthropods which are, or may be, implicated in the transmission of disease in West Africa, and is therefore an extension of my previous report on the same subject in relation to the Gambia.

The legume pod borer, Maruca vitrata, is an endemic insect pest that causes significant yield loss to the cowpea crop in West Africa. The application of population genetic tools is important in the management of insect pests but such data on M. vitrata is lacking. We applied a set of six microsatellite markers to assess the population structure of M. vitrata collected at five sites from Burkina Faso, Niger and Nigeria. Observed polymorphisms ranged from one (marker 3393) to eight (marker 32008) alleles per locus. Observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.0 to 0.8 and 0.0 to 0.6, respectively. Three of the loci in samples from Nigeria and Burkina Faso deviated significantly from Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium (HWE), whereas no loci deviated significantly in samples from Niger. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) indicated that 67.3% level of the genetic variation was within individuals compared to 17.3% among populations. A global estimate of FST=0.1 (ENA corrected FST=0.1) was significant (P⩽0.05) and corroborated by pairwise FST values that were significant among all possible comparisons. A significant correlation was predicted between genetic divergence and geographic distance between subpopulations (R2=0.6, P=0.04), and cluster analysis by the program STRUCTURE predicted that co-ancestry of genotypes were indicative of three distinct populations. The spatial genetic variance among M. vitrata in West Africa may be due to limited gene flow, south-north seasonal movement pattern or other reproductive barriers. This information is important for the cultural, chemical and biological control strategies for managing M. vitrata.

In Zimbabwe, field studies were made of the extent to which catches of Glossina morsitans morsitans Westw. and G. pallidipes Aust. from stationary visual targets plus ox odour were changed by maintaining the ox on normal, starving or fattening diets. A fattening diet after a week of starvation often produced a several-fold increase in catches in a few days, followed by a declining catch associated with lack of appetite, and a further increase in catch when appetite was restored. Carbon dioxide and acetone emitted by the oxen could not account fully for the level and variations of catches.

Treating plants with synthetic jasmonic acid (JA) induces a defensive response similar to herbivore attack, and is a potential strategy for integrated pest management. Despite the importance of sugarcane, its JA-induced defences have not yet been studied. We investigated the effects of JA treatment on the direct and indirect resistance of sugarcane to the key-pest and specialist herbivore Diatraea saccharalis and the generalist Spodoptera frugiperda. Indirect defences were examined by testing the attraction of Cotesia flavipes, a sugarcane-borer parasitoid, to JA-induced volatile. The results showed that JA-treated sugarcane did not affect the weight gain of the two larvae. However, in dual-choice assays, both species preferred to feed on mock rather than JA-treated plants. Leaf colorimetric analyses showed that visual cues are unlikely to be involved in larval preference, whereas results from olfactometric assays revealed that D. saccharalis preferred JA-induced over mock plant volatiles. After 48 h of treatment, JA-treated plants emitted a volatile blend attractive to C. flavipes, comprised mainly of sesquiterpenes. However, the parasitoid did not discriminate JA-treated from host-damaged plant volatiles. When the wasps were given a choice between JA-treated and JA-treated + host-damaged plants, they preferred the latter, which emitted a more complex blend, suggesting that JA treatment likely does not hamper host-finding. We concluded that JA induces the emission of volatiles that are attractive to the sugarcane borer parasitoid, as well as an antixenosis type of resistance in sugarcane against the two pests, although neither volatiles nor visual cues alone are involved in the underlying mechanism.

If adults of Cryptolestes ferrugineus (Steph.), of which the females have already been fertilised, are cultured on flour at low densities, the rate of oviposition is independent of the density of adults and juvenile mortality is negligible. At high densities there is a heavy mortality amongst eggs and young larvae, and there is evidence that, providing no great degree of conditioning of the medium has occurred, an equilibrium is reached with the number of eggs plus larvae present at any time being independent of the density of adults. Cannibalism is undoubtedly a major cause of the juvenile mortality under these conditions. Where crowding of adults is so great that conditioning of the medium becomes important, the number of eggs plus larvae present at a given time after the cultures have been set up decreases with increasing density of adults, there being some indication of an inverse linear relation.

Cultures of C. ferrugineus on a mixture at 70 per cent. R.H. of sound grain and grain already slightly damaged by Crypiolestes are capable of initiating dense infestations in the laboratory, at least at moderate and high temperatures. Under optimal conditions the infestations develop within 15 days. Values deduced for the pre-adult period at various temperatures were similar to those obtained by Rilett (1949). At 17°C., development was extremely slow but the low temperature did not increase mortality. Cannibalism and competition by adults and fully developed larvae appear to play an important part in limiting the production and survival of the juvenile stages.

Sound grain at 70 per cent. R.H. is unsuitable as a medium for culturing Cryptolestes in the laboratory but it becomes suitable after relatively small additions of flour and damaged grains. At 33°C. at least, a point is suddenly reached where an infestation is initiated, the critical feature being increased survival of larvae rather than an increase in the number of eggs laid. An increase in humidity has a similar effect to adding food.

Estimates of the production of CO2 at various temperatures gave values higher than previously reported. From 21 to 33°C. the rate of increase of the respiration rate and the increase in the speed of development are proportional to rise in temperature. This is in accord with other indications that C. ferrugineus has a high optimum temperature.

1. The history of the occurrence of Merodon equestris in various countries is related and a list of known food-plants given.

2. The immature stages of the fly are described in detail.

3. The biology of the fly is fully discussed and additions made to our knowledge regarding it.

4. Control measures are reviewed and additional information is given, particularly with reference to the use of a poison-bait spray against the adult flies.

5. Recommendations are made as to the most satisfactory combination of methods to use for the purpose of obtaining control of the fly under field conditions.

6. A list of literature cited is given.

Intensive monitoring of uncaged summer populations of Metopolophium dirhodum (Wlk.) (alienicolae) on winter wheat in southern England was carried out, mainly in 1979. Estimates for rates of development and reproduction are presented for both apterous and alate morphs. Relative nymphal instar lengths were calculated as percentages of the total juvenile period (instars I–IV inclusive), at a given mean temperature. The durations of the first three nymphal instars were uniform, but longer was spent in instars IV-apterous (21%) and IV-alatiform (45%) than in previous ones. Development rates are shown, firstly as cumulative summations of regression lines for individual instars, and secondly as a single regression for the whole period (I to IV inclusive), plotted separately against corresponding mean temperatures. A method of calculating the development threshold was devised that yielded an estimate of about 5°C for both morphs. Average and maximum daily rates of deposition (larviposition) are given for both morphs and, for apterae, results on the effects on this of leaf, date, temperature and aggregation are presented and discussed. Comparisons are made between this field study, and previous ones using M. dirhodum under constant temperature conditions in the laboratory. Development rates appeared to be similar under both constant and fluctuating temperatures, although slower in the field at low temperatures (10 or 11°C). Reproductive rates under the field conditions of this study appeared to be higher (on a daily rate basis) than those of previous studies, both in the laboratory (at constant temperature) and in the field. Reproduction in the field by apterae is considered to be concentrated over a shorter span of adult life than in the laboratory.

The development and longevity of Amblyomma triguttatum triguttatum Koch were studied at temperatures of 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40°C, and humidities with water staturation deficits of 2–3, 8–9 and 16–17 mm Hg. No stage developed at 40°C and the engorged larva was the only stage able to develop at 15°C. The rate of development was inversely related to temperature, with the exception of the pre-oviposition period of the engorged female which was longer at 35°C than at 30°C. The egg was the most vulnerable stage to high saturation deficit (low humidity) but some did survive in constant conditions of 16–17 mm Hg, showing an adaptation to harsh environments; A. t. triguttatum survives in a semi-desert habitat. The longevity of the unfed stages increased from the larvae, nymphs to adults. The longevity decreased with increase of temperature and decrease of humidity with the exception of adults maintained at 30°C and 16–17 mm Hg, which had a longer viability to the same saturation deficit at 20°C (50% mortality) and 25°C (50% and 100% mortality).

The plant Clidemia hirta belongs to the natural order Melostomaceae. It is of shrubby growth, with a hard tough stem and produces quantities of dark purple berries, filled with minute seeds. These berries are much relished by certain birds, which feed upon them and distribute the seeds. The leaves are covered with fine hairs and the plant is not eaten by stock.

The plant is a native of the West Indies, Central America and the Northern portion of South America. It is supposed to have been introduced into Fiji from British Guiana at some time prior to 1890. That this was the origin of the plant is supported by slight differences observed by the writer in the foliage of the Trinidad, Panama and British Guiana forms of the plant, the Fijian one closely resembling those of the last named country.

In Fiji the plant was first observed along the fences of paddocks in the Waimanu Valley, whence it spread with great rapidity, quickly becoming a weed of major importance. By 1919, when the writer arrived in the country, thousands of acres were covered with it to the exclusion of almost all other growth. On good soil it formed a stand five or six feet high, through which the cattle were only able to keep open narrow paths. Not only did it rapidly occupy the open grass lands, particularly the rich dairying and fattening country, but it thrived almost equally well under the shade of coconut and rubber plantations, leading to loss of many fallen nuts and entailing greatly increased weeding costs.

Eukaryote transcription is controlled by regulatory DNA sequences and transcription factors, so transcriptional control of gene plays a pivotal role in gene expression. In this study, we identified the region of the CYP6B6 gene promoter of Helicoverpa armigera which responds to the plant secondary toxicant 2-tridecanone. Transient transfection assay results from five of stepwise deletion fragments linked to the luciferase reporter gene revealed that the promoter activity of each CYP6B6 fragment was significantly higher than that of their basal activity after the Sf9 cells were treated with 2-tridecanone. Among all, the fragment spanning −373 to +405 bp of the CYP6B6 promoter showed an obviously 2-tridecanone inducibility (P<0.0001), which might have the 2-tridecanone responsive element based on promoter activity. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays revealed that the nuclear protein extracted from midgut of the 6th instar larva of H. armigera, reared on 10 mg 2-tridecanone per gram artificial diet for 48 h, could specifically bind to the active region from −373 to 21 bp of the CYP6B6 promoter. The combination feature also appeared when using a shorter fragment from −292 to −154 bp of the CYP6B6 promoter. Taken together, we found a 2-tridecanone core responsive region between −292 and −154 bp of the CYP6B6 promoter. This may lead us to a better understanding of transcriptional mechanism of P450 gene and provide very useful information for the pest control.

In this study, we investigated resistance traits to the sugarcane borer Diatraea saccharalis Fab. (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) in the leaves and stalks of six sugarcane cultivars in a series of greenhouse and laboratory assays. Investigation of plant factors and infestation rates to better discriminate stalk damage by the sugarcane borer indicated that infestation of 7-month-old, single plants with 20 larvae at the third or fourth instar per plant was suitable to assess tunneling length. Three cultivars (i.e. SP803280, RB928064, and RB835486) had lower stalk damage (i.e. tunnel length) than cultivar SP891115, which exhibited relatively greater susceptibility to tunneling by the borer. The time required for the larvae to enter the sugarcane stalk was longer for cultivar SP803280, indicating resistance traits on the stalk surface, which correlated with lower stalk damage. Larvae feeding on SP813250 stalks had the lowest weight gain, indicating that this cultivar has resistance traits to larval development within its stalks. Cultivars RB867515 and SP891115 resulted in the highest mortality of early-stage larvae feeding on leaves, indicating the presence of resistance factors in their leaves. Multi-trait cluster and principal component analyses placed the cultivars into three and four clusters, respectively. The cultivars placed in different groups that exhibited resistance to leaf feeding, stalk entrance, and tunneling by the sugarcane borer could be used for crossings in sugarcane breeding programs with the goal of obtaining higher levels of resistance to D. saccharalis.

In this study, we investigated thermotolerance, several physiological responses and damage to reproductive cells in chlorpyrifos-resistant (Rc) and -susceptible (Sm) strains of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella subjected to heat stress. The chlorpyrifos resistance of these strains was mediated by a modified acetylcholinesterase encoded by an allele, ace1R, of the ace1 gene. Adults of the Rc strain were less heat resistant than those of the Sm strain; they also had lower levels of enzymatic activity against oxidative damage, higher reactive oxygen species contents, weaker upregulation of two heat shock protein (hsp) genes (hsp69s and hsp20), and stronger upregulation of two apoptotic genes (caspase-7 and -9). The damage to sperm and ovary cells was greater in Rc adults than in Sm adults and was temperature sensitive. The lower fitness of the resistant strain, compared with the susceptible strain, is probably due to higher levels of oxidative stress and apoptosis, which also have deleterious effects on several life history traits. The greater injury observed in conditions of heat stress may be due to both the stronger upregulation of caspase genes and weaker upregulation of hsp genes in resistant than in susceptible individuals.

A study of the age-dependent changes in the ovarioles and the age structure of a population of adult females of Anopheles gambiae in the Amani hills of north-eastern Tanzania was undertaken using the ovarian oil injection technique. The greatest difficulties encountered in accurately determining the age of members of this species are due to small size and the low parity diagnostic index of the ovary, which decreased in successive gonotrophic cycles and could drop to zero even in the first cycles. Additional information can be obtained from basal bodies, groups of six to eight cells in the calyx wall enclosed by the end of the ovariolar sheath. The possibility exists of their use for age grading of mosquitoes. The mean age of the population during the study, which was carried out in the rainy season, was rather low. The oldest were individuals that had completed four ovipositions. Among the mosquitoes infected with sporozoites were females that had completed between ≥2 and ≥4 ovipositions.

Third-stage larvae of the following species of Dynastidae associated with coconut palms are described: Xylotrupes gideon (L.) (including four subspecies, X. g. ulysses (Guérin), X. g. szekessyi Endrődi, X. g. beckeri Schaufuss and X. g. asperulus Minck), Scapanes australis (Boisduval) (including three subspecies, S. a. grossepunctatus Sternberg, S. a. salomonensis Sternberg and S. a. australis (Boisduval)), Trichogomphus fairmairei Arrow, Oryctes rhinoceros (L.), O. centaurus Sternberg, Oryctoderus latitarsis Boisduval and Oryctoderus sp. (either O. coronatus Bates or O. godeffroyi (Fairmaire). A key to species, based on larval characters, is included. Some small differences, particularly in setation, were found among the four subspecies of X. gideon examined, and differences in setation of the abdominal segments were found between S. a. grossepunctatus and S. a. salomonesis on the one hand, and S. a. australis on the other.

The European lantern fly Dictyophara europaea (Linnaeus, 1767), is a polyphagous dictyopharid planthopper of Auchenorrhyncha commonly found throughout the Palaearctic. Despite abundant data on its distribution range and reports on its role in the epidemiology of plant-pathogenic phytoplasmas (Flavescence dorée, FD-C), literature regarding the biology and host plants of this species is scarce. Therefore, the aims of our study were to investigate the seasonal occurrence, host plant associations, oviposition behaviour and immature stages of this widespread planthopper of economic importance. We performed a 3-year field study to observe the spatio-temporal distribution and feeding sources of D. europaea. The insects's reproductive strategy, nymphal molting and behaviour were observed under semi-field cage conditions. Measurement of the nymphal vertex length was used to determine the number of instars, and the combination of these data with body length, number of pronotal rows of sensory pits and body colour pattern enabled the discrimination of each instar. We provide data showing that D. europaea has five instars with one generation per year and that it overwinters in the egg stage. Furthermore, our study confirmed highly polyphagous feeding nature of D. europaea, for all instars and adults, as well as adult horizontal movement during the vegetation growing season to the temporarily preferred feeding plants where they aggregate during dry season. We found D. europaea adult aggregation in late summer on Clematis vitalba L. (Ranunculaceae), a reservoir plant of FD-C phytoplasma strain; however, this appears to be a consequence of forced migration due to drying of herbaceous vegetation rather than to a high preference of C. vitalba as a feeding plant. Detailed oviposition behaviour and a summary of the key discriminatory characteristics of the five instars are provided. Emphasis is placed on the economic importance of D. europaea because of its involvement in epidemiological cycles of phytoplasma-induced plant diseases.

Pyrethroid resistance was examined in adult Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) in both laboratory and field selected strains. A series of F1 and backcrosses was made between a susceptible and an isofemale resistant strain. Dose-responses were obtained using contact with a treated surface inside a scintillation vial. Inheritance of resistance was consistent with an incompletely dominant major gene and resistance factors were greater than 100-fold. Piperonyl butoxide synergized the effects of the synthetic pyrethroid, fenvalerate, 1000-fold and eliminated resistance entirely. Field trials examined the mortality of resistant and susceptible adults exposed to commercial application rates of synthetic pyrethroids. Adults were immobilized and placed in cotton fields prior to aerial applications of insecticide. Survival of resistant adults was significantly greater than susceptible ones in both trials. It was concluded that selective mortality in the adult life-stage contributes to the evolution of pyrethroid resistance.

Trials to control the American bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) by the technique of mating disruption were carried out in the Pakistan Province of Punjab during the 1996 cotton season. A slow release PVC resin formulation, Selibate®HA, containing a 97:3 mixture of the major (9Z-hexadecenal) and minor (11Z-hexadecenal) components of the female sex pheromone of H. armigera was applied at a rate of 40 g active ingredient ha−1 during August 1996. The formulation was applied around the terminal portion of the cotton plant by hand using local labour at a rate of c. 250 pieces per hectare. The efficacy of the formulation was compared to conventional insecticide regimes to control H. armigera on four farmer practice fields situated at least 1 km to the north, south, east and west of the pheromone treated area. A high degree of trap catch shutdown (indicating mating suppression) was observed throughout the pheromone treated area during the whole of the season compared to non-pheromone treated farmer practice fields. Night observations confirmed that mating disruption occurred in the pheromone treated area as a smaller percentage of mated females were collected from this area compared to farmer practice fields. A majority of mated females collected from the pheromone treated area mated only once, whereas females in farmer practice fields had undergone multiple matings. A greater percentage of tethered female H. armigera moths retrieved from farmer practice fields had successfully mated compared to tethered females retrieved from the pheromone treated area. Release rate data of H. armigera pheromone from the formulation show that c. 70% was released during the two month trial period. However, the highly dispersive pre-oviposition flight behaviour of females meant that the area treated was not sufficient to eliminate the problem of gravid females migrating in from surrounding areas, and ovipositing therein. The implications of using the technique of mating disruption to control large strong flying insects like H. armigera are discussed.

β-Aminobutyric acid (BABA) is known to induce resistance to microbial pathogens, nematodes and insects in several host plant/pest systems. The present study was undertaken to determine whether a similar effect of BABA occurred against the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama, in citrus. A 25 mM drench application of BABA significantly reduced the number of eggs/plant as compared with a water control, whereas 200 and 100 mM applications of BABA reduced the numbers of nymphs/plant and adults/plants, respectively. A 5 mM foliar application of BABA significantly reduced the number of adults but not eggs or nymphs when compared with a water control treatment. In addition, leaf-dip bioassays using various concentrations (25–500 mM) of BABA indicated no direct toxic effect on 2nd and 5th instar nymphs or adult D. citri. BABA-treated plants were characterized by significantly lower levels of iron, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, sulfur and zinc as compared with control plants. The expression level of the PR-2 gene (β-1,3-glucanase) in BABA-treated plants that were also damaged by D. citri adult feeding was significantly higher than in plants exposed to BABA, D. citri feeding alone or control plants. Our results indicate the potential for using BABA as a systemic acquired resistance management tool for D. citri.

Restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of two segments of mitochondrial DNA (COI and 16S rRNA) was used to examine genetic variation in Sesamia nonagrioides (Lefèbvre) populations from the Mediterranean basin. Four populations were collected from central and southern Greece, and five from northern latitudes: Greece, Italy, France and Spain. No variation was observed in COI, while 16S rRNA segment proved highly polymorphic and 28 different haplotypes were found. Lower intra-population polymorphism was found in the northern populations than in southern ones. Although no significant isolation by distance was found, the UPGMA tree based on Nei's raw number of nucleotide differences separated the populations into two major groups, i.e. one with the northern (40.6°N–43.4°N) and the other with the southern populations (37.3°N–39.2°N). Analysis of molecular variance revealed that most of the variation was between the two major groups (ΦCT=0.559), and all pairwise comparisons between the northern and southern populations resulted in high and significant FST values (overall FST=0.604). The high FST values and the strong spatial genetic structure indicate that long-distance migration may be a rare event. The populations do not seem to have experienced a strong historical bottleneck. The occurrence of a few widespread haplotypes and the genetic similarity of the northern populations could be attributed to a historical expansion of certain haplotypes from the south towards to the northern borders of the species' distribution area.