Psyche: A Journal of Entomology

Ticks are blood-sucking parasites and occur all over the world, especially in humid and subhumid nations such as India. They are very important vectors of many economically important livestock diseases, such as Anaplasma spp., Babesia spp., and Theileria spp. Ticks were collected from organized and unorganized cattle farms situated in and around Mhow. The initially collected samples of ticks (≤200) were washed in tap water and identified as Rhipicephalus microplus. The study was carried out from June 2021 to May 2022. Ticks were treated with 0.625, 1.25, 2.50, 5, and 10% oil of Azadirachta indica in both the adult immersion test and larval immersion test. All the concentrations were prepared with absolute ethanol. In the present study, fipronil was used as a positive control using various concentrations (x/8, x/4, x/2, x, and 2x) and was prepared in distilled water. The LC₅₀ values against fipronil were observed as 1.03 and 1.12 ppm for adults and larvae, respectively. Results of the study showed that the oil of Azadirachta indica was responsible for the mortality of adults (LC50 = 2.70%) and larval stages (LC50 = 1.27%) at all the concentrations used. Furthermore, it was observed that this oil was also responsible for the inhibition of oviposition and had excellent repellent activity at 10% concentration. Based on the study, we can conclude that the oil of A. indica can be used in an integrated tick management system to reduce the tick burden on animals.

Insects are key fauna species that respond quickly to disturbances and environmental changes. They act as good indicators of habitat, community, or ecosystem quality. Among the great diversity of insects, butterflies stand as ideal bio-indicators for ecosystem function and are sensitive to changes in habitat composition and structure. This study was carried out to examine the diversity and abundance of butterflies across the restored habitats in Usangu area part of Ruaha National Park (RUNAPA) from May 2022 to June 2022 using the walking transect method supplemented by sweep nets and butterfly baited traps. A total of six transects of 1 km in length were laid in the four main habitat types selected in Usangu area including grassland, Miombo woodland, Vachellia/Commiphora woodland, and riverine forest. Searches were conducted in the morning and evening. The Miombo woodland and riverine forest habitats exhibited relatively higher species diversity, richness, evenness, abundance, and a higher number of habitat-restricted species, while Vachellia/Commiphora woodland and grassland habitats recorded the lowest diversity and abundance as well as the lowest number of habitat-restricted species. Family Nymphalidae was the most dominant followed by Pieridae while Papilionidae and Hesperiidae were scarce in the study area. This study clearly shows the importance of Miombo woodland and riverine forest habitats in sustaining rich butterfly diversity and abundance in Usangu area. The two habitats must be effectively managed and conserved for sustaining ecological health and integrity of Usangu area. The Usangu area’s Miombo woodland and riverine forest habitats have immense potential for butterfly tourism and they can offer an excellent opportunity to promote conservation efforts and raise public awareness. However, it is crucial to monitor these habitats closely as any environmental changes that may occur could harm the butterfly diversity and abundance in the area. Preserving this wilderness to maintain a thriving butterfly population is of utmost importance.

A study was conducted to characterize the species composition of fruit flies in South Wollo and North Wollo administrative zones of northeastern Ethiopia. Fruit flies were collected using two methods: rearing from infested mango, guava, and sweet orange fruits and trapping the adults with male lures and food-based attractants. Three fruit fly species were recovered from the fruits collected: Bactrocera dorsalis, Ceratitis cosyra, and Ceratitis capitata; in addition to these species, Ceratitis fasciventris was trapped. Bactrocera dorsalis was the most abundant species and accounted for 97.9 and 78.89% of the total trapped and emerged adults, respectively. The number of B. dorsalis and C. capitata showed a significant difference among trapping locations and attractants. The highest number of B. dorsalis was trapped with methyl eugenol at Kalu (722.2 flies per trap per week). Among the indigenous fruit fly species, C. capitata was higher at Habru which was guava and coffee-dominated habitat, whereas C. cosyra was relatively higher at Kobo which is mango dominated. More adults were trapped in male lure traps (97.03%) than in food-based attractants (2.97%). Hence, fruit fly management should focus on guava and mango crops which host all the fruit fly species, including the dominant B. dorsalis.

We report the whole-genome sequence of the Arabian honeybee (Apis mellifera jemenetica). Seven A. m. jemenetica samples were sequenced representing three distinct subpopulations. Generated sequence reads were mapped to the reference honeybee Apis mellifera genome (Amel_HAv3.1). Data revealed genome-wide patterns of genetic variation which can be useful in the characterization and assessment of positive selection of the Arabian honeybee using different genetic markers. In total, 75.16 Gb of clean bases were generated, and the GC content of samples ranged between 31.9 and 35.3%. The effective reference genome size is 223,937,270 bp. The mapping rate of samples varied from 88.97% to 96.19%, and the effective mapping depth was between 41.80 and 48.84X. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) among sequenced individuals ranged between 2379499 and 2396116 with respect to the reference A. mellifera genome (Amel_HAv3.1), and 2% of the SNPs were nonsynonymous. Genome Analysis Toolkit (GATK) detected 1097962–1109829 InDels and 10090–11962 structural variations (SV) from which 22.1 to 33.8% were in the form of deletions. Copy number variation (CNV) ranged between 550 and 2824, and 45–91% of them were downregulated. These variations among interbreeding individuals or groups of the same species may reflect an adaptive environmental response and fitness among different subpopulations and can be very useful for subspecies characterization, conservation, and selection of the Arabian honeybee.

The fall armyworm (FAW) (Spodoptera frugiperda J. E. Smith) is widely recognized as an invasive lepidopteran pest in Africa. Adoption of synthetic pesticides remains an option for emergency control of the FAW, but their large-scale use by small-scale farmers is costly and environmentally unsafe. Management options based on entomopathogenic fungi could minimize risks for health and the environment. In our study, the occurrence of entomopathogenic fungi in different habitats along with their pathogenicity to fall armyworm was examined. A total of 56 soil samples were collected from three locations. A standard isolation method, baited with the wax moth larvae (Galleria mellonella), was used for the isolation of entomopathogenic fungi from soil. Twelve entomopathogenic fungi were isolated from the total soil samples collected. It was observed that Metarhizium spp. was more frequent and widespread than Beauveria spp. and their occurrence was high in the forest habitat. Pathogenicity of indigenous entomopathogenic fungi isolates on fall armyworm larvae was tested by applying conidial suspension containing 1 × 10⁸ spores/ml. All of the isolates tested were pathogenic to larvae of fall armyworm, with mortalities varying from 30 to 80% at 10 days posttreatment. Our results suggest that native entomopathogenic fungi could be integrated for the management of Spodoptera frugiperda larvae.

Malaria and bacterial infections remain a life-threatening disease with a significant global impact. This study aimed to develop nanogels (NGs) of lavender (Lavandula angustifolia Mill.) and geranium (Pelargonium graveolens L’Hér.) essential oils (EOs) with promising repellent and antibacterial effects. The NGs were formulated using a nanoemulsion-based gel approach; nanoemulsion droplet sizes and zeta potentials were obtained as 146 ± 7 and 106 ± 6 nm and −23.2 ± 0.7 and −17.4 ± 1 mV, respectively. The ATR-FTIR analysis confirmed the successful loading of EOs in NGs. Repellent bioassays conducted on Anopheles stephensi Liston. mosquitoes demonstrated that geranium NG (140 min) was as effective as DEET (140 min), a widely used repellent. Antibacterial tests showed that the nanogels effectively reduced bacterial growth, with the geranium NG exhibiting over 90% reduction against Escherichia coli Migula. The lavender NG displayed higher efficacy against Staphylococcus aureus Rosenbach. These findings highlighted the potential of nanogels containing EOs as promising repellents and antibacterial agents, offering a sustainable and eco-friendly approach for vector control and bacterial infections.