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Background: Recent studies indicated that frequent anthropogenic disturbances in tropical countries are primary drivers of the reduction in community diversity and local extinction of many insect taxa, including Lepidoptera. Biodiversity assessment provides information on the responses of different taxa to these anthropogenic changes, useful to develop evidence-based conservation strategies to reduce biodiversity loss. We assessed the impact of anthropogenic disturbances on lepidopteran assemblages across five different land uses (forest fragments, crop fields, Pasture land, rural settlement and undisturbed natural forest) in Choke Mountains, Ethiopia. Automatic light traps have been used in 16 sites, in 3 sites manual samplings have been performed. A total of 4,559 moths representing 14 families and 339 species were sampled. The highest diversity was obtained from the Natural Forest (269 species), followed by Forest Fragment (174), Pasture Land (148), Crop Fields (138), and Rural Settlement (136). The highest species-rich families were Geometridae (131 taxa), Erebidae (93 taxa), Tortricidae (40 taxa) and Sphingidae (17 taxa). Values calculated for the Shannon index were high, ranging between 4.78 for Natural Forests and 4.15 for Crop Fields. Simpson index indicated very high values of evenness, with all land use types above 0.97. The highest values of dominance were observed in Crop Field and Pasture Land, with the percentage of the dominant species around 10%. Estimated species richness by Chao-1 was highest within Natural Forest (366), followed by Pasture Land (256), Forest Fragment (241), Rural Settlement (233), and lowest in Crop Field (186), with the highest increase, if compared to the observed number of species, in Pasture Land (+ 73%) and Rural Settlement (+ 71%). Conclusions: The results of this study will be useful for guiding conservation management priorities for preventing irreversible biodiversity losses and maintaining ecosystem services provisioning that are essential conditions for the sustainable development of rural communities.

Evaluation of Trap Devices for Mass Trapping of Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae) Populations.

Timely detection of an invasion event, or a pest outbreak, is an extremely challenging operation of major importance for implementing management action toward eradication and/or containment. Fruit flies—FF—(Diptera: Tephritidae) comprise important invasive and quarantine species that threaten the world fruit and vegetables production. The current manuscript introduces a recently developed McPhail-type electronic trap (e-trap) and provides data on its field performance to surveil three major invasive FF (Ceratitis capitata, Bactrocera dorsalis and B. zonata). Using FF male lures, the e-trap attracts the flies and retains them on a sticky surface placed in the internal part of the trap. The e-trap captures frames of the trapped adults and automatically uploads the images to the remote server for identification conducted on a novel algorithm involving deep learning. Both the e-trap and the developed code were tested in the field in Greece, Austria, Italy, South Africa and Israel. The FF classification code was initially trained using a machine-learning algorithm and FF images derived from laboratory colonies of two of the species (C. capitata and B. zonata). Field tests were then conducted to investigate the electronic, communication and attractive performance of the e-trap, and the model accuracy to classify FFs. Our results demonstrated a relatively good communication, electronic performance and trapping efficacy of the e-trap. The classification model provided average precision results (93–95%) for the three target FFs from images uploaded remotely from e-traps deployed in field conditions. The developed and field tested e-trap system complies with the suggested attributes required for an advanced camera-based smart-trap.

The genus Orbamia Herbulot, 1966 is revised. Two new genera are described: Rabomia Hausmann & Tujuba, gen. nov. (type species: Ectropis ? subaurata Warren, 1899), and Morabia Hausmann & Tujuba, gen. nov. (type species: Morabia politzari Hausmann & Tujuba, sp. nov.). Ten new species and two new subspecies are described: Rabomia obscurior Hausmann & Tujuba, sp. nov., from western Africa, Morabia politzari Hausmann & Tujuba, sp. nov., from Kenya, Morabia brunnea Hausmann & Tujuba, sp. nov., from Zambia, Orbamia marginata Hausmann & Tujuba, sp. nov., from Tanzania, Orbamia clarissima Hausmann & Tujuba, sp. nov., from Kenya, Orbamia clarior Hausmann & Tujuba, sp. nov., from Kenya, Orbamia obliqua Hausmann & Tujuba, sp. nov., from Zambia, Orbamia obliqua parva Hausmann & Tujuba, subsp. nov., from South Africa, Orbamia abiyi Hausmann & Tujuba, sp. nov., from Zambia, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Orbamia emanai Hausmann & Tujuba, sp. nov., from Ethiopia, Orbamia emanai lenzi Hausmann & Tujuba, subsp. nov., from Zambia and Malawi, and Orbamia balensis Hausmann & Tujuba, sp. nov. from Ethiopia. The taxon Lepiodes ocellata Warren, 1897 is raised from synonymy of O. octomaculata (Wallengren, 1872) to species rank (Zambia, Tanzania, Rwanda). The taxonomical analysis is based on both morphological and genetic cytochrome oxidase I (COI) data. Adults and male and female genitalia of all species are illustrated.

Results regarding the combination of light-traps and coloured glue-boards for the trap and control of the house fly, Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae), are reported. Monitoring was performed using as basic structure PRO 80S UV fluorescent fly traps in a confinement swine farm in the south of Italy. During the trials, neon traps with a combination of glue-boards (yellow vs black and yellow vs white) and neon vs LED traps with yellow glue-boards were evaluated. Results indicated that yellow and black glue-boards were equally attractive to flies, with no significant differences. Light-traps captured significantly more flies when a white glue-board was used rather than a yellow panel. The neon lamp attracted significantly more flies than the LED lamp. According to our results, light-traps with white panels have potential to be employed in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs for monitoring and controlling house flies in livestock farms and in food processing, reducing risks in dissemination of pathogens which have the potential to affect humans or animals.

A Decision Support System (DSS) was developed and evaluated to control the Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly), Ceratitis capitata (Wiedermann), by incorporating a semi-automatic pest monitoring and a precision targeting approach in multi-varietal orchards. The DSS consists of three algorithms. DSS1, based on the degree days calculation, defines when the traps should be deployed in the field initiating the medfly population monitoring. DSS2 defines the areas to be treated and the type of treatment based on the number of adult medfly captures, harvesting time, and phenological stage of the host cultivar. DSS3 defines the spraying procedure considering the technical registration properties of the selected insecticide (e.g., withholding period and efficacy duration time) and weather conditions. The DSS was tested in commercial orchard conditions near Rome, central Italy, with a randomized complete blocks experimental design, comparing DSS-assisted and conventional management. In the DSS-assisted plots, a semi-automatic adult medfly monitoring system was deployed, composed of real-time, wireless electronic traps. The output of the functioning DSS is a map of spraying recommendation, reporting the areas to be treated and the treatment type (bait or cover insecticide spraying). The farmer was left free to follow, or not, the DSS indications. The first medfly captures were observed on June 30, whereas the DD threshold was reached on July 3 when the DSS started to operate. The field test produced 29 DSS decisions from July 3 to September 1 and confirmed that medfly management using the DSS substantially reduced the number of pesticide applications, the treated area, and the volumes of pesticide utilization. No significant differences in infested fruit were observed between DSS-assisted and conventional management. The level of acceptance of the DSS by the farmer was 78%. This evidence confirmed the requirement of fully involving farmers and pest managers during the evaluation process of DSS.

Modern agriculture requires technology to give precise measures about relevant parameters such as pest control. Here, we developed a decision support system (DSS) based on semi-automatic pest monitoring for managing the olive fruit fly Bactrocera oleae (Rossi), in Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Spain). The DSS was based on an algorithm that took into account spatial and temporal patterns of olive fruit fly population in an orchard where all trees were georeferenced, thus precise treatments against the pest were conducted through a location aware system (LAS). The olive fruit fly adult population was monitored by using ad hoc off-the-grid autonomous electronic traps.The results were compared with those obtained with conventional methods. For a pilot trial, we selected an olive-producing orchard, where from June to October 2015, three plots using LAS management and three plots under conventional control (NO-LAS plots) were compared. Spray threshold considered both adult population and fruit damage. An additional non-sprayed plot was selected for assessing biological control due to the parasitoid, Psyttalia concolor (Sz&eacute, pligeti). Results showed that the use of DSS reduced by 36.84% the volume of insecticide used in LAS compared to NO-LAS plots. Accordingly, time and distance needed for spraying were also reduced. Adult olive fruit fly population was lower in the LAS plots when compared with the NO-LAS plots, conversely, fruit infestation was higher in LAS compared with NO-LAS. The implementation of LAS and DSS at field level allowed real-time monitoring of adult olive flies, thereby increasing the accuracy and precision of sprays in time and space and decreasing impact on natural enemies.

Determining the spatio-temporal distribution and association of pests and natural enemies would be useful for implementing biological control of pests and could also be used in site-specific pest management. In this study, the spatio-temporal distribution and association of aphids, plant bugs, and natural enemies were assessed in alfalfa fields using geo-statistics and spatial analysis by distance indices (SADIE). Additionally, the effect of alfalfa hay-harvesting on the spatial and temporal distribution of these insects was investigated for the first time. Geostatistical analysis indicated that the degree of dependence (DD) was &ge, 75% for 11 out of 39, 9 out of 35, 3 out of 12, 10 out of 29, and 2 out of 20 datasets for pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum, spotted alfalfa aphid Therioaphis maculata, cowpea aphid Aphis craccivora, alfalfa plant bug Adelphocoris lineolatus, and tarnished plant bug Lygus rugulipennis, respectively. The results also indicated that DD was &ge, 75% in 7 out of 45, 18 out of 45, and 3 out of 20 datasets for Coccinella septempunctata, Hippodamia variegata, and Pterostichus melanarius, respectively. Harvesting decreased the aggregation of the ladybirds, which resulted in a decrease in the index of aggregation. The geo-statistics results were confirmed by SADIE in 75% of datasets. These results can be used in biological control and site-specific management of aphids and plant bugs in alfalfa fields.

Lepidoptera is the second largest order of insects. Encompassing moths and butterflies, it is regarded as one of the most important components of biodiversity. Here, an updated comprehensive overview of Lepidoptera recorded in Ethiopia is presented, composed of 2,438 taxa in 48 families, of which 664 are endemic. Records were compiled from various literature sources and website databases. Although still being far from complete, this review provides important baseline data for understanding zoogeographic patterns and thus for undertaking effective conservation action. Further research on Ethiopian Lepidoptera is encouraged.

The Ethiopian fruit fly (EFF), Dacus ciliatus, is a key, invasive pest of melons in the Middle East. We developed and implemented a novel decision support system (DSS) to manage this pest in a greenhouse environment in Southern Israel. Dacus ciliatus is commonly controlled in Israel with repeated calendar-sprayings (every 15 days) of pyrethroid pesticides. The current study compares the performance of a DSS against calendar-spraying management (CSM). DSS was based on EFF population monitoring and infestation. DSS took into consideration concerns and observations of expert managers and farmers. During 2014, EFF damage was concentrated in the spring melon production season. Fall and winter production did not show important damage. Damage during the spring of 2014 started to increase when average EFF/trap/day reached 0.3. This value was suggested as the threshold to implement pesticide spraying in DSS greenhouses. EFF/trap/day trends were derived from monitoring with conventional traps and a novel electronic remote sensing trap, developed by our group. CSM during the spring of 2015 included 3 EFF control sprays, while DSS-managed greenhouses were only sprayed once. At the end of the spring season, damage was slightly higher in DSS greenhouses (1.5%), but not significantly different to that found in CSM greenhouses (0.5%). Results support continuing DSS research and optimization to reduce/remove pesticide use against EFF in melon greenhouses. Interactions with farmers and managers is suggested as essential to increase adoption of DSS in agriculture.

The monitoring of insect pests based on adult trapping systems is part of integrated pest management (IPM) in many crops and of early warning detection programs used to set up appropriate management decisions or eradication responses. Using data obtained from traps to make management decisions is not an easy task and involves significant costs in equipment, transport and labour. Thanks to the spread and the low prices of information and communication technologies, innovative automated capture devices including electronic sensors and connecting components are increasingly being developed, allow facing some of the current monitoring constraints in a context of IPM. In this paper, we illustrated the state of the art of this field and provide insights on automated devices, consisting of traps equipped with sensors and other components for the collection of data in the field and their transmission to a remote server accessible online, with information stored in geo-referenced databases. Optical sensors are mainly used for detecting photo-interruptions, images or optoacoustic spectrum of wingbeats. The monitoring systems can be equipped with software for image interpretation and identification of the caught target insect pest (fully automated system) or a remote operator can count the trapped insects by watching the images coming from the e-trap (semi-automated system). The software can integrate a decision support system (DSS) module, which provides information on the risk of infestation and the actions to be taken (when, where, how to make a control application). The development and future prospects of automated devices are discussed in relation to the technical reliability of the system, ease of use and costs compared to traditional monitoring methods.

The Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly), Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), is a key pest of fruit crops in many tropical, subtropical and mild temperate areas worldwide. The economic importance of this fruit fly is increasing due to its invasion of new geographical areas. Efficient control and eradication efforts require adequate information regarding C. capitata adults in relation to environmental and physiological cues. This would allow effective characterisation of the population spatio-temporal dynamic of the C. capitata population at both the orchard level and the area-wide landscape. The aim of this study was to analyse population patterns of adult medflies caught using two trapping systems in a peach orchard located in central Italy. They were differentiated by adult sex (males or females) and mating status of females (unmated or mated females) to determine the spatio-temporal dynamic and evaluate the effect of cultivar and chemical treatments on trap catches. Female mating status was assessed by spermathecal dissection and a blind test was carried out to evaluate the reliability of the technique. Geostatistical methods, variogram and kriging, were used to produce distributional maps. Results showed a strong correlation between the distribution of males and unmated females, whereas males versus mated females and unmated females versus mated females showed a lower correlation. Both cultivar and chemical treatments had significant effects on trap catches, showing associations with sex and female mating status. Medfly adults showed aggregated distributions in the experimental field, but hot spots locations varied. The spatial pattern of unmated females reflected that of males, whereas mated females were largely distributed around ripening or ripe fruit. The results give relevant insights into pest management. Mated females may be distributed differently to unmated females and the identification of male hot spots through monitoring would allow localisation of virgin female populations. Based on our results, a more precise IPM strategy, coupled with effective sanitation practices, could represent a more effective approach to medfly control. © 2018 Sciarretta et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

The study describes the temporal and spatial distribution of the insect fauna collected in a paddy rice storage facility over two years, with major emphasis on the most abundant pests. The experiment, using 19 food-bait traps, was carried out in the county of Massaranduba, State of Santa Catarina, Brazil, from November 1997 to October 1999. During the whole survey, Sitophilus oryzae (L.), a primary pest associated to stored cereals, was the most abundant species in the storage facility (28,542 specimens captured). Other beetles were collected in remarkable numbers, both primary pests, such as Rhyzopertha dominica (Fabricius) (3,931 specimens), and secondary pests, such as Cryptolestes ferrugineus (Stephens) (4,075 specimens) and Oryzaephilus surinamesis (L.) (1,069 specimens). In general, various species showed very variable distribution and, depending on pest and year, all parts of the facility appeared infested. Pest populations were present both in processing area and in silos, at least in one of the two years survey. Analyzing different distributions, the various zones of the rice facility appeared to have different propensity to insect infestations, with the south-eastern silos and the grain pit with the conveyor belt as the most frequently infested. Moreover, variations between the 1st and 2nd year survey showed a strong decrease of total population numbers in the 2nd year, but in different ways, depending on the species considered. Such a result was probably due to the cleaning measures accomplished inside and outside the silos and in the processing area, including application of insecticide on the structure.

Background Riverine species of tsetse are responsible for most human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) transmission and are also important vectors of animal trypanosomiasis. This study concerns the development of visual control devices for two such species, Glossina fuscipes fuscipes and Glossina tachinoides, at the eastern limits of their continental range. The goal was to determine the most long-lasting, practical and cost-effective visually attractive device that induces the strongest landing responses in these species for use as insecticide-impregnated tools in vector population suppression. Methods and Findings Field trials were conducted in different seasons on G. f. fuscipes in Kenya, Ethiopia and the Sudan and on G. tachinoides in Ethiopia to measure the performance of traps and 2D targets of different sizes and colours, with and without chemical baits, at different population densities and under different environmental conditions. Adhesive film was used to enumerate flies at these remote locations to compare trapping efficiencies. The findings show that targets made from black and blue fabrics (either phthalogen or turquoise) covered with adhesive film render them equal to or more efficient than traps at capturing G. f. fuscipes and G. tachinoides. Biconical trap efficiency varied between 25% and 33% for the two species. Smaller 0.25 m×0.25 m phthalogen blue-black targets proved more efficient than the regular 1 m2 target for both species, by over six times for Glossina f. fuscipes and two times for G. tachinoides based on catches per m2. Overall, targets with a higher edge/surface area ratio were more efficient at capturing flies. Conclusions/Significance Taking into account practical considerations and fly preferences for edges and colours, we propose a 0.5×0.75 m blue-black target as a simple cost-effective device for management of G. f. fuscipes and G. tachinoides, impregnated with insecticide for control and covered with adhesive film for population sampling., Author Summary The riverine tsetse Glossina fuscipes fuscipes and Glossina tachinoides are among the principal vectors of African trypanosomiasis. Their range stretches from West across Central to East Africa, with isolated populations in Sudan and Ethiopia. Population suppression is one of the most effective methods to control disease transmission and has led to the development of visually attractive insecticide-impregnated traps and targets for palpalis tsetse species for over half a century. We describe field experiments made in different seasons in Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya to establish the most efficient and long-lasting object that induces the strongest landing responses in G. f. fuscipes and G. tachinoides. Independent of season and country, targets made from black and blue fabrics (either phthalogen or turquoise) covered with adhesive film render them equal to or more efficient than traps at capturing G. f. fuscipes and G. tachinoides. Biconical trap efficiency varied between 25% and 33% for both species. As landings per unit area on smaller phthalogen blue-black targets were significantly higher than landings on corresponding 1 m2 targets, we propose a 0.5 m high×0.75 m wide blue-black target as a practical cost-effective device for management of G. f. fuscipes and G. tachinoides populations.

In the Molise region of central Italy, spatial relationships between pheromone catches of male Cydia funebrana (Treitschke) were studied at local scale inside and around a single plum orchard as well as at regional scale comprising selected sites including orchards. From these relationships we infer adult movement patterns with particular relevance to pest control operations. At local scale, kriging procedures applied to pheromone trap catches showed that the number of male C. funebrana was lowest in the interior of a plum orchard and highest around a ravine, near irrigation channels, and along hedgerows in the orchard surroundings. The degree of aggregation of trap catches was influenced by daily temperature minima during the first of three flights. The correlation coefficients of trap catches inside and outside the orchard significantly decreased with increasing distance. Moran's I index revealed no significant autocorrelation and, therefore, no influence from neighboring traps. However, correlograms showed slightly positive values (i.e., slight aggregations at low distances, decreasing values with increasing distance up to 400 m, and even more decreasing values thereafter). At regional scale, a cluster analysis of the data of the first year grouped the sites according to host plants. The same analysis of the data of the second year grouped the sites primarily by altitudes and distance from the sea and suggested a slight effect of between site distances. Among others, the selection of distant sites and the influence of host plant type as well as the geographical location may confound the effect of distance: the distance did not have a significant effect on correlation coefficients for site trap catches. The results are discussed with respect to orchard-specific and regional monitoring, pest control operations, and planning of future research work.

Sciarretta A., Trematerra P. (2014): Geostatistical tools for the study of insect spatial distribution: practical implications in the integrated management of orchard and vineyard pests. Plant Protect. Sci., 50: 97–110. Spatial heterogeneity in agricultural systems is recognised as an important source of variability to be investigated. In the evolution of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), patterns and processes that influence spatio-temporal dynamics in insect populations tend to assume more importance compared to the classical theory. Geostatistics represent a valuable tool to investigate the spatial pattern of insect populations and to support pest control. After an explana tion of the geostatistical analysis, in the present paper we provided an overview of practical applications in managing pests, focusing on fruit orchards and vineyards. The utility of geostatistical tools is illustrated with examples taken from field studies, with attention to the analysis of spatial patterns, monitoring schemes, use of traps, scale issues, precision targeting, and risk assessment maps. Potential approaches in the context of IPM are discussed in relation to future perspectives.

Field studies were conducted, in order to assess the seasonal occurrence and the spatial distribution of Aphidius colemani Viereck, Aphidius matricariae Haliday, Diaeretiella rapae (M'Intosh), Praon staryi Kavallieratos & Lykouressis and Praon volucre (Haliday), all parasitoids of Myzus persicae (Sulzer) on tobacco. The experiments took place in western Greece (Agrinion, Aito- loakarnania), during the 1996 and 1997 growing seasons, in an area of approximately 2.5 ha, where tobacco was the main crop. The experimental field was insecticide-free and tobacco leaf samples (from the upper and lower half of plants) were taken from June until September, in both years. The distribution of the species found was also represented and discussed. Generally, high M. persicae den- sities were recorded in August (mid-season) of both seasons. The mummification rate showed a specific increasing trend late in the season (August-September). In 1996, the percentage of mummification reached almost 61% at the end of the period, whereas in 1997 it remained at very low levels (

The Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly), Ceratitis capitata, is a key pest of fruit crops in a wide range of climatic zone. Its economic importance is increasing due to its invasion and establishment in new geographical areas caused by global warming. Generally, the management of medfly infestation has been carried out with the use of synthetic pyrethroids and phosphorganic insecticides. Other containment approaches include attract-and-kill, biological control, and the sterile insect technique. The mass trapping technique can be considered an eco-friendly method to use in combination with other control systems. The present study reported the trapping effectiveness of commercially available devices (Decis Trap, Tephri Trap Ecological, and Conetrap) baited with different types of female attractants (Econex Trypack and Biodelear) under different thermal conditions. The performance of trapping systems was evaluated in semi-field cages. Our results showed that the combination of Conetrap with Biodelear was not proven effective, while the Tephri Trap baited with Trypack or Biodelear and the Decis Trap reported the same performance in capturing females and could be used for medfly mass trapping.