http://www.hindawi.com The latest articles from Hindawi Publishing Corporation © 2013 , Hindawi Publishing Corporation . All rights reserved. Wed, 27 Mar 2013 15:44:40 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/isrn/entomology/2013/157426/ Polymorphism of the gene COI encoding cytochrome C oxidase subunit I and of the rRNA second internal transcribed spacer (ITS2) was measured in Aedes albopictus collected in three locations in Piedmont region and one location in Liguria region in Italy. According to our data, besides the middle part of the COI gene usually used for analysis, there are also SNPs in the 5′ half of the gene, which can provide additional information about the polymorphism of A. albopictus populations. Based on COI gene, three various mitochondrial haplotypes were identified in A. albopictus from four north Italian sampling sites. Different sources of introductions can be considered. The variability between COI sequences of the north Italian A. albopictus is 0.001 while the variability between them based on the pairwise analysis of ITS2 sequences is 10 time more—0.011. For the first time, a 4% divergence between the populations of A. albopictus of tropical and subtropical origins was found on the basis of analyzing the ITS2. A relatively high level of variability of ITS2 between tropical and subtropical populations can be used to develop new markers for phylogenetic studies. No individuals with mitochondrial and nuclear haplotypes specific to tropical populations were found in the four north Italian sampling sites. Elena Shaikevich and Asghar Talbalaghi Copyright © 2013 Elena Shaikevich and Asghar Talbalaghi. All rights reserved. Thu, 14 Mar 2013 11:59:41 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/isrn/entomology/2013/865059/ We describe two new species of bees from Colombia; one is a species of Exomalopsis found nesting in the city of Medellin, Colombia, (the host) and its cleptoparasitic bee, a species of the genus Nomada. In addition, we provide information on the nest architecture of the new species and provide data on occupancy by both the host bee and its cleptoparasite. We present an updated list of the species of Exomalopsis and Nomada of Colombia and taxonomic keys to the species of Exomalopsis. Rita I. Velez-Ruiz and Allan H. Smith-Pardo Copyright © 2013 Rita I. Velez-Ruiz and Allan H. Smith-Pardo. All rights reserved. Mon, 28 Jan 2013 11:10:42 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/isrn/entomology/2013/176342/ The morphometrics of Ruspolia differens (order: Orthoptera; family: Conocephalidae), the longhorn grasshopper that is widely known as senene by its Kiswahili name, was largely unclear although the species serves broadly as a delicacy relish snack. In this study, the anatomic morphometrics of this insect was critically inferred based on the samples that were collected from North-west Tanzania in April-May 2009. R. differens was revealed to have a number of unique anatomic features that can essentially serve in its diagnosis. These include the paired male metathoracic flaps, finger-like prosternal protuberances, hind femoral spines, subequal tibial black markings, and an obvious male biased antennal dimorphism. Nicodemus D. Matojo and Jacob G. Yarro Copyright © 2013 Nicodemus D. Matojo and Jacob G. Yarro. All rights reserved. Thu, 10 Jan 2013 08:21:04 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/isrn/entomology/2013/659468/ This work aimed at collecting filariasis transmission data of Anopheles gambiae to be used in predicting future trends in filariasis transmission and control programme outcomes. Collection of the mosquitoes was made by human landing catch and light trap methods. In all, 5,813 females were caught from September 2005 to August 2006. Mosquito population started to expand at the onset of the rains. The highest density was found after peak temperature. The A. gambiae s.l. biting peaked around midnight; 39.7% were parous and 0.3% were infective. The highest percentage of parous females caught was near midnight, ranging between 42.0% and 47.5% from 22.00 to 03.00 hours. Biting rate in the rainy season was 2.6 times higher than it in the dry season. Transmission potential was 3.6 times higher during the rains than during the dry season. The percentage infectivity was relatively high (13.2%) in June, corresponding to 8.8 infective bites per person per month. All infective A. gambiae, were caught between 22.00 and 03.00 hours. The average load of L3 larvae per infective A. gambiae was 1.4 L3/mosquito. The monthly transmission potential calculated for each month indicated that transmission was ongoing for most of the months of the year, especially in the rainy season. Emmanuel C. Uttah, Dominic Ibe, and Gloria N. Wokem Copyright © 2013 Emmanuel C. Uttah et al. All rights reserved. Wed, 19 Dec 2012 11:39:44 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/isrn/entomology/2013/286182/ DNA extraction frequently requires destruction of whole samples. However, when the sample is very rare or has taxonomic importance, nondestructive DNA extraction is required for preservation of voucher specimens. In the case of arthropod specimens, minor anatomical structures such as a single leg or a single wing are often sacrificed instead of the whole body for DNA extraction. In an attempt to save the entire anatomical structure of specimens, several authors tried to brew the whole specimen in a lysis buffer and to extract DNA from the “soup.” We applied this nondestructive DNA extraction technique to a forensically important blowfly species, Phaenicia sericata. With nondestructive DNA extraction, a satisfactory quantity and quality of DNA for PCR amplification was obtained with only minimal anatomical disruptions that do not alter the morphologic identification. This nondestructive method may be applicable to DNA extraction of rare samples as well as vouchering of regular fly samples. Seong Yoon Kim, Seong Hwan Park, Huguo Piao, Ukhee Chung, Kwang Soo Ko, and Juck-Joon Hwang Copyright © 2013 Seong Yoon Kim et al. All rights reserved.