A new subgenus of Orinda Kirkaldy, 1907, Montorinda subgen. nov., is described to accommodate two new species from southeastern Queensland, O. (Montorinda) eungellana sp. nov. from Eungella National ...Park and O. (Montorinda) montana sp. nov. from Mount Walsh National Park. The new species are compared to the other species of the genus and a new subgenus Scapulorinda subgen. nov. is described to accommodate Orinda (Scapulorinda) scapularis (Jacobi, 1928), leaving a single species in the subgenus Orinda: O. (Orinda) lucindae (Kirkaldy, 1906). Illustrations of the male holotype, a female paratype and male genitalia are provided for both new species as well as habitus and wing of O. (Scapulorinda) scapularis (Jacobi, 1928), the most closely related species, for comparison. The type series of the O. (Montorinda) montana sp. nov. was collected on Grevillea whiteana Mc Gill. (Proteaceae). The genus Orinda is only recorded from Queensland and now contains four species.
The genus Cleotyche in the monotypic Australian planthopper tribe Cleotychini (Fulgoroidea: Dictyopharidae) is reviewed. The subgenus Griseotyche subgen. nov. is described to accommodate one species ...Cleotyche blanda Emeljanov, 2011 while the second species, C. mariae Emeljanov, 1997, is retained in the subgenus Cleotyche (Cleotyche) Emeljanov, 1997. Three new species of Cleotyche (Cleotyche) from Queensland, C. (Cleotyche) christinae sp. nov. from Cania Gorge National Park, C. (Cleotyche) francescoi sp. nov. from Eurimbula National Park and C. (Cleotyche) montana sp. nov. from Blackdown Tableland National Park are described and compared to the type species of the subgenus, C. (Cleotyche) mariae Emeljanov, 1997. Illustration of the type specimens, male and female whenever available, and a distribution map are provided for the five species of the genus. The male genitalia and habitat of the three new species are illustrated. The tribe Cleotychini now contains one genus, Cleotyche with two subgenera and five species. Biological, ecological and biogeographical information is provided where available for each species. The diversity of Australian Dictyopharidae and mimicry of jumping spiders (Araneae: Salticidae) in Cleotychini are discussed briefly.
The nomenclature of all arthropods treated in Charles French's monumental 'A Handbook of the Destructive Insects of Victoria' is reviewed and, where necessary, updated to increase the current value ...of this work. A systematic checklist of all taxa includes all changes needed for recognition of the species discussed, and is preceded by a historical introduction to the importance and gestation of the Handbook.
Carpophilus truncatus Murray 1864, is a species of sap beetle which has been recorded from many countries worldwide, and has become recognised as an important pest of nuts. In this study, we present ...a re-description of C. truncatus including diagnostic photographic images of the adults and larvae, and demonstrate that Carpophilus jarijari Powell & Hamilton, 2019 is a junior subjective synonym of C. truncatus. Information about the species' distribution in Australia is updated. DNA barcode sequence data for C. truncatus is reviewed and augmented to enable differentiation from other morphologically similar Carpophilus species that are associated with nuts as hosts, including the cosmopolitan Carpophilus dimidiatus (Fabricius, 1792), for which C. truncatus has sometimes been misidentified. This analysis revealed that existing reference DNA sequences of "C. dimidiatus" consist of three highly genetically divergent lineages, representing three species: the cosmopolitan C. dimidiatus, the widespread C. truncatus, and a newly described species, Carpophilus imitatus sp. nov., known from south-eastern Asia and Australia.
The contribution of urban greenspaces to support biodiversity and provide benefits for people is increasingly recognized. However, ongoing management practices favor vegetation oversimplification, ...often limiting greenspaces to lawns and tree canopy rather than multi-layered vegetation that includes under- and midstorey, and the use of nonnative species. These practices hinder the potential of greenspaces to sustain indigenous biodiversity, particularly for taxa like insects that rely on plants for food and habitat. Yet, little is known about which plant species may maximize positive outcomes for taxonomically and functionally diverse insect communities in greenspaces. Additionally, while cities are expected to experience high rates of introductions, quantitative assessments of the relative occupancy of indigenous vs. introduced insect species in greenspace are rare, hindering understanding of how management may promote indigenous biodiversity while limiting the establishment of introduced insects. Using a hierarchically replicated study design across 15 public parks, we recorded occurrence data from 552 insect species on 133 plant species, differing in planting design element (lawn, midstorey, and tree canopy), midstorey growth form (forbs, lilioids, graminoids, and shrubs) and origin (nonnative, native, and indigenous), to assess (1) the relative contributions of indigenous and introduced insect species and (2) which plant species sustained the highest number of indigenous insects. We found that the insect community was overwhelmingly composed of indigenous rather than introduced species. Our findings further highlight the core role of multi-layered vegetation in sustaining high insect biodiversity in urban areas, with indigenous midstorey and canopy representing key elements to maintain rich and functionally diverse indigenous insect communities. Intriguingly, graminoids supported the highest indigenous insect richness across all studied growth forms by plant origin groups. Our work highlights the opportunity presented by indigenous understory and midstorey plants, particularly indigenous graminoids, in our study area to promote indigenous insect biodiversity in urban greenspaces. Our study provides a blueprint and stimulus for architects, engineers, developers, designers, and planners to incorporate into their practice plant species palettes that foster a larger presence of indigenous over regionally native or nonnative plant species, while incorporating a broader mixture of midstorey growth forms.
The nomenclature of all arthropods treated in Charles French's monumental 'A Handbook of the Destructive Insects of Victoria' is reviewed and, where necessary, updated to increase the current value ...of this work. A systematic checklist of all taxa includes all changes needed for recognition of the species discussed, and is preceded by a historical introduction to the importance and gestation of the Handbook.
Identification of adult fruit flies primarily involves microscopic examination of diagnostic morphological characters, while immature stages, such as larvae, can be more problematic. One of the ...Australia’s most serious horticultural pests, the Queensland Fruit Fly (Bactrocera tryoni: Tephritidae), is of particular biosecurity/quarantine concern as the immature life stages occur within food produce and can be difficult to identify using morphological characteristics. DNA barcoding of the mitochondrial Cytochrome Oxidase I (COI) gene could be employed to increase the accuracy of fruit fly species identifications. In our study, we tested the utility of standard DNA barcoding techniques and found them to be problematic for Queensland Fruit Flies, which (i) possess a nuclear copy (a numt pseudogene) of the barcoding region of COI that can be co‐amplified; and (ii) as in previous COI phylogenetic analyses closely related B. tryoni complex species appear polyphyletic. We found that the presence of a large deletion in the numt copy of COI allowed an alternative primer to be designed to only amplify the mitochondrial COI locus in tephritid fruit flies. Comparisons of alternative commonly utilized mitochondrial genes, Cytochrome Oxidase II and Cytochrome b, revealed a similar level of variation to COI; however, COI is the most informative for DNA barcoding, given the large number of sequences from other tephritid fruit fly species available for comparison. Adopting DNA barcoding for the identification of problematic fly specimens provides a powerful tool to distinguish serious quarantine fruit fly pests (Tephritidae) from endemic fly species of lesser concern.
Small hive beetle (SHB), Aethina tumida can feed on honey, pollen and brood in honey bee colonies. It was endemic to Africa, but since 1996 has been detected in a number of countries worldwide, ...including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Italy, Mexico, South Korea, Philippines and the USA where it has had economic effects on local apiculture. To improve SHB identification, we obtained the first reference sequences from the DNA barcoding 5' COI gene region for SHB and some species of the family Nitidulidae associated with beehives. Phylogenetic analysis of SHB COI sequences (3' COI) revealed two divergent lineages, with those from Australia and USA being genetically different from the recent detection in Italy. Many countries, including New Zealand, are currently free from SHB, and require a rapid detection method for biosecurity. Here we present the development and validation of a real-time PCR assay for detection of SHB. The assay showed high specificity and sensitivity for detecting SHB, with no cross-reaction observed with closely related species, such as A. concolor. The real-time PCR is sensitive, detecting the target sequences up to 100 copies/µL. This assay should prove a useful biosecurity tool for rapid detection of SHB worldwide.
Understanding the relationship between incursions of insect pests and established populations is critical to implementing effective control. Studies of genetic variation can provide powerful tools to ...examine potential invasion pathways and longevity of individual pest outbreaks. The major fruit fly pest in eastern Australia, Queensland fruit fly Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt), has been subject to significant long‐term quarantine and population reduction control measures in the major horticulture production areas of southeastern Australia, at the species southern range limit. Previous studies have employed microsatellite markers to estimate gene flow between populations across this region. In this study, we used an independent genetic marker, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences, to screen genetic variation in established and adjacent outbreak populations in southeastern Australia. During the study period, favorable environmental conditions resulted in multiple outbreaks, which appeared genetically distinctive and relatively geographically localized, implying minimal dispersal between simultaneous outbreaks. Populations in established regions were found to occur over much larger areas. Screening mtDNA (female) lineages proved to be an effective alternative genetic tool to assist in understanding fruit fly population dynamics and provide another possible molecular method that could now be employed for better understanding of the ecology and evolution of this and other pest species.
Molecular variation, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences, was examined from multiple established and outbreak populations of Queensland fruit fly as it was in the process of becoming established across a new geographic region at the species range limit in southeastern Australia. Our examination of mtDNA sequences proved as effective as previously employed molecular markers, microsatellites, at revealing the underlying population structure of this pest species, clearly showing the influence of past population control measures and the extent of gene flow between populations. Examining mtDNA haplotype sequences offers several advantages over previously employed methods, including ease of data generation and analysis as well as the ability to accumulate information over time to examine the persistence of new pest outbreaks at the species range limit.
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