Forage Plant Host and Early Feeding Choices Affect Spodoptera litura Feeding, Development and Egg-Laying

We assessed Spodoptera litura (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) performance on five common pasture plant species. Larvae consumed more dock, plantain and chicory per day than red or white clover, but with lower conversion efficiencies. Feeding on red clover reduced weights and egg laying, and lengthened development times compared with plantain. When given a choice, neonates appeared not to seek a preferred host. However, early feeding on red clover resulted in persistently lower larval weights, even after switching to a better host.

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

‘Crucial opportunity to act’ as study finds most of Europe’s wild bee species in decline

As Cop17 kicks off, records since 1921 show more bee species declining than increasing in all parts of Europe except the Alps

theguardian.com

Evolutionary Shifts in Life-History Traits of Culex quinquefasciatus (Culicidae) Under Sustained Insecticide Pressure

Culex quinquefasciatus, a key urban vector, shows increasing insecticide resistance with life-history costs. Study tracked multigenerational (F1–F8) morphological and resistance changes under sublethal deltamethrin (LC50 = 0.001 μL/mL). Mosquitoes reared under controlled insectary conditions; survival, fecundity, and wing length were analyzed using LMM/GLMM. Females showed higher survival under selection pressure. Selected cohorts exhibited increased body size. Fecundity increased across generations, indicating adaptive trade-offs. Resistance evolved as a life-history strategy, complicating vector control.

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

static.inaturalist.org

Red List Review - British Dragonfly Society

Title image: Northern Emerald by Iain Leach

british-dragonflies.org.uk

Deep learning reveals ecological decoupling and rate heterogeneity in Hymenoptera wing evolution

Quantifying biomorphological evolution and integrating phenotypic data into large-scale ecological and evolutionary studies are often limited by the scalability, subjectivity, and poor interpretabilit...

science.org

Honeybees are barging aside wild pollinators in hunt for pollen and nectar, study finds

As a surge in beekeepers has lead to increased numbers of honeybees, researchers record them pushing bumblebees and other rival species away from flowers

theguardian.com

A New Experimental Setup to Study the Olfactory Behaviour of Trichogramma Egg Parasitoids

We developed an experimental setup to assess odor-induced egg-laying behavior in tiny egg-parasitoid wasps. This Y-shaped olfactometer, coupled with an AI-based image-recognition model,…

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Population Dynamics and Temporal Genetic Structure of the Rice Stem Borer Chilo suppressalis in the Typical Bivoltine Area of Northern China

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Comparative Toxicity of Bordeaux Mixture by Ingestion and Cuticular Contact Under Climate Change Conditions on Trichogramma cordubensis

In the face of environmental contamination to copper, mainly resulting from frequent copper-based fungicide applications, it is crucial to understand the side effects of these pesticides on non-target organisms to improve pest management. Trichogramma cordubensis, used as a biological control agent against grape berry moths in vineyards, shows strongly reduced longevity when ingesting copper, whereas cuticular contact to a copper-based fungicide remains mostly harmless. Warming conditions reduce the longevity of T. cordubensis by a third no matter the exposure route.

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

How Do Group Size and Social Context Affect Per-Capita Behavioral Responses in a Nasute Termite?

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Genetic circuit rewiring underlies a lineage-specific patterning machinery on butterfly wings

Phenotypes evolve through changes in gene regulatory networks (GRNs), but how changes in network topology contribute to phenotypic evolution is still poorly understood. Butterfly wing color patterns p...

biorxiv.org