Abstract: What does ‘mosquito specialist’mean? A mosquito specialist is a predator that actively prefers mosquitoes, by which we mean that it is differentially motivated to capture mosquitoes among possible prey. This would make it extraordinarily useful, as it would be targeting an insect that matters to people. At best, the mosquito is a nuisance and, at worst,it is a notorious disease vector. There may be many predators that eat alot of mosquitoes, but experimental evidence is needed ...
Abstract: At six sites in western Kenya, we explored the presence of Anopheles immature stages in treeholes. An. gambiae larvae were found in 19 species, 13 of which are exotic. The most common exotic species were Delonix regia, Jacaranda mimosipholia, and Eucalyptus citrodora. In Kisumu city, longitudinal assessments of 10 flamboyant trees showed repeated presence of An. gambiae s.s. in treeholes with water. Production of Anopheles larvae did not correlate with habitat volume but with habit...
Abstract: Many arboviruses transmitted by mosquitoes have been implicated as causative agents of both human and animal illnesses in East Africa. Although epidemics of arboviral emerging infectious diseases have risen in frequency in recent years, the extent to which mosquitoes maintain pathogens in circulation during inter-epidemic periods is still poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate whether arboviruses may be maintained by vertical transmission via immature life stages of dif...
Abstract: Background: A previous study showed for Anopheles gambiae s.s. a gradation of feeding preference on common plant species growing in a malaria holoendemic area in western Kenya. The present follow-up study determines whether there is a relationship between the mosquito's preferences and its survival and fecundity. Methods: Groups of mosquitoes were separately given ad libitum opportunity to feed on five of the more preferred plant species (Hamelia patens, Parthenium hysterophorus, R...
Abstract: As a case study of how insects use masks as a defence against vision-guided predators, an experimental study was carried out using Acanthaspis petax, a reduviid bug (‘ant bug’) that covers itself with a ‘mask’, or ‘backpack’, made from carcasses of its preferred prey (ants), and three salticid spider species, Hyllus sp., Plexippus sp. and Thyene sp., salticids being predators with exceptionally acute vision. The ant bugs and the salticids were from the Lake Victoria reg...
Abstract: Some jumping spiders (family Salticidae) bear a striking resemblance to ants, a dangerous type of prey, both in terms of their appearance and in terms of how they move. Recent research has taken important steps toward determining whether predators categorize these spiders as ants on the basis of the way they move.
Abstract: This special issue was organised in the context of the 22nd meeting of the Association of African Insect Scientists (AAIS), in Wad Medani, Sudan in 2017. The aim was to ‘support impactful research that will yield genuine edible insects products and sustain value chains that enhance food and nutritional security and support sustained livelihoods in Africa’. The issue is composed of contributions from the following countries: Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Nigeria,Mali, Burkina Faso, Ca...
Abstract: Myrmarachne assimilis, an ant-like (myrmecomorphic) jumping spider (Araneae, Salticidae) from the Philippines, is a Batesian mimic of Oecophylla smaragdina, the Asian weaver ant. Salticids are well known for their acute eyesight and the elaborate vision-based display behaviour they adopt during encounters with conspecific individuals, but most salticids are not myrmecomorphic. Despite its unusual morphology, M. assimilis adopts display behaviour during intraspecific interactions th...
Abstract: Mosquitoes are vectors of many severe diseases, including malaria, yellow as well as dengue fever, and lymphatic filariasis. The use of synthetic chemical insecticides for mosquito control has been associated with resistance development and detrimental human, and ecological effects. For a safer alternative, the emulsified Ocimum kilimandscharicum oil formulation was evaluated for its larvicidal activity. The oil was analyzed by GC and GC/MS. The formulations were evaluated against ...
Abstract: Mating deeply affects female physiology and behavior. The major factors responsible for such post-mating changes that were identified so far comprise the act of mating itself, the ejaculate transferred by the male during copulation, and the female microbiome. The genes regulating post-mating responses have been only partially characterized, and mostly in model organisms. In most insects, the molecules transferred in the male ejaculate are still completely unknown, as are the biosyn...
Abstract: In this era of global climate change, intrinsic rapid and evolutionary responses of invasive agricultural pests to thermal variability are of concern given the potential implications on their biogeography and dire consequences on human food security. For insects, chill coma recovery time (CCRT) and critical thermal minima (CTmin ), the point at which neuromuscu-lar coordination is lost following cold exposure, remain good indices for cold tolerance. Using laboratory-reared Spodopte...
Abstract: Olfaction is orchestrated at different stages and involves various proteins at each step.For example, odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) are soluble proteins found in sensillum lymph that might encounter odorants before reaching the odorant receptors. In tsetse flies, the function of OBPs in olfaction is less understood. Here, we investigated the role of OBPs in Glossina fuscipes fuscipes olfaction, the main vector of sleeping sickness, using multidisciplinary approaches. Our tissue e...
Abstract: Desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) plagues threaten agricultural production, food security and the environment across Africa, the Middle East, and Southwest Asia. Control methods targeting adult desert locusts present significant challenges and financial costs. Recognizing this, we developed a ground-breaking fuzzy set Mamdani type inference model that provides an innovative solution for early warning alerts. The model aids in predicting the juvenile stages of locust development...
Abstract: Female-biased sex ratios in Danaus chrysippus (Linnaeus) (family Nymphalidae, subfamily Danainae, tribe Danaini) populations are attributed to the action of an endosymbiotic ‘male-killer’ bacterium of the genus Spiroplasma. In stark contrast to the extensive geographic range of their host, the Spiroplasma appears to be restricted to East Africa, where four African D. chrysippus subspecies exist sympatrically and form a hybrid zone. In this study, specimens collected at three sa...
Abstract: The Commercial Insects Projector the International Center of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Icipe is investigating beekeeping with stingless bees, meliponiculture....(continue from the attached pdf)