The green tree ant, Oecophylla smaragdina, is one of only two recognized species of weaver ants. While the identity and functions of chemicals produced and emitted by its congener O. longinoda have been studied quite extensively and serve as a valuable model in chemical ecology research, little comparable information is available about O. smaragdina. Although some analyses of chemicals produced and emitted by O. smaragdina have been reported, the literature is fragmentary and incomplete for this species. To address this knowledge gap, and to enable comparisons in the chemical ecology of the two weaver ant species, we here describe diverse chemicals from the cuticle, Dufour’s glands, poison glands, head, headspace volatiles, and trails of O. smaragdina.
Fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) are major pests of fruits and vegetables in many countries, including Indonesia. Knowledge of the fruit fly host range in a specific area is an important part of the area-wide pest management program to reduce the pest problem. The aim of this study was to extend and update the information on the host range of fruit flies in the Regency of Sleman, Yogyakarta. This area is one of the centers of fruit production, particularly snake fruit in Indonesia. Fruit sampling was conducted from August 2019 to February 2020 in four sub-districts in Sleman consisting of different types of agro-ecosystems. Fruit rearing was carried out in the laboratory followed by identification of the fruit and fruit flies that emerged to species level. From the 23 species of fruits belonging to 14 different families that were collected, the following 6 species of fruit flies emerged: Bactrocera dorsalis, B. carambolae, B. umbrosa, B. albistrigata, B. mcgregori, and Zeugodacus cucurbitae. Bactrocera dorsalis and B. carambolae utilized the widest range of hosts, 12 and 11 species of fruits, respectively. Syzygium cumini, Malpighia emarginata, and Phaleria macrocarpa were recorded for the first time as new hosts of B. carambolae in Indonesia. Additional data of B. dorsalis and B. carambolae infesting salak cv. pondoh is also reported.
Australia and Southeast Asia are hotspots of global diversity in the fruit-fly genus Bactrocera. Although a great diversity of species has been long recognised, evolutionary relationships are poorly understood, largely because previous sequencing techniques have provided insufficient historical signal for phylogenetic reconstruction. Poorly understood biogeographic history in Bactrocera has prevented a deeper understanding of migratory patterns in this economically important pest group. Using representatives from Australia and Malaysia, we tested the utility of a genome-reduction approach that generates thousands of single-nucleotide polymorphisms for phylogenetic reconstructions. This approach has high utility for species identification because of the ease of sample addition over time, and the species-level specificity able to be achieved with the markers. These data have provided a strongly supported phylogenetic tree congruent with topologies generated using more intensive sequencing approaches. In addition, our results do not support taxonomic assignments to species complex for a number of species, such as B. endiandrae in the dorsalis complex, yet find a close relationship between B. pallida and the dorsalis species. Our data have further validated non-monophyletic evolution of male response to primary attractants. We also showed at least two diversification events between Australia and Southeast Asia, indicating trans-regional dispersal in important pest species.
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