Entomological survey was carried out to record dengue vectors during pre- and post-monsoon seasons in 2012 from different breeding places in residential and forested areas of different altitudes of the Nilgiris, namely, Mettupalayam (330&#x2009;mts), Kallar (400&#x2009;mts), Burliar (900&#x2009;mts), Marapalam (1050&#x2009;mts), and Coonoor (1800&#x2009;mts). Results showed that maximum number of dengue vector breeding was recorded at Mettupalayam during pre-monsoon season followed by Kallar, Burliar, Coonoor, and Marapalam. The post-monsoon season survey also revealed that the maximum number of dengue vector breeding was found at Mettupalayam, followed by Burliar, Coonoor, and Kallar, and Aedes immature was not found in Marapalam. Ae. aegypti species was recorded in all the study areas during pre- and post-monsoon seasons. Whereas Ae. albopictus was recorded only at Mettupalayam, Kallar, and Burliar during pre- and post-monsoon seasons. Besides these two dengue vectors, a nonvector species Ae. vittatus (<svg style="vertical-align:-0.20474pt;width:36.237499px;" id="M1" height="11.175" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 36.237499 11.175" width="36.237499" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
	
		
			<g transform="matrix(.017,-0,0,-.017,.062,10.862)"><path id="x1D45B" d="M495 86q-46 -47 -87 -72.5t-63 -25.5q-43 0 -16 107l49 210q7 34 8 50.5t-3 21t-13 4.5q-35 0 -109.5 -72.5t-115.5 -140.5q-21 -75 -38 -159q-50 -10 -76 -21l-6 8l84 340q8 35 -4 35q-17 0 -67 -46l-15 26q44 44 85.5 70.5t64.5 26.5q35 0 10 -103l-24 -98h2&#xA;q42 56 97 103.5t96 71.5q46 26 74 26q9 0 16 -2.5t14 -11.5t9.5 -24.5t-1 -44t-13.5 -68.5q-30 -117 -47 -200q-4 -19 -3.5 -25t6.5 -6q21 0 70 48z" /></g><g transform="matrix(.017,-0,0,-.017,13.305,10.862)"><path id="x3D" d="M535 323h-483v50h483v-50zM535 138h-483v50h483v-50z" /></g><g transform="matrix(.017,-0,0,-.017,28.008,10.862)"><path id="x39" d="M244 635q90 0 143 -72t53 -177q0 -133 -65 -229.5t-171 -139.5q-79 -32 -140 -32l-5 30q109 18 185 91t101 186l-68 -36q-29 -16 -60 -16q-79 0 -129 51.5t-50 130.5q0 80 57 146.5t149 66.5zM228 602q-52 0 -78 -45.5t-26 -98.5q0 -69 36.5 -115.5t97.5 -46.5&#xA;q53 0 90 28q4 31 4 66q0 51 -9.5 95.5t-39 80.5t-75.5 36z" /></g>

		
	
</svg>) was also recorded at Kallar and Burliar.

R. Ravikumar

A. Daniel Reegan

P. Chandrasekar

C. Senthil Kumar

Distribution of Dengue Vectors during Pre- and Post-Monsoon Seasons in Higher Attitudes of Nilgiri Hills of Western Ghats, India

The attractiveness of oviposition site for malaria vector mosquitoes is dependent upon a number of physical and chemical factors. Many aspects of mosquito behavior, including host location and oviposition, are mediated by volatile semiochemicals. It is anticipated that selection of oviposition site by semio-chemicals in the form of attractants or stimulants can be used in oviposition traps to monitor or possibly in combination with insecticides to control gravid mosquito populations for mass trapping. So far, volatile compounds identified as oviposition attractants for mosquitoes include phenol, 4-methyl phenol, 4-ethyl phenol, indole, skatole, and p-cresol from hay infusions; 3-carene, &#x3b1;-terpinene, &#x3b1;-copaene, &#x3b1;-cedrene, and d-cadinene released by copepods; alcohol and terpenoids including p-cresol from plants; ethyl acetate and hydrocarbon substances, probably released by filamentous algae; 3-methyl-1-butanol identified from bacteria. Research priorities should be directed at identifying more oviposition attractants to determine the properties of these semio-chemicals for possible use in designing control tools. This would aim at luring females to lethal traps or stimulants to increase their exposure to insecticide-impregnated substrates.

Yousif E. Himeidan

Emmanuel A. Temu

El Amin El Rayah

Stephen Munga

Eliningaya J. Kweka

Chemical Cues for Malaria Vectors Oviposition Site Selection: Challenges and Opportunities

We present four summers (2006&#x2013;2009) of field observations of the Diana fritillary, Speyeria diana (Cramer, 1777), throughout the Southern Appalachian Mountains, USA, in the eastern portion of its distribution. We describe our observations of resource use by S. diana in sites located in Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. Butterflies imbibed nectar from five genera (&#x3e;11 species) of flowering plants and also imbibed liquid from dirt roads and horse manure. The majority of butterflies (57&#x25;) were observed feeding on milkweed, Asclepias spp., a high-quality nectar-producing plant which is known to be an important resource for many Lepidoptera. We documented 14 species of Viola spp., the larval host plant used by Speyeria, in our survey sites. All butterflies were marked to observe their movement. Recapture rates ranged from 17&#x25; to 56&#x25;, suggesting that dispersal of S. diana out of suitable habitat was somewhat limited.

Carrie N. Wells

Eric A. Smith

Observations of Resource Use by the Threatened Diana Fritillary Butterfly (Speyeria diana) in the Southern Appalachian Mountains, USA

A study on dipteran utility in assisting investigation of unattended deaths was carried out in mangrove areas of Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, and Masai, Johor, in Peninsular Malaysia by using rabbit carrions as the model. The aim of this study was to determine the dipteran species diversity and their succession over the decomposition period of the rabbit carrions. A total of 229 individuals belonging to 11 species from six families of Diptera were successfully identified from both study sites in October and December 2007. Chrysomya megacephala, C. rufifacies, and Hydrotaea sp. were found to be the most abundant species recorded in this study. More species were collected from Masai with 10 species compared to Kuala Terengganu with nine species. Ecological indices (Shannon Wiener Index, Margalef Index, and Evenness Index) showed that Masai scored higher diversity, richness, and evenness values than Kuala Terengganu. However, Mann-Whitney <svg style="vertical-align:-0.23206pt;width:13.1px;" id="M1" height="11.4625" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 13.1 11.4625" width="13.1" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g transform="matrix(.017,-0,0,-.017,.062,11.112)"><path id="x1D448" d="M751 650l-6 -28q-53 -1 -69 -12.5t-24 -38.5q-23 -85 -43 -192l-13 -69q-34 -181 -130 -262q-79 -65 -185 -65t-171 57q-87 77 -54 258l42 232q12 58 0.5 73t-75.5 19l8 28h263l-6 -28q-63 -5 -78 -18t-26 -74l-41 -226q-25 -135 22 -201t139 -66q99 0 161.5 68t91.5 217&#xA;l11 57q28 149 28 193q0 28 -19 38t-79 12l6 28h247z" /></g></svg> test did not show significant difference among the individuals represented at each study site (<svg style="vertical-align:-0.1638pt;width:58.712502px;" id="M2" height="11.375" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 58.712502 11.375" width="58.712502" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g transform="matrix(.017,-0,0,-.017,.062,11.112)"><path id="x1D443" d="M619 482q0 -69 -40.5 -119t-96 -72.5t-118.5 -26.5h-44l-70 20l-31 -151q-14 -67 0.5 -83t89.5 -22l-5 -28h-287l8 28q65 7 81.5 22t29.5 83l79 398q12 56 0.5 70.5t-78.5 20.5l7 28h255q108 0 164 -43t56 -125zM524 478q0 141 -146 141q-25 0 -47 -8q-16 -6 -20.5 -13.5&#xA;t-10.5 -39.5l-43 -241q37 -13 83 -13q67 0 125.5 45t58.5 129z" /></g><g transform="matrix(.017,-0,0,-.017,15.582,11.112)"><path id="x3E" d="M512 230l-437 -233v58l378 199v2l-378 200v58l437 -233v-51z" /></g><g transform="matrix(.017,-0,0,-.017,30.286,11.112)"><path id="x30" d="M241 635q53 0 94 -28.5t63.5 -76t33.5 -102.5t11 -116q0 -58 -11 -112.5t-34 -103.5t-63.5 -78.5t-94.5 -29.5t-95 28t-64.5 75t-34.5 102.5t-11 118.5q0 58 11.5 112.5t34.5 103t64.5 78t95.5 29.5zM238 602q-32 0 -55.5 -25t-35.5 -68t-17.5 -91t-5.5 -105&#xA;q0 -76 10 -138.5t37 -107.5t69 -45q32 0 55.5 25t35.5 68.5t17.5 91.5t5.5 105t-5.5 105.5t-18 92t-36 68t-56.5 24.5z" /></g><g transform="matrix(.017,-0,0,-.017,38.446,11.112)"><path id="x2E" d="M113 -12q-24 0 -39.5 16t-15.5 42q0 24 16 40.5t40 16.5t40 -16.5t16 -40.5q0 -26 -16 -42t-41 -16z" /></g><g transform="matrix(.017,-0,0,-.017,42.321,11.112)"><use xlink:href="#x30" /></g><g transform="matrix(.017,-0,0,-.017,50.481,11.112)"><path id="x35" d="M153 550l-26 -186q79 31 111 31q90 0 141.5 -51t51.5 -119q0 -93 -89 -166q-85 -69 -173 -71q-32 0 -61.5 11.5t-41.5 23.5q-18 17 -17 34q2 16 22 33q14 9 26 -1q61 -50 124 -50q60 0 93 43.5t33 104.5q0 69 -41.5 110t-121.5 41q-53 0 -102 -20l38 305h286l6 -8&#xA;l-26 -65h-233z" /></g></svg>). Calliphoridae predominated in the carrion during the fresh, bloat, and active decay stages of decomposition. Dipteran development was documented to be meteorologically dependent whereby; low temperature and high rainfall inhibit their colonization. Data collected in this study can hopefully serve as the basis for future estimates of the postmortem interval (PMI) particularly in mangrove area of tropical regions.

Wahizatul Afzan Azmi

S. P. Lim

Comparative Study of Dipteran Species Diversity and Their Succession on Rabbit Carrion in Two Different Mangrove Areas of Peninsular Malaysia

We studied butterfly assemblages at six types of riparian landscapes in five different watersheds in the southwestern United States (<svg style="vertical-align:-0.1638pt;width:44.400002px;" id="M1" height="11.125" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 44.400002 11.125" width="44.400002" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
	
		
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</svg> sites). Sites included exotic-invasive Tamarix ramosissima (tamarisk) dominated sites; sites where tamarisk was controlled, but not actively revegetated; sites revegetated with upland plants; sites where control was followed with riparian plant revegetation; native riparian vegetation sites; and sites that were a mixture of native and tamarisk vegetations. Local butterfly species were linked regionally by identifying species consisting of more sensitive butterflies that are less resilient to vegetation changes and environmental perturbations and then identifying a subgroup that was reported from all watersheds. This allowed for a regional assessment relevant to all watersheds. Significant differences were found between the abundance of these in-common disturbance sensitive species at different landscapes. Sites where tamarisk was removed without restoration had butterfly metrics similar to the low values at tamarisk sites. The assumption that tamarisk removal is sufficient to recover sensitive species was not true in cases we examined. Soil moisture and riparian condition were identified as important variables associated with abundance of more sensitive butterfly species. Results support the importance of reinstating stream-flow regimes and suggest active restoration of sites if sensitive riparian wildlife species are desired.

S. Mark Nelson

Rick Wydoski

Butterfly Assemblages Associated with Invasive Tamarisk (Tamarix spp.) Sites: Comparisons with Tamarisk Control and Native Vegetation Reference Sites

The nesting biology of Odynerus albopictus calcaratus and Odynerus femoratus was studied in the Crimea (south of Ukraine); 46 nests of O. a. calcaratus and 18 nests of O. femoratus were examined. Both species nest on horizontal ground surfaces. The nests are vertical burrows surmounted by turrets. Females use water during nest construction and retrieve mud pellets from the nest burrow; these pellets are of two distinct sizes: small ones are used for the turret construction and big ones are dropped away. Females hunt for larvae of curculionid beetles of the genus Hypera. Completed nests are sealed with demolished turrets and nest burrows are usually entirely filled with mud. The nests of O. a. calcaratus contain 1-2 cells; the nests of O. femoratus contain 1&#x2013;10 cells. The turrets of O. a. calcaratus are curved, and opened sideward; the turrets of O. femoratus are straight, and opened upward. The nesting success is 83&#x25; in O. a. calcaratus and 55&#x25; in O. femoratus. Most of the wasps died due to abiotic factors (e.g., rain). The nest structures of the species in the genus Odynerus studied so far are compared, and the function of the nest turret is discussed.

Alexander V. Fateryga

Nesting Biology of Odynerus albopictus calcaratus (Morawitz, 1885) and Odynerus femoratus de Saussure, 1856 (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae)

Previously, the biology of the longhorn grasshopper Ruspolia differens Serville (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) from northwest Tanzania was mainly inferred based on the morphological and behavioural characters with which its taxonomic status was delineated. The present study complements the previous analysis by examining the phylogenetic relationship of this insect based on the nuclear ribosomal molecular evidence. In the approach, the 18S rDNA of this insect was extracted, amplified, sequenced, and aligned, and the resultant data were used to reconstruct and analyze the phylogeny of this insect based on the catalogued data.

Nicodemus D. Matojo

Keneth M. Hosea

Phylogenetic Relationship of the Longhorn Grasshopper Ruspolia differens Serville (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) from Northwest Tanzania Based on 18S Ribosomal Nuclear Sequences

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Journal of Insects