-
Toxins Jun 2020is the most successful microbial insecticide agent and its proteins have been studied for many years due to its toxicity against insects mainly belonging to the orders... (Review)
Review
is the most successful microbial insecticide agent and its proteins have been studied for many years due to its toxicity against insects mainly belonging to the orders Lepidoptera, Diptera and Coleoptera, which are pests of agro-forestry and medical-veterinary interest. However, studies on the interactions between this bacterium and the insect species classified in the order Coleoptera are more limited when compared to other insect orders. To date, 45 Cry proteins, 2 Cyt proteins, 11 Vip proteins, and 2 Sip proteins have been reported with activity against coleopteran species. A number of these proteins have been successfully used in some insecticidal formulations and in the construction of transgenic crops to provide protection against main beetle pests. In this review, we provide an update on the activity of Bt toxins against coleopteran insects, as well as specific information about the structure and mode of action of coleopteran Bt proteins.
Topics: Animals; Bacillus thuringiensis; Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins; Biological Control Agents; Coleoptera; Crops, Agricultural; Endotoxins; Hemolysin Proteins; Pest Control, Biological; Plants, Genetically Modified
PubMed: 32610662
DOI: 10.3390/toxins12070430 -
Current Biology : CB Jan 2022Marek Dzurenko and Jiri Hulcr introduce the fungus farming ambrosia beetles.
Marek Dzurenko and Jiri Hulcr introduce the fungus farming ambrosia beetles.
Topics: Ambrosia; Animals; Coleoptera; Fungi; Weevils
PubMed: 35077686
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.11.043 -
Current Biology : CB Jun 2019Frank T. Krell and Allison R. Moon introduce dung beetles.
Frank T. Krell and Allison R. Moon introduce dung beetles.
Topics: Animals; Coleoptera; Conservation of Natural Resources; Diet; Feces; Feeding Behavior; Life History Traits
PubMed: 31211969
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.05.027 -
Journal of Comparative Physiology. A,... Mar 2023The present study tests the hypothesis that the specialized claws with a basal tooth found in some coccinellid beetles represent an adaptation to interlock with flexible...
The present study tests the hypothesis that the specialized claws with a basal tooth found in some coccinellid beetles represent an adaptation to interlock with flexible unbranched trichomes of different plants. We compared the attachment ability of three Coleoptera species, Chnootriba elaterii, Harmonia axyridis (both Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), and Chrysolina herbacea (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) with claws of different shape. The attachment ability of insect individuals with or without claws to a plant with leaves bearing straight non-branched trichomes (Cucurbita moschata) and to a plant with smooth leaves (Prunus laurocerasus) was measured in traction force experiments. Insect attachment ability was also tested on a resin replica of C. moschata leaf, to variate trichome stiffness, and on glass as a reference surface. Centrifugal force tester experiments were performed to compare the attachment ability of the two ladybird species to glass and to the leaf of C. moschata. Natural and artificial substrates were characterized in cryo-SEM. The collected data reveal that plant trichomes can enhance insect attachment to plant surface compared with smooth glass by increasing insect friction force, but this is directly related to the trichome stiffness. To effectively grasp soft trichomes, insects evolved special claws-associated structures, such as the dentate claws observed in Coccinellidae.
Topics: Animals; Coleoptera; Trichomes; Hoof and Claw; Insecta; Friction
PubMed: 35616716
DOI: 10.1007/s00359-022-01554-1 -
Heredity Jun 2021Flour beetles of the genus Tribolium have been utilised as informative study systems for over a century and contributed to major advances across many fields. This review... (Review)
Review
Flour beetles of the genus Tribolium have been utilised as informative study systems for over a century and contributed to major advances across many fields. This review serves to highlight the significant historical contribution that Tribolium study systems have made to the fields of ecology and evolution, and to promote their use as contemporary research models. We review the broad range of studies employing Tribolium to make significant advances in ecology and evolution. We show that research using Tribolium beetles has contributed a substantial amount to evolutionary and ecological understanding, especially in the fields of population dynamics, reproduction and sexual selection, population and quantitative genetics, and behaviour, physiology and life history. We propose a number of future research opportunities using Tribolium, with particular focus on how their amenability to forward and reverse genetic manipulation may provide a valuable complement to other insect models.
Topics: Animals; Coleoptera; Insecta; Models, Biological; Reproduction; Tribolium
PubMed: 33767370
DOI: 10.1038/s41437-021-00420-1 -
Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology Mar 2023Adult females and males of most species differ in many aspects of their morphology, physiology and behavior, in response to sex-specific selective pressures that... (Review)
Review
Adult females and males of most species differ in many aspects of their morphology, physiology and behavior, in response to sex-specific selective pressures that maximize fitness. While we have an increasingly good understanding of the genetic mechanisms that initiate these differences, the sex-specific developmental trajectories that generate them are much less well understood. Here we review recent advances in the sex-specific regulation of development focusing on two models where this development is increasingly well understood: Sexual dimorphism of body size in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster and sexual dimorphism of horns in the horned beetle Onthophagus taurus. Because growth and development are also supported by metabolism, the regulation of sex-specific metabolism during and after development is an important aspect of the generation of female and male phenotypes. Hitherto, the study of sex-specific development has largely been independent of the study of sex-specific metabolism. Nevertheless, as we discuss in this review, recent research has begun to reveal considerable overlap in the cellular and physiological mechanisms that regulate sex-specific development and metabolism.
Topics: Animals; Female; Male; Drosophila melanogaster; Coleoptera; Body Size; Sex Characteristics
PubMed: 35469676
DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.04.017 -
International Journal of Molecular... Apr 2024The Japanese pine sawyer serves as the primary vector for pine wilt disease, a devastating pine disease that poses a significant threat to the sustainable development...
The Japanese pine sawyer serves as the primary vector for pine wilt disease, a devastating pine disease that poses a significant threat to the sustainable development of forestry in the Eurasian region. Currently, trap devices based on informational compounds have played a crucial role in monitoring and controlling the population. However, the specific proteins within involved in recognizing the aforementioned informational compounds remain largely unclear. To elucidate the spatiotemporal distribution of chemosensory-related genes, this study conducted neural transcriptome analyses to investigate gene expression patterns in different body parts during the feeding and mating stages of both male and female beetles. The results revealed that 15 genes in the gustatory receptor (GR) gene family exhibited high expression in the mouthparts, most genes in the odorant binding protein (OBP) gene family exhibited high expression across all body parts, 22 genes in the odorant receptor (OR) gene family exhibited high expression in the antennae, a significant number of genes in the chemosensory protein (CSP) and sensory neuron membrane protein (SNMP) gene families exhibited high expression in both the mouthparts and antennae, and 30 genes in the ionotropic receptors (IR) gene family were expressed in the antennae. Through co-expression analyses, it was observed that 34 genes in the IR gene family were co-expressed across the four developmental stages. The Antenna IR subfamily and IR8a/Ir25a subfamily exhibited relatively high expression levels in the antennae, while the Kainate subfamily, NMDA subfamily, and Divergent subfamily exhibited predominantly high expression in the facial region. is expressed only during the feeding stage of , the gene exhibits specific expression in male beetles, the gene exhibits specific expression during the feeding stage in male beetles, the and genes exhibit specific expression during the feeding stage in female beetles, and is expressed only during two developmental stages in male beetles and during the mating stage in female beetles. The IR gene family exhibits gene-specific expression in different spatiotemporal contexts, laying the foundation for the subsequent selection of functional genes and facilitating the full utilization of host plant volatiles and insect sex pheromones, thereby enabling the development of more efficient attractants.
Topics: Animals; Coleoptera; Male; Transcriptome; Female; Receptors, Odorant; Insect Proteins; Gene Expression Profiling; Arthropod Antennae; Receptors, Ionotropic Glutamate
PubMed: 38674138
DOI: 10.3390/ijms25084553 -
PloS One 2022This protocol describes the different methods to collect and preserve bark and ambrosia beetles, detailing collecting tools, recording relevant data, and optimizing...
This protocol describes the different methods to collect and preserve bark and ambrosia beetles, detailing collecting tools, recording relevant data, and optimizing step-by-step methods to extract beetles from twigs, branches, bark, and trunks. It elaborates on trapping techniques, tools, lures, baits, and beetle preservation. The main rule of manual collecting is to not attempt to pry the insect out of the wood or bark, but instead, remove the wood/bark away from the beetle: gently and systematically. The main rule of trapping is that there is no general attractant; instead, attractants and traps should reflect the ecology of the targeted beetle taxa.
Topics: Ambrosia; Animals; Coleoptera; Insect Control; Plant Bark; Weevils; Wood
PubMed: 35427394
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265910 -
Current Opinion in Insect Science Apr 2022Fireflies are one of the best-known bioluminescent organisms, and the reaction mechanism and ecological utility of bioluminescence have been well-studied. Genome... (Review)
Review
Fireflies are one of the best-known bioluminescent organisms, and the reaction mechanism and ecological utility of bioluminescence have been well-studied. Genome assemblies of six species of bioluminescent beetles have recently been published. These studies have focused on the evolution of novelties; luciferase, and the biosynthesis of luciferin and defensive chemicals. For example, clustering of the luciferase gene with acyl-CoA synthetase genes on a chromosome in luminous beetle genomes suggests the involvement of tandem gene duplications and neofunctionalization during the evolution of beetle bioluminescence. Several candidate genes for critical roles in beetle bioluminescence have been identified, but their functional analyses are still ongoing. The establishment of a long-term mass-rearing system and strain will be the key for the post-genome research on bioluminescent beetles. Lastly, the application of contemporary chromosome-scale genome assembly techniques to luminous beetles will help resolve outstanding evolutionary questions, such as how many times bioluminescence evolved in this clade.
Topics: Animals; Coleoptera; Fireflies; Luciferases
PubMed: 35091104
DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2022.100879 -
Proceedings. Biological Sciences Jul 2022We understand very little about the timing and origins of bioluminescence, particularly as a predator avoidance strategy. Understanding the timing of its origins,...
We understand very little about the timing and origins of bioluminescence, particularly as a predator avoidance strategy. Understanding the timing of its origins, however, can help elucidate the evolution of this ecologically important signal. Using fireflies, a prevalent bioluminescent group where bioluminescence primarily functions as aposematic and sexual signals, we explore the origins of this signal in the context of their potential predators. Divergence time estimations were performed using genomic-scale datasets providing a robust estimate for the origin of firefly bioluminescence as both a terrestrial and as an aerial signal. Our results recover the origin of terrestrial beetle bioluminescence at 141.17 (122.63-161.17) Ma and firefly aerial bioluminescence at 133.18 (117.86-152.47) Ma using a large dataset focused on Lampyridae; and terrestrial bioluminescence at 148.03 (130.12-166.80) Ma, with the age of aerial bioluminescence at 104.97 (99.00-120.90) Ma using a complementary Elateroidea dataset. These ages pre-date the origins of all known extant aerial predators (i.e. bats and birds) and support much older terrestrial predators (assassin bugs, frogs, ground beetles, lizards, snakes, hunting spiders and harvestmen) as the drivers of terrestrial bioluminescence in beetles. These ages also support the hypothesis that sexual signalling was probably the original function of this signal in aerial fireflies.
Topics: Animals; Chiroptera; Coleoptera; Fireflies; Genomics; Phylogeny
PubMed: 35855602
DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0821