Stefania Laudonia

Seasonal occurrence and adaptation of the exotic Glycaspis brimblecombei Moore (Hemiptera: Aphalaridae) in Italy.

Alien insects usually adapt their phenology and their needs to the environment into which they are introduced. During 2010, the red gum lerp psyllid, Glycaspis brimblecombei, was accidentally introduced into Italy, becoming an invasive pest of Eucalyptus L’Hér. Eucalypts are very common in Italy as ornamental and forest species. The seasonal adaptation of the psyllid was studied at three field sites. G. brimblecombei showed a seasonal population dynamic, suggesting that many generations occur during the year and the species overwinters in all stages without diapause. The population size in the new area of colonization is affected by low winter temperatures, but also by high temperatures in the absence of rainfall. In Lazio, the specific parasitoid Psyllaephagus bliteus was collected for the first time.

First Record of Anthonomus eugenii (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Italy

Summary Anthonomus eugenii Cano (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) was observed for the first time in Italy and the Mediterranean Region attacking sweet pepper (Capsicum annum L.; Solanaceae) in greenhouses and in fields in the coastal area of the Lazio Region of Italy. The incursion, detected in Oct 2013, was a heavy infestation of sweet pepper buds and not fully developed fruits, and causing their premature abscission. The outbreak area was delineated by the coast on the west, and hills on the south and east.

A new species of Poropoea Foerster from Africa (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea, Trichogrammatidae)

Abstract A new species of Poropoea Foerster (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea, Trichogrammatidae) was obtained from eggs of attelabid beetles (Coleoptera: Attelabidae) associated with Combretum sp. (Myrtales, Combretaceae). This species is described from Ogooué-Ivindo province in north-eastern Gabon. The new species is easily distinguished from the known members of the genus Poropoea by the following combination of characters: female antennal club unsegmented, premarginal vein of the fore wing with a nodular premarginal vein and the stigma of the stigmal vein black, the wing lacks the RS1 track; front and hind legs more robust than the middle leg and with coxa and femur markedly enlarged, and ovipositor exserted to one-third of the gaster length. Morphological features of this new species are discussed and illustrated. A key to females of Poropoea species lacking the Rs1 track in the fore wing has been constructed and is presented here.

Modeling Environmental Influences in the Psyllaephagus bliteus (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae)–Glycaspis brimblecombei (Hemiptera: Aphalaridae) Parasitoid–Host System

Abstract Glycaspis brimblecombei Moore (Hemiptera: Aphalaridae) is an invasive psyllid introduced into the Mediterranean area, where it affects several species of Eucalyptus. Psyllaephagus bliteus Riek (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) is a specialized parasitoid of this psyllid that was accidentally introduced into Italy in 2011. We developed a model of this host–parasitoid system that accounts for the influence of environmental conditions on the G. brimblecombei population dynamics and P. bliteus parasitism rates in the natural ecosystem. The Lotka–Volterra-based model predicts non-constant host growth and parasitoid mortality rates in association with variation in environmental conditions. The model was tested by analyzing sampling data collected in Naples in 2011 (before the parasitoid was present) and defining several environmental patterns, termed Temperature-Rain or T-R patterns, which correspond to the host growth rate. A mean value of the host growth rate was assigned to each T-R pattern, as well as a variation of the parasitoid mortality rate based on temperature thresholds. The proposed model was applied in simulation tests related to T-R patterns carried out with a data series sampled between June 2014 and July 2015 in five Italian sites located in Campania, Lazio, Sicily, and Sardinia regions. The simulation results showed that the proposed model provides an accurate approximation of population trends, although oscillation details may not be apparent. Results predict a 64% reduction in G. brimblecombei population density owing to P. bliteus parasitoid activity. Our results are discussed with respect to features of the host–parasitoid interaction that could be exploited in future biological control programs.

Description of a new species of Oligosita Walker (Chalcidoidea: Trichogrammatidae), egg parasitoid of Balclutha brevis Lindberg (Homoptera: Cicadellidae) living on Pennisetum setaceum, from Italy

A new species of Oligosita Walker (Chalcidoidea: Trichogrammatidae), O. balcluthae Viggiani et Laudonia n. sp., is described as a parasitoid of the eggs of Balclutha brevis Lindberg (Homoptera: Cicadellidae) associated with crimson fountain grass, Pennisetum setaceum (Poaceae) in Italy. Morphological features and biology of the new species are discussed and illustrated. The 28S-D2 and ITS2 regions were successfully amplified and sequenced.

Interactive Visualization Modeling with CoDe: An Application to Entomological Data

A taxonomy of typical interaction techniques is proposed in [1], where seven categories of information visualizations provided by commercial systems are considered. This framework gives an initial foundation toward a deeper understanding of interaction in Information Visualization, helping discussion and evaluation of interaction techniques. In this chapter we propose a methodology for the specification and design of complex interactive visualizations as an extension of the graphic language CoDe [2]. Based on the seven categories introduced in [1], we add new interaction operators to CoDe, to enable a visualization designer to specify multiple perspectives of a data set, without losing the underlying mental map of the considered information. The new version of CoDe allows to manage some interaction techniques which are difficult to classify and do not quite fit into any of the categories above. Some applications of the proposed methodology to design interactive visualizations of entomological data are provided as a case study.