Valeria Francardi

Morphology of the male reproductive system, sperm ultrastructure and γ-irradiation of the red palm weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Oliv. (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae)

In the present study we describe the morphology of the male reproductive apparatus and sperm ultrastructure of the red palm weevil - an invasive pest of several palm tree species - as well as the most important steps of spermatogenesis. The reproductive apparatus consists of a pair of testes (each formed by two lobes) a long tube-like accessory gland, a prostate gland and a small accessory gland. Characteristic features of the sperm are 90-100 μm total length, 10 μm nucleus, two mitochondrial derivatives, two accessory bodies, one well-developed puff-like structure and a typical insect 9+9+2 flagellar axoneme. One of the methods used for the biological control of pests is the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), for the evaluation of which we make a preliminary comparison of the sperm ultrastructure of non-irradiated and irradiated weevils (at a dose of 80 Gray).

Pine volatiles and terpenoid compounds attractive to European xylophagous species, vectors of Bursaphelenchus spp. nematodes

The attractiveness of different combinations of volatile compounds to several scolytid and cerambycid species, potential vectors of phytoparasitic nematodes of the genus Bursaphelenchus Fuchs, was investigated in pine woods of central Italy. The blend composed of α-pinene, ethanol, ipsenol, ipsdienol and 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol was very efficient in trapping the cerambycids Monochamus galloprovincialis, Acanthocinus griseus and Arhopalus syriacus and the scolytids Ips sexdentatus, Orthotomicus erosus and Hylurgus ligniperda. This blend is proposed for operational surveys of Bursaphelenchus spp. associated with these beetles. Comparison of the capture levels with cross-vane and funnel traps baited with α-pinene, ethanol, ipsenol, ipsdienol, 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol and cis-verbenol revealed the higher efficacy of the cross-vane traps for the above-mentioned cerambycids and the scolytid I. sexdentatus but greater effectiveness of the funnel traps in capturing H. ligniperda and O. erosus. Cross-vane traps were more efficient in capturing large numbers of these insects. Data on non-target xylophagous beetles and predator species are also reported.

Sterile Rhynchophorus ferrugineus males efficiently impair reproduction while maintaining their sexual competitiveness in a social context

The red palm weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, recently spreading from its native range throughout the world, is one of the most dangerous pests for several palm species. The sterile insect technique (SIT) is a promising environmentally friendly approach for the management of this pest. An essential prerequisite of the SIT is that irradiated males released in nature are as sexually competitive as their wild counterparts. Here we evaluated the potential use of the SIT in red palm weevil males by investigating the sexual competitiveness of gamma-irradiated (Cobalt 60 source, dose 80 Gray) males in the laboratory in a natural-like social context with a balanced sex ratio and by testing their efficacy in impairing female reproduction. Our results showed that irradiation did not affect any of the mating behaviour parameters. However, the male reproductive potential was drastically reduced, as fertility was markedly decreased in females mated with irradiated males. Therefore, an 80 Gray irradiation dose is a promising option for the SIT in the control of the red palm weevil, producing sterile but sexually competitive males when tested in a natural-like mating context.

Insects as source of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitory peptides

Hypertension is well known as one of the major risk for cardiovascular diseases which annually affect millions of people. The angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) plays a key role in blood pressure regulation process. Indeed, hypertension treatment by synthetic ACE inhibitors (e.g. captopril, lisinopril and ramipril) is effective; however, their use can cause serious side effects, such as hypotension, cough, reduced renal function and angioedema. Thus, research was focused on natural ACE inhibitory peptides sources such as foodstuffs and also, more recently, edible insects. In the last decades, ACE inhibitory activity has been detected in protein hydrolysates from insect species belonging to the orders of Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera and also Orthoptera. Further investigations led to identify specific ACE inhibitory peptides from the silkworm Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae), the yellow mealworm Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), the cotton leafworm Spodoptera littoralis (L...

Galleria mellonella (Lepidoptera Pyralidae): an edible insect of nutraceutical interest

(*) Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l’analisi dell’economia agraria – Research Centre for Plant Protection and Certification (CREA-DC), via Lanciola 12/A, 50125 Firenze, Italy. (**) Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, via A. Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy; (***) Lead Discovery Siena Srl, via Vittorio Alfieri 31, 53019 Castelnuovo Berardenga Siena, Italy Corresponding authors, e-mail: valeria.francardi@crea.gov.it; elena.dreassi@unisi.it

LINSEED TO INCREASE N-3 FATTY ACIDS IN TENEBRIO MOLITOR (COLEOPTERA TENEBRIONIDAE)

(*) Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e analisi dell’economia agraria Research Centre for Plant Protection and Certification, Via Lanciola 12/A, 50125 Firenze, Italy. (**) Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, via A. Moro, 53100 Siena, Italy (***) Lead Discovery Siena Srl, via Vittorio Alfieri 31, 53019 Castelnuovo Berardenga Siena, Italy Corresponding authors: Dreassi E., e-mail: elena.dreassi@unisi.it; Francardi V., e-mail: valeria.francardi@crea.gov.it