The ant Odontomachus monticola has a pair of elongated mandibles that can manipulate a variety of objects including food, brood and nestmates. Anatomical and theoretical studies indicate that different tasks may require modification of mandible speed and force which is achieved by modulating the respective activity of three sets of muscles. Despite the advanced investigations on how muscles separately

Many insects use tactics to protect their eggs from predation, infection, and water loss, among other risks. Some assassin bugs only in the New World tribe Apiomerini are known to use plant substances, such as resin, instead of secretions to protect their eggs. Here, we report a novel storage mechanism and the utilization of plant resin for egg protection in Asian assassin bugs, Velinus nodipes and

The leaf beetle Ambrostoma quadriimpressum (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) is monophagous on elm trees, Ulmus pumila (Ulmaceae). As this species lives on elm during most of its life but pupates and overwinters as an adult in the soil, the flightless beetle seeks a host plant after emergence from the soil. Previous field experiments showed that the beetle locates host plants via orientation to standing

Age-based polyethism, wherein young individuals perform tasks within the nest and later transition to outside activities, is common among many social insects. This division of labor ensures the safety of workers with longer residual lifespans, such as brood caring nurses, and exposes only old individuals to increased extrinsic mortality risks. It appears however, that lifespan in workers is also shaped

Information on the mating system of an insect species is necessary to gain insight into sexual selection and population structure. Male territoriality of the common evening brown butterfly Melanitis leda has been studied in the wild, but other aspects of its mating system remain largely unknown. For a population of M. leda in South India, we observed male-male and male-female interactions in captivity

Adult spotted lanternflies, Lycorma delicatula, launch themselves into the wind from elevated locations such as trees, lamp posts, and buildings. Individuals fly in short, successive bouts along descending trajectories of between 10 and 50 m before landing, crawling upward on a new structure, and again launching upwind. The possible physiological limits to the durations of flight-bouts, if not constrained

Hibiscus harlequin bugs (Tectocoris diophthalmus) are Australian jewel bugs known for their maternal care behavior, gregariousness and warning coloration. They feed on plants in the Malvaceae family, although the nymphs will also cannibalize unguarded eggs. Here, I detail observations over 3-year period in Brisbane (QLD), mostly on cultivated Hibiscus and Malvaviscus varieties, to quantify the frequencies

The cucumber moth, Diaphania indica (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), is one of the most destructive pests of cucurbitaceous plants all over the world. Previously, we showed that volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from cucumber plants play a crucial role in guiding gravid D. indica females to oviposition sites, whereas watermelon VOCs did not, and females significantly prefer cucumber over watermelon for oviposition

Paysandisia archon (Lepidoptera: Castniidae) is a pest on palms in Europe. The moth was introduced about twenty years ago, when infected palms were imported from South America. In P. archon, little is known about mate location and the putative activity of the male-produced sex pheromone. The aim of this study was, therefore, to study olfactory responses of P. archon to conspecifics, with and without

Some parasitoids oviposit in nonhosts. Parasitization of nonhosts potentially wastes gametes, risks the death of offspring, and reduces fitness. Associative learning, a strategy for efficient reproduction, has been observed in various parasitoid species. We conducted two types of experiments to reveal whether larval parasitoid wasps, Cotesia kariyai (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), learn associatively by

Pollinators such as bees need reliable access to nectar resources. However, competition for these carbohydrate rewards can be high among floral visitors. Moreover, invasive insects may further restrict pollinator access to flowers. For example, invasive Argentine ants (Linepithema humile) are known to harass and displace pollinators from flowers and reduce nectar reward acquisition. The foraging behavior

A honey bee has to visit 3000 flowers to produce one-gram of honey. A honey bee’s hairy tongue dips at an average frequency of 5 Hz, and its glossal hairs erect rhythmically, performing like an opening and closing umbrella to trap the nectar. Dipping by a honey bee tongue is a typical micro-fluidic transport with a low Reynolds number. The high intensify of feeding activities inevitably damage on the

Territorial strategy in animals is characterized by the monopoly of resources inside a protected area, the territory. The presence of territorial species considerably alters the behavior of co-occurring submissives, as it is known in several submissive ant species living on the territories of red wood ants in temperate regions. On the other hand, as a rule, territorial species cannot share the same

Dulosis is a type of social parasitism in which a parasitic ant has become dependent on captured workers (hosts) of a closely related species. Dulosis can be either facultative or obligate depending on the degree of dependence on host workers. As parasites become more specialized over evolutionary time, their domestic abilities degenerate until they become unable to survive without the host. However

Female response to male sexual signals is context dependent and influenced by a variety of environmental factors. For instance, females often adjust mating preferences in response to predation risk. Social experiences as a juvenile, such as exposure to conspecific sexual signals, have also been shown to influence female mating preferences as adults. Experiments that examine the influence of both environmental

Movements of fireflies visible on the surface of soil were measured under controlled laboratory conditions consisting of high and low ambient illumination. High illumination approximating the intensity of light prior to sunset constituted our light condition. Low illumination was consistent with ambient light levels after civil sunset, which we referred to as our dark condition. Surface movements were

Cannibalism is a widespread behavioral phenomenon that is often thought to be an adaptive plastic response to limited environmental resources. However, cannibalism can potentially come at a fitness cost to an individual if one consumes relatives, due to the potential loss of indirect fitness benefits. One way in which this cost could be avoided is by the selective avoidance of cannibalising kin in

Host attachment is a necessary behavior in the evolution of parasitism. It is hypothesized that populations pass through a stage of facultative parasitism before the evolution of obligate parasitism. Previous research has revealed the impact of extrinsic factors on the expression of parasitic tendencies, but to our knowledge, the role of individual behavioral variation driving parasitic tendencies

Leaf cutter ants are model organisms in studies of central place foraging, but these ants carry smaller than optimal leaf fragments for their body size. Laboratory experiments show that load ratios (leaf fragment mass/ant mass) are higher on extreme downhill trails than on extreme uphill trails, which could explain deviations from optimality in the wild. Here we examine how trail gradient affects load

The interaction of antlions and ants is postulated to be a predator-prey interaction in which the involved parties coevolve. Here, we investigated two issues of potential significance in terms of antlions and ants imposing selective pressures on one another. First, we determined whether trap-building antlions and sand-dwelling ants closely co-occurred in an area inhabited by both. In the field, we

The original version of this article unfortunately contains some mistakes in literature references.

Cockroaches can defend themselves from threats by escape behavior. Although wind-evoked turning in Periplaneta americana is robust, little is known about the turning and translational components of the escape response to looming and localized heat stimuli, especially in other cockroach species. In particular, it has been suggested that the Madagascar hissing cockroach (Gromphadorhina portentosa) lacks

Modifying ancestral regulatory mechanisms can be a source of evolutionary novelty. Bees in small-colony, dominance-based societies typically show a link between size and aggression: larger bees are more aggressive. This led to the hypothesis that this size-aggression link is a characteristic of ancestral solitary bees that has acquired a novel function in the evolutionary transition from solitary to

This review examines visually guided search behavior during walking in different species and developmental stages of insects having contrasting habitat utilization strategies. The discussion focuses on mantises, short-horned grasshoppers and crickets. Although generally short-horned grasshoppers are travelers, whereas mantises are ambush predators, all of these insects exhibit visually guided behavior

The original version of this article unfortunately contained some mistakes for the greek letter “Ɵ” in the proof manuscript.

Male Aegus chelifer chelifer stag beetles are normally equipped with long mandibles as a weapon to compete with rival males over females, where fighting or aggressive behavior is generally expected during the encounter between two male stag beetles. However, three main patterns were observed between 164 pairings of male stag beetles. Besides the predominant aggressive or fighting behavior (107 pairings)

Kin selection theory states that when resources are limited and all else is equal, individuals will direct competition away from kin. However, when competition between relatives is completely local, as is the case in granivorous insects whose larval stages spend their lives within a single seed, this can reduce or even negate the kin-selected benefits. Instead, an increase in competition may have the

Surplus or 'wasteful' killing of uneaten prey has been documented in the fourth larval instar of various species of the mosquito genus Toxorhynchites that occur in treeholes and other phytotelmata. Here we document surplus killing by the predatory midge Corethrella appendiculata, which in Florida cohabits treeholes and artificial containers with larvae of Toxorhynchites rutilus. Provided with a surfeit

We examined the recruitment rate of nestmates during prey capture in six arboreal ant species: Myrmicaria opaciventris, Platythyrea conradti, Crematogaster sp., Crematogaster clariventris, Tetramorium aculeatum, and Oecophylla longinoda. Termites and grasshoppers were used as prey. Prey were grouped by size: for termites, we presented ants with either workers or soldiers and for grasshoppers, we used

Closely related species in nature usually exhibit very similar phylogenetically conserved traits, such as reproduction, behavior and development. Here, we compared fecundity schedules, lifetime reproductive success and offspring sex ratios in three congeneric facultative hyperparasitoid wasps that exhibit several overlapping traits and which co-occur in the same small-scale habitats. Gelis agilis,

Aquatic insects are known to modify their behavior in response to environmental conditions, but manipulative experiments are necessary to distinguish which environmental cues trigger which behaviors. Understanding these responses is particularly important for arid-land aquatic taxa because ongoing climate change is predicted to make the current extreme abiotic environment even more extreme. Here we

Relatively little is known about intraspecific variation in the use of chemical defenses by cosmetid harvestmen. In this study, we investigated sexual and ontogenetic variation in the emission of secretions from the scent glands and the morphology of the ozopores of Erginulus clavotibialis, a Neotropical species from Belize. Most individuals (> 94%) did not secrete when seized by leg IV, however, when

Several worker subcastes may occur in ant colonies, including physiological, morphological, and temporal subcastes. Leaf-cutting ants present intricate division of labor among worker subcastes during brood care, fungus garden maintenance, substrate foraging and processing. For colony survival, the fungus garden must be healthy, and tasks efficiently shared among worker subcastes. Therefore, worker

Dopamine (DA), one of the biogenic amines, has been suggested to regulate the motor activities of various animals. In honey bees, it has been reported to promote locomotor activity in queens, workers, and males, and to regulate the flight activity of workers and males. The role of DA in the flight activity of queens, however, has not yet been investigated. In this study, we tested the roles of DA in

Locusts are able to migrate over long distances across areas with different vegetation structures. This work investigates how the spatial arrangement of vegetation might affect locust collective motion. The behavior of groups of third instar Schistocerca gregaria hoppers that had been fed or starved for 24 h was studied experimentally. Food patches were introduced into a circular arena where locust

The balance between the investment of time and energy by males in searching for new partners and in protecting and/or feeding offspring can influence reproductive strategies. Strong competitors may enhance their mating effort, while weak competitors may compensate their disadvantage in intrasexual competition by investing in the increase of offspring survival. This balance and its implications to male

The spotted lanternfly, Lycorma delicatula (White), is an orchard and forest pest native to China. Since its detection in Pennsylvania, USA in 2014, it has spread to other states as well. We conducted experiments to determine the flight capabilities of unmated vs. mated L. delicatula females to assess the relative threat posed by each type with regard to expanding the infestation area through their

Female insects must assess multiple factors when laying eggs, including both abiotic and biotic conditions of the laying site. Competition may also play a crucial role in the oviposition decisions of females. Competition at oviposition sites may take two forms: current competition between adults for both food and access to sites for oviposition, and future competition between offspring that will hatch

We monitored nest interior and surface temperatures together with two aspects of the sun-basking behavior of wood ants: aggregation (by regular monitoring of occurrence and density of clusters) and phototaxis (tendency to move from shade to sun or vice versa, recorded as a response to artificial shading during sunny weather), using ten nests of Formica polyctena near Vimperk Czechia. Dense clusters

Generalist predators are considered effective biological control agents in many agroecosystems. However, characterizing the behavior of different generalist predator species in realistic field settings is difficult due to challenges associated with directly observing predation events in the field. Here we video recorded woolly apple aphid (Erisoma lanigerum) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) colonies to directly

The little fire ant (LFA), Wasmannia auropunctata (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), is native to the neotropics, but has become one of the world’s most widespread and destructive invasive ants. In Hawaii, LFA was first discovered in 1999 on the Big Island and since then has rapidly spread to neighboring islands, causing ecological and economic damage. LFA can develop fully functional nests on the ground and

Predation and dispersal ability of predators can influence their post-release establishment. As physiological factors may influence the predation and dispersal behavior of insects, we tested the effects of starvation on the predation and dispersal behavior of an omnivorous predator Arma chinensis under different prey densities. Logistic regression showed that A. chinensis exhibited a Holling’s Type

Green mate, Ilex paraguariensis (Aquifoliaceae), is native to South America and its range includes the south of Brazil. Hedypathes betulinus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is considered the most important insect pest of green mate, causing severe damage to plants and significant economic losses. In previous work, laboratory assays were performed to document the mating sequence of this species and the male

Complex courtship has been well documented in the Diptera. However, studies have focused on a limited number of taxa and mostly using lab populations, where behavior can differ substantially compared to nature. To broaden our understanding of dipteran courtship, studies are required in a wider range of species, across both wild and captive populations. The blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) include

Entomopathogenic fungi are essential participants in ecosystems that help regulate arthropod communities. Many of them have a symbiotic-endophytic relationship with plants, endowing them with insecticidal or insect-repellent traits, which could be exploited for insect control in agriculture. Among insects, aphids are one of the most harmful taxa; they damage plants directly by sucking plant sap or

Animals in captivity experience drastically different selective pressures than their wild counterparts. This can cause evolutionary divergence in behavior between captive and wild populations. While most research on evolution under captivity has focused on vertebrates, we expect similar behavioral changes in insects that live and breed in commercial facilities. Using the common house cricket, Acheta

Holding food bimanually for biting off pieces with the mouth is a behavior performed by several groups of insects with predatory or plant eating habits. Locusts often grab longer pieces of loose or dangling grass with their forelegs and eat it in repetitive movement patterns by holding the blade vertical between the opposed tarsal pads. Head and body remain still while the mouthparts bite off and ingest

The Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri, is a threat to citrus production because it transmits the bacterium, Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), which causes huanglongbing (HLB), also known as citrus greening. Insecticide use is the most common tactic for reducing D. citri populations. However, emerging concerns caused by frequent insecticide applications are insecticide resistance and indiscriminate

Many insects such as the crop pest Agrotis ipsilon (black cutworm) migrate seasonally to exploit suitable breeding and winter habitats. The migration of a crop pest also increases the risk of sudden outbreaks. Knowledge about insect migration thus is important for developing a forecasting and warning system for migratory pests. Here we used directional flight devices to study the orientation behavior

The social environment provides males with information about the likelihood of reproductive competition. However, social context can be highly variable, and males must track their environment in order to alter reproductive investment appropriately. In addition to using information gained as adults to adjust reproductive strategies, males can use cues in early life to anticipate future mating competition

The moment-to-moment tasks performed by an individual can change in response to a shift of internal, e.g. body size or age, and external conditions, e.g. the number of workers currently engaged in another task. For this reason, the term “task allocation” is replacing the earlier concept of “division of labor” for describing an invariable association between worker body size and task. In the present

The movement behavior of insects characterizes their ability to disperse, establish, compete, forage, seek mates, and ultimately reproduce. Understanding the movement of invasive insects is particularly important for developing management policies. We conducted laboratory experiments in Minnesota, USA to determine how host type and food deprivation affected the movement of late instars of the European

Video-recordings were made of adult spotted lanternflies, Lycorma delicatula, taking flight from apple trees in an orchard in northeast Pennsylvania in September, 2017 during a mass dispersal flight event involving thousands of adults. The trajectories of adults flying upwind in straight and level or gradually descending flight allowed them to traverse only up to ca. 40 m in a single flight-bout. Many

Honey bees have three castes, drones, workers, and queens, that accomplish different tasks. In this research, we revealed the divergence in feeding behavior of drones and workers by experimental and theoretical techniques from the perspective of tongue kinematics. We observed the feeding cycles from living drones and workers of Apis mellifera ligustica and introduced a fluid transport model for computing

The biological species concept depends on mechanisms isolating reproduction to taxonomically define a species and to explain the disadvantages, and subsequent lack, of hybridization. In co-occurring tiger beetles (Carabidae: Cicindelinae), these between-species barriers are not readily apparent. To understand the characteristics potentially responsible for this isolation, we conducted behavioral and

The electrical penetration graphing or electropenetrography (EPG) technique is essential for understanding interactions of hemipteran insects with their host plants. Typically, 10–12.5 μm diameter gold wire is used as the tethering material in EPG studies. This wire was originally chosen based on suitability for aphids, but application of the EPG technique to other insects necessitates testing of alternative

The impacts of predators on bee foraging behavior are varied, but have been suggested to depend on both the type of predator (namely their hunting strategy) and also risk assessment by the prey (i.e., ability to perceive predators and learn to avoid them). However, nearly all studies have explored these impacts using social bees, despite the fact that solitary bees are extremely diverse, often specialized

Mating and reproduction behaviors and strategies are fundamental aspects of an organism’s evolutionary and ecological success. In locusts, intra- as well as inter-phase reproductive interactions among gregarious and solitarious locust populations have a major impact on the locust population dynamics. However, practically all previous work on locust sexual behavior has been limited to the gregarious

Sexual selection is the responsible force for the evolution and maintenance of genital diversity and function. This is the case for example, of genital movements performed by males during mating and copulation duration. Spiders perform ritualized copulations whereby males carry out different types of movements using their pedipalps with varying duration. The function and duration of these pedipalp

Substrate-borne vibrational communication is a common mode of information transfer in many invertebrate groups, with vibration serving as both primary and secondary signal channels in Orthopterans. The Cook Strait giant weta, Deinacrida rugosa (Orthoptera: Anostostomatidae), is an endangered New Zealand insect whose communication system has not been previously described. After field observations of