Karla Fernanda Sanches Rodrigues, Beatriz Regina Rodrigues Carvalho, Felipe Andrés León Contrera, Welber Senteio Smith
{"title":"Bees and Microplastic Studies: A Systematic Review.","authors":"Karla Fernanda Sanches Rodrigues, Beatriz Regina Rodrigues Carvalho, Felipe Andrés León Contrera, Welber Senteio Smith","doi":"10.1007/s13744-025-01268-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13744-025-01268-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Microplastic contamination is no longer confined exclusively to aquatic environments and their organisms. Over the past 20 years, microplastics have increasingly been recognized as a source of contamination in terrestrial ecosystems and the organisms that inhabit them. Some studies have reported that these contaminants can alter the intestinal microbiota of bees, which may also harm their immune system and, consequently, directly impact the health of these animals. These consequences can impair bees' ability to effectively carry out their foraging activities, potentially leading to the decline of the hive and negatively impacting the ecosystem services they provide through pollination. However, research linking microplastics to bees is still in its early stages. Therefore, this work conducted a systematic review, applying selection and exclusion criteria to studies published between 2000 and 2024 that mentioned bees or bee products in relation to microplastics. These publications were extracted from electronic databases (Google Scholar, Scielo, Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science). With the keywords used, 920 works were found, of which 33 met the pre-established review criteria, produced between 2013 and 2024, most of them from Italy (six studies) and China (five studies). Among the 33 studies selected, twelve are bibliographic reviews, indicating the need for further primary studies related to the subject, since bees provide vital ecosystem services through pollination.</p>","PeriodicalId":19071,"journal":{"name":"Neotropical Entomology","volume":"54 1","pages":"56"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144029044","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cidália Gabriela Santos Marinho, Lucimeire de Souza Ramos Lacau, Kênia Aparecida Dos Santos Mateus, Marcos Antônio Matiello Fadini, Jacques Hubert Charles Delabie, Marcelo Nivert Schlindwein, Ronald Zanetti
{"title":"Evaluating the Conservation Importance of Understory Vegetation in Eucalyptus Plantations for Ant Functional Groups.","authors":"Cidália Gabriela Santos Marinho, Lucimeire de Souza Ramos Lacau, Kênia Aparecida Dos Santos Mateus, Marcos Antônio Matiello Fadini, Jacques Hubert Charles Delabie, Marcelo Nivert Schlindwein, Ronald Zanetti","doi":"10.1007/s13744-025-01261-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s13744-025-01261-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The functional relationship between ecosystem biodiversity and its functioning enables the categorization of organisms into guilds based on resource utilization, allowing for the assessment of biological diversity in modified environments over temporal scales, such as forest plantations. The present study sought to compare the composition of ant trophic guilds associated with the understory of eucalyptus stands at various stages of succession, aiming to determine whether turnover in species composition occurs within these guilds. We employed the Winkler extractor to collect litter ants in fifteen eucalyptus stands, ranging in age from 1.5 to 10.3 years. Our findings revealed the presence of fifteen ant guilds. The guild of small arboreal ants with massive recruitment exhibited a decline in species richness as the understory matured, while the guild of specialized predatory cryptic myrmicines demonstrated an increase in species richness in older stands. Camponotus crassus Mayr and Wasmannia auropunctata Roger were more prevalent in younger understory stands, whereas Pheidole fallax Mayr was predominantly found in native vegetation. Ants can serve as indicators of environmental conditions in eucalyptus plantations and contribute to environmental certification efforts. Our results demonstrate that eucalyptus plantations with understory vegetation effectively support the conservation of ant species over time, providing habitat for diverse ant guilds that utilize the available resources in this environment and may act as a species source for the surrounding landscape.</p>","PeriodicalId":19071,"journal":{"name":"Neotropical Entomology","volume":"54 1","pages":"55"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144030095","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Amanda Dos Santos Felix da Silva, Jociara Silva Costa, Eduarda Freitas da Silva, Willian Moura de Aguiar
{"title":"Changes in Euglossine Assemblages Due to Urbanization Stress.","authors":"Amanda Dos Santos Felix da Silva, Jociara Silva Costa, Eduarda Freitas da Silva, Willian Moura de Aguiar","doi":"10.1007/s13744-025-01267-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13744-025-01267-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Euglossini bees are important native pollinators that are highly sensitive to environmental changes. Given that urbanization is one of the most significant drivers of land-use change, this study aimed to analyze the responses of Euglossini bee assemblages to urbanization. For this, Euglossini males were sampled with bait traps along an urbanization gradient quantified using the UrbanizationScore software, between September 2022 and August 2023, in Bahia state, Brazil. Linear Models and non-metric multidimensional scaling (nMDS) ordination were used to analyze the bees' response to urbanization. A total of 836 individuals were identified, representing 13 species and three genera, with Euglossa cordata (Linnaeus, 1758) and Eulaema nigrita Lepeletier, 1841 being the only species present in urban areas. The kleptoparasitic species Exaerete frontalis (Guérin, 1844) and Exaerete smaragdina (Guérin, 1844) were found exclusively in areas with lower urbanization intensity. Linear Models revealed that more than 80% of the variation in species richness (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.82), abundance (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.81), diversity (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.83), and dominance (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.81) can be explained by variations in urbanization intensity (p < 0.005). nMDS indicated distinct bee assemblages between urban and semi-natural areas, while the presence of peri-urban points within both ellipses (urban and semi-natural) may reflect the heterogeneous characteristics of these transitional areas. Our findings suggest that urbanization acts as an environmental stressor, modifying the structure and composition of Euglossini bees, leading to a simplification of their assemblages due to the intensity of urbanization.</p>","PeriodicalId":19071,"journal":{"name":"Neotropical Entomology","volume":"54 1","pages":"54"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143736052","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Intraspecific Variation in Wings of Eufriesea violacea (Blanchard, 1840) (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Euglossina) from a Highly Fragmented Landscape in Western Paraná State, Brazil.","authors":"María Noel Clerici Hirschfeld, Katherine Bombi-Haedo, Luccas Melo Moreira, Luiz Roberto Ribeiro Faria","doi":"10.1007/s13744-025-01266-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13744-025-01266-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Current evidence suggests that fragmentation might profoundly affect biological communities, including assemblages of orchid bees. The effects of fragmentation at the individual level, including their morphology, are still poorly understood. Here we explore variation in size and shape of wings of males of the euglossine Eufriesea violacea (Blanchard, 1840) inhabiting a strongly fragmented landscape in western Paraná state, Brazil. Bees were collected both in the largest Brazilian preserve of Seasonal Semideciduous Forest, the Parque Nacional do Iguaçu, and in small fragments in the region. We considered traditional landmarks of wings to evaluate their size, shape, and circularity (as a specific shape variation), and studied the allometries between body size and wing traits. We found evidence that, while wing size and allometries did not vary, wing shape, on the other hand, varied significantly, including its circularity, as individuals possessing more circular wings were found at Parque Nacional do Iguaçu. Even if data did not support larger wings in individuals from small fragments, the more circular wings found in males from the Parque Nacional do Iguaçu could be related to the higher maneuverability required for flying in most structurally complex environments.</p>","PeriodicalId":19071,"journal":{"name":"Neotropical Entomology","volume":"54 1","pages":"53"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143730441","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Henry Mauricio Parada-Marin, Augusto León Montoya, Yardany Ramos-Pastrana
{"title":"Diversity and Baits Preference of Flower Flies (Diptera: Syrphidae) Collected Using Van Someren-Rydon Traps in the Colombian Andean-Amazon Piedmont During Two Rainy Seasons.","authors":"Henry Mauricio Parada-Marin, Augusto León Montoya, Yardany Ramos-Pastrana","doi":"10.1007/s13744-025-01260-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13744-025-01260-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Thirty percent of the flower flies (Diptera: Syrphidae) diversity is concentrated in the Neotropics, with few studies in the Amazonian rainforests. We evaluated diversity, phenology and bait preference of syrphids in three lowland habitats (FE = Forest Edge, DSF = Dense Secondary Forest and AFS = Agroforestry System) in La Avispa Nature and Ecotourism Reserve in Caquetá, Colombia, during two rainy seasons (high rainfall intensity, HIR and low rainfall intensity, LIR). Adults were collected using Van Someren-Rydon traps (VSRTs) baited with fermented fruit, decomposed shrimp or decomposed fish. We estimated alpha and beta diversity components within and between habitats. Phenology was compared between rainy seasons. A total of 1,379 syrphids specimens were collected, belonging to 59 species (13 genera). DSF had the highest abundance and richness (n = 812; 43 species). Syrphid abundance was 8.9 times higher (n = 1.240) during HIR, while richness was 1.8 times higher (68 species) than LIR. Copestylum was the most abundant and diverse genus (n = 1,225; 88.8% of all specimens collected). The VSRTs showed high sampling completeness (≥ 90%), suggesting that this methodology is useful and effective for rapid Syrphids inventories. Species replacement was the dominant component of beta diversity, indicating that each habitat contributes with unique species, providing functions for sustainability and ecosystem balance, where connectivity is essential to ensure the provision of ecosystem services in undergoing ecological restoration areas, such as the tropical rainforest studied here.</p>","PeriodicalId":19071,"journal":{"name":"Neotropical Entomology","volume":"54 1","pages":"52"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11950100/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143720815","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kenned Silva Sousa, Joás Silva Brito, Gabriel Martins Cruz, Rafael Costa Bastos, Cristian Camilo Mendoza-Penagos, Everton Silva, Luciano Montag, José Max Barbosa Oliveira-Junior, Gabriel Brejão, Lilian Casatti, Thaísa Sala Michelan, Leandro Juen, Karina Dias-Silva
{"title":"Odonata Diversity and Ecological Thresholds in Protected Areas of the Brazilian Amazon.","authors":"Kenned Silva Sousa, Joás Silva Brito, Gabriel Martins Cruz, Rafael Costa Bastos, Cristian Camilo Mendoza-Penagos, Everton Silva, Luciano Montag, José Max Barbosa Oliveira-Junior, Gabriel Brejão, Lilian Casatti, Thaísa Sala Michelan, Leandro Juen, Karina Dias-Silva","doi":"10.1007/s13744-025-01265-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13744-025-01265-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The establishment of conservation units (CUs) aims to preserve biodiversity, yet these areas are under great anthropogenic pressure, particularly from logging, mining, and cattle ranching. Considering this context, our study assesses the importance of the protected area (National Park) and habitat integrity using the Habitat Integrity Index (HII) for conserving Odonata assemblages. Our hypothesis is that (1) the sites within the national park would have higher HII scores and greater Zygoptera diversity metrics (species diversity, abundance, proportions, and composition) compared to the scores of the sites outside the park; and (2) considering the habitat integrity of the streams, Anisoptera and Zygoptera serve as indicators, with the former associated with lower scores and the latter with higher scores. We sampled 25 streams (both within and outside) of the Jamanxim National Park, identifying 43 species of Odonata, including 16 Anisoptera and 27 Zygoptera. Streams outside the national park harbored the highest number of exclusive Anisoptera and Zygoptera species. Linear models revealed a significant negative correlation between habitat integrity and Anisoptera abundance only. Moreover, significant differences in Anisoptera abundance were observed between streams within and outside the national park, along with distinct heterogeneity in Anisoptera species composition. The decrease in Anisoptera abundance with increasing habitat integrity may be attributed to their preference for open areas for thermoregulation. Conversely, the positive response of Zygoptera species to habitat integrity underscores their reliance on more conserved environments, enhancing our understanding of their ecological requirements. These results reinforce the importance and efficiency of Odonata as a bioindicators of environmental quality and integrating the order into aquatic monitoring programs alongside the HII, provides a straightforward and objective measure of environmental disturbance.</p>","PeriodicalId":19071,"journal":{"name":"Neotropical Entomology","volume":"54 1","pages":"51"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143720818","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Roque Alves da Silva Júnior, Maressa de Carvalho Fragoso, Beatriz Astori Paraguassu, Rodrigues Agostinho Marcos, Rodrigo Scherer, Vanessa Moreira Osório, Hugo Bolsoni Zago, Tadeu Uggere de Andrade
{"title":"Chemical Composition and Acaricidal and Insecticidal Activity of the Essential Oil of Tithonia diversifolia (Hemsl.) A. Gray (Asteraceae).","authors":"Roque Alves da Silva Júnior, Maressa de Carvalho Fragoso, Beatriz Astori Paraguassu, Rodrigues Agostinho Marcos, Rodrigo Scherer, Vanessa Moreira Osório, Hugo Bolsoni Zago, Tadeu Uggere de Andrade","doi":"10.1007/s13744-025-01263-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13744-025-01263-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Tithonia diversifolia is a plant from the Asteraceae family that, due to the large quantity of hydrogenated monoterpenes present in its essential oil, can be used to prepare a product capable of combating agricultural pests. Therefore, the aim of this study was to carry out a phytochemical screening of the components of the essential oil produced by hydrodistillation of the leaves of T. diversifolia and to verify its possible acaricidal applications in the control of the Tetranychus urticae (Koch, 1836) (Acari: Tetranychidae) and insecticidal applications in the control of the de Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky, 1855 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), both via fumigation. Gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry revealed the presence of 32.67% β-pinene, 24.74% α-pinene and 22.69% limonene, among other components, in the essential oil of T. diversifolia. Fumigation tests revealed 52% mortality of T. urticae at a concentration of 20 µL/L of air and 96% at 80 µL/L of air. The insecticidal activity tests on the S. zeamais showed no mortality, but the repellency tests on this same insect showed promising results close to 100% at a concentration of 10 µL/L of air. Taken together, these results confirm the acaricidal efficacy of the essential oil through fumigation against the T. urticae and its repellent activity against the S. zeamais. These results suggest the potential for further research into the application of the chemical components of T. diversifolia essential oil in arthropod control.</p>","PeriodicalId":19071,"journal":{"name":"Neotropical Entomology","volume":"54 1","pages":"50"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143730321","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Song Tian, Junrui Zhi, Wenbo Yue, Dingyin Li, Li Liu
{"title":"EPG Reveals Dinotefuran's Efficiency in Suppressing the Feeding Behavior of Frankliniella occidentalis on Kidney Bean Leaves.","authors":"Song Tian, Junrui Zhi, Wenbo Yue, Dingyin Li, Li Liu","doi":"10.1007/s13744-025-01264-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13744-025-01264-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Western flower thrips (WFT), Frankliniella occidentalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), is one of the serious damage pests on agricultural production globally. Dinotefuran is an effective insecticide to control this pest. This study compared the feeding behavior and feeding area of F. occidentalis on the kidney bean leaves under four treatments: F. occidentalis, whether treated with dinotefuran (DWFT) or untreated (CWFT), each fed on kidney bean leaves that were either treated with dinotefuran (DP) or untreated with dinotefuran (CP). (labeled as: DWFT-DP, CWFT-DP, DWFT-CP, and CWFT-CP (control), respectively). After 72 h, the LC<sub>50</sub> and LC<sub>25</sub> of dinotefuran against F. occidentalis were 39.018 mg L<sup>-1</sup> and 20.441 mg L<sup>-1</sup>, respectively. The total number of probes, total time probing, the number and duration of noningestion probes and short-ingestion probes were significantly lower in DWFT-DP and CWFT-DP compared with the control, while the total duration of non-probing significantly increased, and a significant reduction in the number and total duration of long-ingestion probes was observed only in DWFT-DP. In contrast, there were few significant changes in the feeding behavior of F. occidentalis in DWFT-CP compared to control, with minimal effect on these electrical penetration graph parameters. Moreover, the feeding area of F. occidentalis decreased significantly by 39.20% and 48.58% in CWFT-DP and DWFT-DP than that in control, respectively. This study indicates that F. occidentalis feed on kidney bean leaves treated by sublethal concentrations of dinotefuran, and that their feeding behavior, ingestion, and feeding scars are impaired, and the effects are stronger in treated thrips than untreated ones.</p>","PeriodicalId":19071,"journal":{"name":"Neotropical Entomology","volume":"54 1","pages":"49"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143730397","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jean Carlos Dos Santos Lima, Omar Bailez, Jonathan Rodriguez Guerrero, Anália Arêdes, Maria Cristina Canela, Ana Maria Viana-Bailez
{"title":"Seasonal and Habitat-related Variations in the Cuticular Chemical Profile of Atta sexdens (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Foraging Workers.","authors":"Jean Carlos Dos Santos Lima, Omar Bailez, Jonathan Rodriguez Guerrero, Anália Arêdes, Maria Cristina Canela, Ana Maria Viana-Bailez","doi":"10.1007/s13744-025-01258-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13744-025-01258-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) protect insects from dehydration and pathogen attack and participate in interindividual communication. In social insects, the CHC profile serves as a chemical identification system that communicates information on nest membership, life stage, caste, and fertility. It is known that factors such as diet composition, temperature, and humidity may affect the cuticular profile of leaf-cutting ants under laboratory conditions, hindering intercolony recognition. This study aimed to determine whether the CHC profile of leaf-cutting ants under natural conditions is influenced by the dominant type of vegetation. Atta sexdens (Linnaeus,1758) foraging workers were collected at different times of the year from nests located in a eucalyptus plantation and an Atlantic Forest site. Cuticular extracts were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The CHC profiles of ants collected from both sites were compared qualitatively and quantitatively by discriminant analysis. In total, 17 compounds were detected in A. sexdens cuticles (n-C16 to n-C31), including 15 compounds in ants from the eucalyptus plantation and 13 compounds in ants from the Atlantic Forest. Of the 17 compounds, 8 were methylated CHCs, 3 were linear alkanes, 3 were unsaturated hydrocarbons, and 3 could not be identified. Ants collected from different sites contained unique cuticular compounds but did not differ in the relative concentrations of common compounds. Qualitative differences in CHC profile between ants inhabiting different environments can be explained by differences in diet composition. Furthermore, quantitative variations in CHCs throughout the year can be partially attributed to physiological responses to seasonal climatic conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":19071,"journal":{"name":"Neotropical Entomology","volume":"54 1","pages":"48"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143663474","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Changes in Fluctuating Head Asymmetry in Natural Populations of Triatoma infestans (Hemiptera, Reduviidae): How Does a Vector Control Treatment Influence the Phenotype of Nymphs and Adults?","authors":"María Laura Hernández, Raquel Miranda Gleiser","doi":"10.1007/s13744-025-01251-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13744-025-01251-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In triatomines, the measurement of fluctuating asymmetry (FA) might help us infer the (non-lethal) effects of insecticides on morphological characters and how these changes can impact activities of utmost importance in vector management. Insects that survive chemical control present morphological alterations that impact their final development. Our work measures for the first time the changes in FA in nymphs and their comparison with the occurrence of these changes in adults before and after a chemical control. We determined the occurrence and quantified the FA of the head as an indicator of stress during development in adults and fifth instar nymphs of Triatoma infestans-one of the main vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi in the southern cone of South America-to estimate the effect of exposure to insecticide in the different stages. We measured the FA of the heads of peridomestic populations of the Rioja Llanos (Argentina), pre-treatment with insecticide (15 years without chemical treatment) and post-treatment (3-4 months after the application). Our results show lower FA values in nymphs compared with adults. Furthermore, shape FA was higher post-treatment, although with some exceptions depending on sex. According to what was observed, we conclude that the post-treatment population would have differences over the pre-treatment population (FA increases), at least for fifth instar nymphs and adult males. The results are discussed considering the stage of nymphal development where the insecticide was applied, the possible repellence caused by the insecticide, the influence of insects from neighboring habitats, seasonality, and the compensatory mechanisms of development, among others. Working with field insects allows us to understand how populations react to an insecticide application, but without leaving aside characteristics of T. infestans populations under natural conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":19071,"journal":{"name":"Neotropical Entomology","volume":"54 1","pages":"45"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143664107","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}