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Rhinocyllus Conicus
''Rhinocyllus conicus'' is a species of true weevil. It is best known as a controversial agent of biological pest control which has been used against noxious thistles in the genera ''Carduus'', ''Cirsium'', ''Onopordum'', and ''Silybum''. The adult weevil is black and covered in a thin black and yellowish mottled coat of hairs. It is a short-snouted beetle up to 6 millimeters in total body length. The female lays over 100 eggs on or near the bracts of the thistle flower head. She covers the eggs with masticated plant tissue to protect them from predators. When the white larva emerges from its egg it burrows into the flower head and feeds on the flower parts and developing seeds. As it grows it deposits frass and chewed plant tissue on the walls of its chamber, producing a rigid protective shell in which it will pupate. Pupation takes up to two weeks and when the weevil emerges as an adult it remains inside the chamber for a few more weeks before tunneling out of the plant. Dama ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Curculionidae
The Curculionidae are a family of weevils, commonly called snout beetles or true weevils. They are one of the largest animal families, with 6,800 genera and 83,000 species described worldwide. They are the sister group to the family Brentidae. They include the bark beetles as the subfamily Scolytinae, which are modified in shape in accordance with their wood-boring lifestyle. They do not much resemble other weevils, so they were traditionally considered a distinct family, Scolytidae. The family also includes the ambrosia beetles, of which the present-day subfamily Platypodinae was formerly considered the distinct family Platypodidae. Description Adult Curculionidae can be recognised by the well-developed, downwards-curved snout ( rostrum) possessed by many species, though the rostrum is sometimes short (e.g. Entiminae). They have elbowed antennae that end in clubs, and the first antennal segment often fits into a groove in the side of the rostrum. The body tends to be robus ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pupa
A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their life cycle, the stages thereof being egg, larva, pupa, and imago. The processes of entering and completing the pupal stage are controlled by the insect's hormones, especially juvenile hormone, prothoracicotropic hormone, and ecdysone. The act of becoming a pupa is called pupation, and the act of emerging from the pupal case is called eclosion or emergence. The pupae of different groups of insects have different names such as ''chrysalis'' for the pupae of butterflies and ''tumbler'' for those of the mosquito family. Pupae may further be enclosed in other structures such as cocoons, nests, or shells. Position in life cycle The pupal stage follows the larval stage and precedes adulthood ('' imago'') in insects with complete meta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Insects Used For Control Of Invasive Plants
Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes and one pair of antennae. Their blood is not totally contained in vessels; some circulates in an open cavity known as the haemocoel. Insects are the most diverse group of animals; they include more than a million described species and represent more than half of all known living organisms. The total number of extant species is estimated at between six and ten million; In: potentially over 90% of the animal life forms on Earth are insects. Insects may be found in nearly all environments, although only a small number of species reside in the oceans, which are dominated by another arthropod group, crustaceans, which recent research has indicated insects are nested within. Nearly all insects hatch from eg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lixinae
Lixinae is a subfamily of true weevils, included in the Molytinae in many older treatments. They are mainly root feeders, although some develop in flower buds or stems. Several species are used in biological control of invasive weeds, namely knapweeds (''Centaurea''). Characteristics include tarsal claws that are fused at the base, and labial palps are short and telescoping. The body is elongate shape, as for some other weevils. Each tibia bears an uncus (small hook) on its distal end. The rostrum is forwardly directed. Genesis Bearing in mind modern geographical distribution of Lixinae and its feeding links, it is considered to be that this subfamily appeared in Euroasian lands, when the area of Tethys Ocean demenished. Probably, lixine weevils formed as group in the arid conditions of the deserts of Ancient Mediterranean. From here pra-lixine spread out the over dryland. Taxonomy There are three tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Milk Thistle
''Silybum marianum'' is a species of thistle. It has various common names including milk thistle, blessed milkthistle, Marian thistle, Mary thistle, Saint Mary's thistle, Mediterranean milk thistle, variegated thistle and Scotch thistle (though not to be confused with ''Onopordum acanthium'' or ''Cirsium vulgare''). This species is an annual or biennial plant of the family Asteraceae. This fairly typical thistle has red to purple flowers and shiny pale green leaves with white veins. Originally a native of Southern Europe through to Asia, it is now found throughout the world. Description Milk thistle is an upright herb that can grow to be tall and has an overall conical shape. The approximate maximum base diameter is . The stem is grooved and may be covered in a light cottony fuzz. The largest specimens have hollow stems. The leaves are oblong to lanceolate and 15–60 cm long and typically pinnately lobed, with spiny edges like most thistles. They are hairless, shiny ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cirsium Vulgare
''Cirsium vulgare'', the spear thistle, bull thistle, or common thistle, is a species of the Asteraceae genus ''Cirsium'', native throughout most of Europe (north to 66°N, locally 68°N), Western Asia (east to the Yenisei Valley), and northwestern Africa (Atlas Mountains).''Flora Europaea''''Cirsium vulgare''/ref> It is also naturalised in North America, Africa, and Australia and is an invasive weed in some areas. It is the national flower of Scotland. The plant provides a great deal of nectar for pollinators. It was rated in the top 10 for most nectar production (nectar per unit cover per year) in a UK plants survey conducted by the AgriLand project which is supported by the UK Insect Pollinators Initiative. Marsh thistle, ''Cirsium palustre'', was ranked in first place while this thistle was ranked in sixth place. It also was a top producer of nectar sugar in another study in Britain, ranked third with a production per floral unit of (2300 ± 400 μg). Description It is a t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carduus Pycnocephalus
''Carduus pycnocephalus'', with common names including Italian thistle, Italian plumeless thistle, and Plymouth thistle, is a species of thistle. It is native to: the Mediterranean region in southern Europe, North Africa, and Western Asia; East Europe and the Caucasus; and the Indian Subcontinent. The plant has become an introduced species in other regions, and on other continents, often becoming a noxious weed or invasive species. Description A winter annual, ''Carduus pycnocephalus'' stems range from to , and are glabrous to slightly wooly. The multiple stems are winged with spines. The plant grows in a rosettes of in diameter, with four to ten lobed basal leaves that are long. Cauline leaves are tomentose on the underside and contain spines on the lobe tips. Flower heads are 2-5 per cluster, densely matted with cobwebby hairs at the base of the phyllaries and spiny towards the tips. Corollas are pink to purple, approx. .4-.6 in (1-1.4 cm) long, and the fruits are b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carduus Acanthoides
''Carduus acanthoides'', known as the spiny plumeless thistle, welted thistle, or plumeless thistle, is a biennial plant species of thistle in the family Asteraceae. The plant is native to Europe and Asia and introduced in many other areas, where it is sometimes considered an invasive species. Description ''Carduus acanthoides'' may exceed in height and can form weedy monotypic stands. The stem and foliage are spiny and sometimes woolly. The specific epithet ''acanthoides'' refers to its spiny foliage. The plant starts from a flat, basal rosette and then bolts an erect stem with occasional toothed, wrinkled, spiny leaves. The leaves are long with lobed or pinnately-divided edges. The abaxial surface (underside) of the leaf is somewhat hairy. At the top of each branch of the stem is an inflorescence of one to several flower heads, each rounded, covered in spiny phyllaries, and bearing many threadlike, purple or pink disc florets. Each flowerhead is around across. It flowers thr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vegetative Reproduction
Vegetative reproduction (also known as vegetative propagation, vegetative multiplication or cloning) is any form of asexual reproduction occurring in plants in which a new plant grows from a fragment or cutting of the parent plant or specialized reproductive structures, which are sometimes called vegetative propagules. Many plants naturally reproduce this way, but it can also be induced artificially. Horticulturists have developed asexual propagation techniques that use vegetative propagules to replicate plants. Success rates and difficulty of propagation vary greatly. Monocotyledons typically lack a vascular cambium, making them more challenging to propagate. Background Plant propagation is the process of plant reproduction of a species or cultivar, and it can be sexual or asexual. It can happen through the use of vegetative parts of the plants, such as leaves, stems, and roots to produce new plants or through growth from specialized vegetative plant parts. Wh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Musk Thistle
''Carduus nutans'', with the common names musk thistle, nodding thistle, and nodding plumeless thistle, is a biennial plant in the daisy and sunflower family Asteraceae. It is native to regions of Eurasia. Description ''Carduus nutans'' is usually a biennial, requiring 2 years to complete a reproductive cycle. However, it may germinate and flower in a single year in warmer climates. Seedlings may emerge at any time from spring to late summer and develop a rosette. Plants overwinter in the rosette stage, sending up a multi-branched flowering stem in mid-spring of their second year. Mature plants reach in height with multi-branched stems. It has sharply spiny stems and leaves. The stem is cottony/hairy. The plants develop a rosette, with large leaves up to about long. The leaves are dark green, coarsely bipinnately lobed, with a smooth, waxy surface and sharp yellow-brown to whitish spines at the tips of the lobes. They are more or less hairy on top, and wooly on the veins be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Feces
Feces ( or faeces), known colloquially and in slang as poo and poop, are the solid or semi-solid remains of food that was not digested in the small intestine, and has been broken down by bacteria in the large intestine. Feces contain a relatively small amount of metabolic waste products such as bacterially altered bilirubin, and dead epithelial cells from the lining of the gut. Feces are discharged through the anus or cloaca during defecation. Feces can be used as fertilizer or soil conditioner in agriculture. They can also be burned as fuel or dried and used for construction. Some medicinal uses have been found. In the case of human feces, fecal transplants or fecal bacteriotherapy are in use. Urine and feces together are called excreta. Skatole is the principal compound responsible for the unpleasant smell of feces. Characteristics The distinctive odor of feces is due to skatole, and thiols (sulfur-containing compounds), as well as amines and carboxylic ac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Biological Pest Control
Biological control or biocontrol is a method of controlling pests, such as insects, mites, weeds, and plant diseases, using other organisms. It relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or other natural mechanisms, but typically also involves an active human management role. It can be an important component of integrated pest management (IPM) programs. There are three basic strategies for biological pest control: classical (importation), where a natural enemy of a pest is introduced in the hope of achieving control; inductive (augmentation), in which a large population of natural enemies are administered for quick pest control; and inoculative (conservation), in which measures are taken to maintain natural enemies through regular reestablishment. Natural enemies of insect pests, also known as biological control agents, include predators, parasitoids, pathogens, and competitors. Biological control agents of plant diseases are most often referred to as antagonists. Biolo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
