The effect of long term exposure to cadmium on Ostrinia nubilalis growth, development, survival rate and oxidative status.

In this study the effect of long term exposure to cadmium (Cd) on Ostrinia nubilalis larval growth, development, survival rate and oxidative status was analyzed. Newly hatched first instar - L1 larvae were reared on a Cd contaminated diet until the larvae reached the final, fifth instar - L5 or developed into pupae. In total, six experimental groups, five treatments (concentrations of Cd in fresh diet: Cd I: 0.73, Cd II: 3.70, Cd III: 6.85, Cd IV: 41.71 and Cd V: 77.53 mg kg-1) and a control group (C) were set up. The results of the experiment showed that exposure to higher concentrations of Cd (41.71 and 77.53 mg kg-1) had a significant influence on development and redox status of O. nubilalis larvae: (1) the development rate was strongly reduced resulting in a prolonged pupation time; (2) the survival rate of larvae was prominently lower; (3) bioaccumulation factor (measured in pupae) was reduced which indicated that larvae could accumulate Cd to a certain level; (4) the level of the lipid peroxidation was significantly higher, which points to oxidative damage; (5) the expression of Mtn was significantly up-regulated while Cat and GPx genes down-regulated. In conclusion, long term exposure to dietary Cd in a concentration of 41.7 mg kg-1 and higher, induced oxidative stress and slowed down growth and development of O. nubilalis larvae.

Checklist of the butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) of Montenegro.

Montenegro is, from an entomological point of view, one of the least studied countries in Europe. The Lepidoptera order has been severely understudied and an updated butterfly checklist has not been published for more than 30 years. Without proper knowledge on the species composition, and their distribution throughout the country, appropriate conservation measures cannot be undertaken. Thus an updated checklist of the butterflies of Montenegro was urgently needed. In this paper a list of 192 species of butterflies is presented, based on all available literature and on the authors' own data gathered from 1998 to 2017. The inclusion or omission of some species from the list, as well as the occurrence and distribution of rare species, is discussed. A short historic overview of entomological research in Montenegro is also included. Records of five species, Lycaena thersamon, Kretania sephirus, Neptis sappho, Arethusana arethusa, and Erebia alberganus, discovered for the first time in the country, are presented.

Analysis of oilseed rape stem weevil chemical control using a damage rating scale.

BACKGROUND: Rape stem weevil (Ceutorhynchus napi Gyll.) and cabbage stem weevil (C. pallidactylus Marsh.) can cause significant yield losses to oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.), and chemical control is often needed to protect crops from these pests. The efficacy of six insecticides, chlorpyriphos + cypermethrin, bifenthrin, alpha-cypermethrin, pirimiphos-methyl, thiacloprid and tau-fluvalinate, was tested in a 4 year field trial. Besides the standard efficacy analysis expressed through the number of larvae per stem, a damage rating scale was introduced and modelled using a regression model for ordinal categorical data. RESULTS: Compared with the control, expressed through damage rating and larval number, treatments with chlorpyriphos + cypermethrin and bifenthrin, showed higher efficacy in the control of stem weevils compared with alpha-cypermethrin and pirimiphos-methyl. The lowest efficacy was observed in treatments with tau-fluvalinate and thiacloprid. CONCLUSION: This study showed that a combined efficacy evaluation expressed through both damage rating scale and the count of larvae, supported by an ordinal regression model for data analysis, is indispensable for obtaining accurate results. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.