<i>Protophormia terraenovae</i> is a forensically important blow fly species in cold regions. This study investigated its development at constant temperatures (15-25°C). Results showed that developmental duration significantly decreased with increasing temperature, with the total period ranging from 779.33 hours at 15 °C to 396.67 hours at 25 °C. The hatching and third-instar larval stages were most temperature-sensitive. We established Isomorphen and Isomegalen models, which visually illustrated the prolongation of development progress and the increased time required for larval growth per millimeter as temperature decreased. Thermal summation models indicated a strong linear relationship for the hatching and third-instar stages. Furthermore, we found that pupal weight was a more reliable growth indicators than length or width. This study provides fundamental developmental data and models for improving the accuracy of postmortem interval estimation using <i>P. terraenovae</i> in forensic practice.

The ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor and the viruses it transmits pose a significant threat to honey bee health (Apis mellifera), contributing to colony collapse disorder. In this study, a metatranscriptomic analysis of V. destructor from six regions in South Korea was conducted to characterize its viral communities. Using high-throughput sequencing (HTS), we identified 16 known viruses and classified them into three groups: honey bee-pathogenic, Varroa destructor viruses (VDVs), and viruses with unknown hosts. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to validate the HTS results, revealing only two discrepancies out of 96 comparisons. This emphasizes the importance of integrating both methods for comprehensive virome analysis. Deformed wing virus was the most prevalent and abundant virus, comprising 75%–99% of viral reads in five out of six farms. One farm showed a high abundance of VDVs (3 and 9). Notably, two previously unreported viruses with unknown hosts, Hubei partiti-like virus 34 and Lilac leaf chlorosis virus (LLCV), were identified. For LLCV, the detection of all ribonucleic acid segments highlighted the critical impact of sequencing depth on viral genome analysis. To our knowledge, this study provides the first virome characterization of V. destructor in South Korea, revealing diverse viral communities. It also proposes an integrated analytical approach using RT-PCR and HTS, emphasizing the importance of sequencing depth. This analysis provides valuable insights into the potential impacts of viral infections on honey bee colony health and the epidemiology of viral transmission.

Hierodula is a morphologically conservative mantid genus with a complex taxonomic history and several problematic species-level concepts across its native and invaded ranges. In Iran, four nominal Hierodula species have historically been reported (H. macrostigmata, H. tenuidentata, H. transcaucasica, and "H. trimacula"), but their validity and distributions have remained uncertain due to overlapping diagnostic characters and limited molecular data. This study addresses these issues by reassessing all available Iranian material within an integrative framework. The revision combines: Morphological examination of type and non-type material from Iran, India, Pakistan, and Oman, including detailed study of external characters and male genitalia. Mitochondrial COI barcoding of Hierodula specimens from multiple Iranian provinces and Pakistan, analyzed with Bayesian inference, maximum likelihood, and model-based genetic distance estimation. Compilation and critical validation of distributional data from museum collections, literature, and iNaturalist records, followed by mapping in QGIS. Morphological comparisons show that the holotype of H. macrostigmata and recently collected southern Iranian specimens are indistinguishable from H. coarctata in forewing stigma, pronotal shape, and male genitalia, supporting their synonymy. COI phylogenies and TN93 genetic distances recover two deeply divergent, well-supported clades corresponding to H. coarctata and the H. tenuidentata complex, with minimal intraspecific divergence and no separation between Iranian "H. macrostigmata" and Indian/Pakistani H. coarctata. Re-examination of specimens and literature demonstrates that records of "Hierodula/Sphodromantis trimacula" from Iran lack verifiable material, while male genital characters place the species unambiguously in Sphodromantis and confirm its absence from the Iranian fauna. The integrative evidence indicates that only H. coarctata and H. tenuidentata are currently valid Hierodula species in Iran, with H. macrostigmata as a junior synonym of H. coarctata and previous Iranian reports of S. trimacula rejected. The clear molecular separation between H. coarctata and the H. tenuidentata complex, combined with broad morphological variability in traits such as forefemoral spine coloration, underscores the need to abandon historically overemphasized colour characters and highlights the utility of COI barcoding in resolving conservative mantid lineages. Remaining uncertainty regarding the status of H. transcaucasica versus H. tenuidentata at a broader Eurasian scale calls for a forthcoming multi-locus, range-wide revision to formally resolve their taxonomy.

IntroductionThe olive moth, Prays oleae (Bernard) (Lepidoptera: Praydidae), is a major pest of olive crops worldwide.MethodsThis study examined the effects of constant temperatures (15–35 °C) on its development, survival, and reproduction, and evaluated nine temperature-dependent models (Linear, Lactin-2, β type, Brière-1 and 2, Polynomial, Shi, SSI, and Taylor).Results and discussionDevelopmental duration decreased with temperature, with egg incubation ranging from 14.1 days at 15 °C to 2.6 ± 0.1 days at 35 °C, pre-adult development ranging from 64.9 days (male) and 68.3 days (female) at 15 °C to 27.1 days and 27.8 days at 35 °C, with males generally developing faster than females except at 28 and 32 °C, and adult life span declining from 76.8–81.2 days at 15 °C to 34.1–35.4 days at 32 °C. Survival followed a bell-shaped pattern, peaking at 25 °C for eggs (79.93%), larvae (90.87%), and pupae (66.0%). Kaplan–Meier analysis indicated faster mortality at higher temperatures (LT50 = 35 days at 32 °C vs. 79 days at 15 °C). Pupal weight decreased with temperature, with females consistently heavier than males (15 °C: 7.50 vs. 6.40 mg; 32 °C: 4.88 vs. 4.40 mg). Pupal deformities were marginal (3.1–10.8%), whereas adult deformities increased at temperature extremes (14.9–19.8%). Fecundity peaked at 25 °C (380.7 eggs/female), oviposition was longest at 25 °C (12.6 days), and pre-oviposition decreased from 4.9 days (15 °C) to 1.6 days (32 °C). Model evaluation showed Brière-2 provided the most biologically realistic thermal thresholds (TL = 4.3–15 °C, Topt = 28–34 °C, TH = 37.8–42.9 °C).ConclusionOverall, P. oleae develops and reproduces optimally at 25–28 °C, providing critical data for predicting population dynamics and guiding temperature-based management strategies in olive orchards.

The broad range of Scolytinae pests sizes and their subtle visual similarities, especially in smaller species, continue to challenge the accuracy of mainstream object detection models. To address these challenges, this paper proposes GIWT-YOLO, a lightweight detection model based on YOLOv11s, specifically tailored for Scolytinae pests detection. (1) We designed a lightweight multi-scale convolution module, GIConv, to improve the model’s ability to extract features at different pest scales. This module enhances the accuracy of small-object detection while reducing the computational cost and parameter complexity of the backbone. (2) The WTConv module inspired by wavelet transform is introduced into the backbone. This enlarges the effective receptive field and improves the model’s ability to distinguish pests with similar textures. (3) An SE attention mechanism is incorporated between the Neck and Head to enhance the model’s focus on key feature regions. Experimental results show that GIWT-YOLO achieves 84.7% in Precision, 88.7% in mAP@50, and 63.4% in mAP@50~95, which are improvements of 2.2%, 4.0%, and 3.1%, respectively, compared to the baseline YOLOv11s. Additionally, the model’s parameters and GFLOPs are reduced by 11.3% and 13.4%, respectively. Our proposed model surpasses the state-of-the-art (SOTA) performance in small-sized pest detection while maintaining a lightweight architecture, and its generalization ability has been validated on other public datasets. Our model provides an efficient solution for detecting Scolytinae pests. In future work, we plan to collect additional images of various pest species to expand the dataset, further enhancing the model’s applicability to a wider range of pest detection scenarios.

Blueberry cultivation has recently become a rapidly expanding export industry in Peru. With few to no official records of phytosanitary problems up to date. Nevertheless, as observed in other major blueberry producer countries, pests occurrences have been already reported. This study presents a comprehensive biological and molecular characterization of a novel blueberry pest, identifying it as a member of the Tortricidae family in the genus Platynota. The insect’s average life cycle was determined to be 46.3 days for males and 48.6 days for females, with the larval stage being the longest (25.4 days on average), and the most destructive due to its feeding behavior, which significantly damages buds and fruits. Morphological analysis of the genitalia, along with a comparison of its complete mitochondrial DNA, further supports the conclusion that this pest is a new species. These findings represent the first report of a tortricid pest affecting blueberries in Peru and offer crucial insights for developing effective pest management strategies, contributing to the sustainable growth of blueberry production and exports in the region.

RNA interference (RNAi) is a promising gene-silencing technique for pest control that targets essential genes. We assessed the potential of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) and small interfering RNA (siRNA) to silence mesh or iap genes in the midguts of Spodoptera litura larvae. Despite the theoretical promise of RNAi approaches, our findings revealed that dsRNA did not induce significant gene silencing or impact larval growth, whereas siRNA exhibited clear insecticidal effects, likely by disrupting intestinal osmoregulation and impairing larval fitness. Detailed analysis indicated that dsRNA could not be efficiently converted into functional siRNA in the midguts of S. litura, possibly due to the low expression levels of Dicer-2 and the rapid degradation of dsRNA within the gut environment. Furthermore, while dsRNA demonstrated greater environmental stability than siRNA under soil conditions, the inability of S. litura to process dsRNA effectively limits its viability as a pest control agent. These findings indicate the critical role of Dicer-2 in RNAi-mediated gene silencing and highlight the challenges and limitations of employing dsRNA-based genetic pesticides in lepidopteran species.

Neophilaenus campestris (Fallén) (Hemiptera: Aphrophoridae) is among the most abundant, highly dispersible, and widely distributed Xylella fastidiosa Wells (Xanthomonadales: Xanthomonadaceae) vectors to olive tree in Europe, with emphasis in Andalucía. The development of efficient and environmentally friendly vector management strategies is greatly needed. Entomopathogenic ascomycetes are among the few alternatives for the microbial control of pierce-sucking spittlebugs due to their unique contact mode and ability to endophytically colonize crops. These characteristics allow for several strategic uses aimed at reducing vector populations and/or their disease transmission potential. This study included a two-year field experiment to evaluate the Metarhizium brunneum Petch. (Ascomycota: Hypocreales) strain EAMa 01/58-Su sprayed onto N. campestris population naturally present in the olive grove cover in Cordoba (Spain). Experiments were conducted in early spring, and efficacy was evaluated using the Henderson-Tilton formula, as well as by analyzing changes in the relative population density of both nymphs and adults. The fungus was detected in the soil and endophytically in the natural cover throughout the 8 days monitoring period, in which the fungal treatment significantly reduced both the nymph and the adult populations. Notably, the efficacy of the fungal treatment was 100.0% and 85.0% for foams and adults in 2023, and 62.5% and 72.0% for foams and adults in 2024, respectively. Results indicate a significant reduction in the population density of both vector developmental stages, highlighting the potential of this fungal strain for managing X. fastidiosa vectors in olive cover crops.

Many insect species that could benefit humanity cannot be reared or domesticated because of the lack of adequate artificial diets. In the case of insect pests which are controlled via the Sterile Insect Technique, the prospects of improving biological traits of mass-reared individuals hinge on the development of new diet formulations. 3D food printing technology holds unique potential to create customized artificial diets simulating the shape, texture, and distribution of nutrient and non-nutrient components (e.g., dietary fiber and secondary metabolites) of natural insect foods. We present an overview on the use of state-of-the-art 3D printing technology to develop artificial diets that mimic the dynamic nature of natural insect diets, characterized by compartmentalized food components. The challenges and limitations of 3D food printing technology for its application in the field of diet development and artificial insect rearing are discussed, and future research priorities are highlighted. Examples are provided of beneficial and pestiferous insect species that could be reared on 3D-printed diets such as the cocoa pod borer and tephritid flies.

We present a short review of the biology, diagnostic characteristics, and invasiveness of the Oriental hornet, Vespa orientalis. We also performed an analysis of the shape of the forewings (geometric morphometrics) of different geographic groups along their native distribution and their potential geographical distribution using the MaxEnt entropy modeling. Our results show a wide potential expansion range of the species, including an increase in environmentally suitable areas in Europe, Asia, and Africa but more especially the Western Hemisphere, where the species was recently introduced. The geometric morphometric analysis of the forewings shows that there are three different morphogroups: one distributed along the Mediterranean coast of Europe and the Middle East (MEDI), another along the Arabian Peninsula and Western Asia but excluding the Mediterranean coast (MEAS), and one more in northern Africa north of the Sahara and south of the Mediterranean coast (AFRI), all of which show differences in their potential distribution as a result of the pressure from the different environments and which will also determine the capacity of the different morphogroups to successfully invade new habitats.