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Acetylcholine (ACh) is the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the insect central nervous system (CNS). However, besides the neuronal expression of ACh receptors (AChR), the existence of non-neuronal AChR in honeybees is plausible. The cholinergic system is a popular target of insecticides because the pharmacology of insect nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) differs substantially from their vertebrate counterparts. Neonicotinoids are agonists of the nAChR and are largely used in crop protection. In contrast to their relatively high safety for humans and livestock, neonicotinoids pose a threat to pollinating insects such as bees. In addition to its effects on behavior, it becomes increasingly evident that neonicotinoids affect developmental processes in bees that appear to be independent of neuronal AChRs. Brood food (royal jelly, worker jelly, or drone jelly) produced in the hypopharyngeal glands of nurse bees contains millimolar concentrations of ACh, which is required for proper larval development. Neonicotinoids reduce the secreted ACh-content in brood food, reduce hypopharyngeal gland size, and lead to developmental impairments within the colony. We assume that potential hazards of neonicotinoids on pollinating bees occur neuronally causing behavioral impairments on adult individuals, and non-neuronally causing developmental disturbances as well as destroying gland functioning.
First record of the beekeeping pest Aethina tumida Murray (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) for Honduras
(2024)
Aethina tumida Murray (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) (also known as the small hive beetle), an important pest in apiaries, is reported from Honduras for the first time, new country record. The precise distribution in the country is unknown, and no damage related to it has been observed. Photographs are provided to aid in its identification. Differentiation of A. tumida from Aethina villosa Reitter and Aethina quadrata Sharp, which also occur in Honduras, is provided.
ZooBank registration. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:DAF12C6A-0F8C-4151-9C4D-F191CCC4032F
Sampling of day-active invertebrates visiting the flowers of Grey Mangrove Avicennia marina subsp. australasica (Walp.) J.Everett (family Acanthaceae) was undertaken at a study site on the Harrington estuary, northern New South Wales, Australia. The study extended over a 4 season period (from 2016 to 2020), with more than 170 anthophilous species being recorded. Nearly all were observed contacting flower stigmas and/or anthers during foraging episodes. At least 113 of the approximately 168 species examined for pollen loads, carried Avicennia pollen. None carried mixed pollen loads, indicating foraging constancy/fidelity. Although pollen carriage does not automatically assign the status of pollinator, nevertheless, the findings indicate Avicennia marina is pollinated by a taxonomically diverse suite of native invertebrates which sit within an assemblage of flower visitors that may include non-pollinating species. Although the invasive honeybee Apis mellifera was seasonally common during most days of observation, it was uncommon or absent on some days. The occurrence of native flower-visiting species was often found to be episodic, with many species being abundant during one day or season of observation, but then absent or rarely encountered at other times. Such behavioral events highlight the need for extended periods of field investigation to illuminate more fully the pollination ecology of individual plant species. Comparison with additional anthophilous insect records from a previous 1990 – 1994 study in an adjacent littoral rainforest community, indicated that this community may furnish a pool of native insects from which Avicennia marina can seasonally recruit a dynamic pollinator network.