Culicoides are one of the smallest hematophagous flies measuring 1–5 mm in size with only females... more Culicoides are one of the smallest hematophagous flies measuring 1–5 mm in size with only females seeking blood for egg development. The present study investigated spatio-temporal distribution of Culicoides species trapped between 1990 and 2018 at 13 sites in the New England region of NSW, Australia using automated light traps. Trapping locations were divided into three subregions (tablelands, slopes and plains). Nineteen Culicoides species were identified. Culicoides marksi and C. austropalpalis were the most abundant and widespread species. Culicoides brevitarsis, the principal vector of livestock diseases in New South Wales comprised 2.9% of the total catch and was detected in 12 of the 13 locations in the study. Abundance as determined by Log10 Culicoides count per trapping event for the eight most abundant species did not vary significantly with season but trended towards higher counts in summer for C. marksi (P = 0.09) and C. austropalpalis (P = 0.05). Significant geographic v...
On the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia, endemic Theileria orientalis infection ... more On the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia, endemic Theileria orientalis infection of cattle has been reported on farms where no ticks have been observed, raising the question of how Theileria is transmitted in these areas. To investigate the potential role of mechanical transmission by insects, the present study investigated the seasonal dynamics of biting fly species trapped between December 2017 and May 2019 on six cattle farms in the region where the presence of Theileria was confirmed. These flies, sucking lice collected from these farms and pools of Culicoides species affecting cattle also trapped in the region were subjected to qPCR detection of T. orientalis. Eleven species from eight genera of biting flies were collected using unbaited Nzi traps. Tabanid species were present in all farms, with Dasybasis oculata (43.6 %) and D. circumdata (27.6 %) being the most abundant and widespread species. The effect of season on the mean count per trapping event was stati...
The feasibility of feeding insects on different types of waste materials and subsequently feeding... more The feasibility of feeding insects on different types of waste materials and subsequently feeding insects to poultry is reviewed. Research in this area has demonstrated that a number of insect taxa including silkworms, locusts, fly larvae, crickets and grasshoppers can be safely fed to chickens without compromising the quality and palatability of the meat. Most studies on the topic have dealt with which species of insects can be fed to chickens; they did not investigate rearing insects commercially which ...
Biting midges from the genus Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) are the vectors of several glo... more Biting midges from the genus Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) are the vectors of several globally important arboviruses that affect livestock. These include orbiviruses from the bluetongue virus (BTV) and African horse sickness virus (AHSV) groups and members of the Simbu serogroup of orthobunyaviruses, such as the recently emerged Schmallenberg virus. In this article, the authors evaluate several methods for feeding wild‑caught Australian Culicoides on BTV infected preparations of blood and sucrose. Feeding Culicoides on the membrane of embryonated chicken eggs was identified as the preferred feeding method. Although, cotton wool pads soaked in either virus‑infected blood or virus‑sucrose mixtures were also successful. A non‑destructive nucleic acid extraction technique for the detection of viral RNA in Culicoides was also evaluated as it allows for readily differentiating infected from non‑infected Culicoides.
... ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Dr Richard Vickers (CSIRO, Long ... more ... ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Dr Richard Vickers (CSIRO, Long Pocket, Queensland), coordinator of the national project 'Towards the Integrated Management of Codling Moth' (Project No. ...
Aphid-transmitted virus diseases are a constraint on production of faba bean (Vicia faba) and oth... more Aphid-transmitted virus diseases are a constraint on production of faba bean (Vicia faba) and other cool season grain legumes in northern New South Wales (NSW), Australia. A field study in 2004 identified potentially important aphid vectors of viruses that infect faba bean. Individual alatae were trapped on vertical nets in four field situations and placed immediately on bioassay plants (faba
Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture, 2008
ABSTRACT The authors overview integrated pest management (IPM) in grain crops in north-eastern Au... more ABSTRACT The authors overview integrated pest management (IPM) in grain crops in north-eastern Australia, which is defined as the area north of latitude 32°S. Major grain crops in this region include the coarse grains (winter and summer cereals), oilseeds and pulses. IPM in these systems is complicated by the diversity of crops, pests, market requirements and cropping environments. In general, the pulse crops are at greatest risk, followed by oilseeds and then by cereal grains. Insecticides remain a key grain pest management tool in north-eastern Australia. IPM in grain crops has benefited considerably through the increased adoption of new, more selective insecticides and biopesticides for many caterpillar pests, in particular Helicoverpa spp. and loopers, and the identification of pest-crop scenarios where spraying is unnecessary (e.g. for most Creontiades spp. populations in soybeans). This has favoured the conservation of natural enemies in north-eastern Australia grain crops, and has arguably assisted in the management of silverleaf whitefly in soybeans in coastal Queensland. However, control of sucking pests and podborers such as Maruca vitrata remains a major challenge for IPM in summer pulses. Because these crops have very low pest-damage tolerances and thresholds, intervention with disruptive insecticides is frequently required, particularly during podfill. The threat posed by silverleaf whitefly demands ongoing multi-pest IPM research, development and extension as this pest can flare under favourable seasonal conditions, especially where disruptive insecticides are used injudiciously. The strong links between researchers and industry have facilitated the adoption of IPM practices in north-eastern Australia and augers well for future pest challenges and for the development and promotion of new and improved IPM tactics.
Bluetongue virus (BTV) is a major pathogen of ruminants that is transmitted by biting midges (Cul... more Bluetongue virus (BTV) is a major pathogen of ruminants that is transmitted by biting midges (Culicoides spp.). Australian BTV serotypes have origins in Asia and are distributed across the continent into two distinct episystems, one in the north and another in the east. Culicoides brevitarsis is the major vector of BTV in Australia and is distributed across the entire geographic range of the virus. Here, we describe the isolation and use of DNA microsatellites and gauge their ability to determine population genetic connectivity of C. brevitarsis within Australia and with countries to the north. Eleven DNA microsatellite markers were isolated using a novel genomic enrichment method and identified as useful for genetic analyses of sampled populations in Australia, northern Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Timor-Leste. Significant (P < 0.05) population genetic subdivision was observed between all paired regions, though the highest levels of genetic sub-division involved pair-wise tests wi...
Culicoides are one of the smallest hematophagous flies measuring 1–5 mm in size with only females... more Culicoides are one of the smallest hematophagous flies measuring 1–5 mm in size with only females seeking blood for egg development. The present study investigated spatio-temporal distribution of Culicoides species trapped between 1990 and 2018 at 13 sites in the New England region of NSW, Australia using automated light traps. Trapping locations were divided into three subregions (tablelands, slopes and plains). Nineteen Culicoides species were identified. Culicoides marksi and C. austropalpalis were the most abundant and widespread species. Culicoides brevitarsis, the principal vector of livestock diseases in New South Wales comprised 2.9% of the total catch and was detected in 12 of the 13 locations in the study. Abundance as determined by Log10 Culicoides count per trapping event for the eight most abundant species did not vary significantly with season but trended towards higher counts in summer for C. marksi (P = 0.09) and C. austropalpalis (P = 0.05). Significant geographic v...
On the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia, endemic Theileria orientalis infection ... more On the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia, endemic Theileria orientalis infection of cattle has been reported on farms where no ticks have been observed, raising the question of how Theileria is transmitted in these areas. To investigate the potential role of mechanical transmission by insects, the present study investigated the seasonal dynamics of biting fly species trapped between December 2017 and May 2019 on six cattle farms in the region where the presence of Theileria was confirmed. These flies, sucking lice collected from these farms and pools of Culicoides species affecting cattle also trapped in the region were subjected to qPCR detection of T. orientalis. Eleven species from eight genera of biting flies were collected using unbaited Nzi traps. Tabanid species were present in all farms, with Dasybasis oculata (43.6 %) and D. circumdata (27.6 %) being the most abundant and widespread species. The effect of season on the mean count per trapping event was stati...
The feasibility of feeding insects on different types of waste materials and subsequently feeding... more The feasibility of feeding insects on different types of waste materials and subsequently feeding insects to poultry is reviewed. Research in this area has demonstrated that a number of insect taxa including silkworms, locusts, fly larvae, crickets and grasshoppers can be safely fed to chickens without compromising the quality and palatability of the meat. Most studies on the topic have dealt with which species of insects can be fed to chickens; they did not investigate rearing insects commercially which ...
Biting midges from the genus Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) are the vectors of several glo... more Biting midges from the genus Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) are the vectors of several globally important arboviruses that affect livestock. These include orbiviruses from the bluetongue virus (BTV) and African horse sickness virus (AHSV) groups and members of the Simbu serogroup of orthobunyaviruses, such as the recently emerged Schmallenberg virus. In this article, the authors evaluate several methods for feeding wild‑caught Australian Culicoides on BTV infected preparations of blood and sucrose. Feeding Culicoides on the membrane of embryonated chicken eggs was identified as the preferred feeding method. Although, cotton wool pads soaked in either virus‑infected blood or virus‑sucrose mixtures were also successful. A non‑destructive nucleic acid extraction technique for the detection of viral RNA in Culicoides was also evaluated as it allows for readily differentiating infected from non‑infected Culicoides.
... ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Dr Richard Vickers (CSIRO, Long ... more ... ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Dr Richard Vickers (CSIRO, Long Pocket, Queensland), coordinator of the national project 'Towards the Integrated Management of Codling Moth' (Project No. ...
Aphid-transmitted virus diseases are a constraint on production of faba bean (Vicia faba) and oth... more Aphid-transmitted virus diseases are a constraint on production of faba bean (Vicia faba) and other cool season grain legumes in northern New South Wales (NSW), Australia. A field study in 2004 identified potentially important aphid vectors of viruses that infect faba bean. Individual alatae were trapped on vertical nets in four field situations and placed immediately on bioassay plants (faba
Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture, 2008
ABSTRACT The authors overview integrated pest management (IPM) in grain crops in north-eastern Au... more ABSTRACT The authors overview integrated pest management (IPM) in grain crops in north-eastern Australia, which is defined as the area north of latitude 32°S. Major grain crops in this region include the coarse grains (winter and summer cereals), oilseeds and pulses. IPM in these systems is complicated by the diversity of crops, pests, market requirements and cropping environments. In general, the pulse crops are at greatest risk, followed by oilseeds and then by cereal grains. Insecticides remain a key grain pest management tool in north-eastern Australia. IPM in grain crops has benefited considerably through the increased adoption of new, more selective insecticides and biopesticides for many caterpillar pests, in particular Helicoverpa spp. and loopers, and the identification of pest-crop scenarios where spraying is unnecessary (e.g. for most Creontiades spp. populations in soybeans). This has favoured the conservation of natural enemies in north-eastern Australia grain crops, and has arguably assisted in the management of silverleaf whitefly in soybeans in coastal Queensland. However, control of sucking pests and podborers such as Maruca vitrata remains a major challenge for IPM in summer pulses. Because these crops have very low pest-damage tolerances and thresholds, intervention with disruptive insecticides is frequently required, particularly during podfill. The threat posed by silverleaf whitefly demands ongoing multi-pest IPM research, development and extension as this pest can flare under favourable seasonal conditions, especially where disruptive insecticides are used injudiciously. The strong links between researchers and industry have facilitated the adoption of IPM practices in north-eastern Australia and augers well for future pest challenges and for the development and promotion of new and improved IPM tactics.
Bluetongue virus (BTV) is a major pathogen of ruminants that is transmitted by biting midges (Cul... more Bluetongue virus (BTV) is a major pathogen of ruminants that is transmitted by biting midges (Culicoides spp.). Australian BTV serotypes have origins in Asia and are distributed across the continent into two distinct episystems, one in the north and another in the east. Culicoides brevitarsis is the major vector of BTV in Australia and is distributed across the entire geographic range of the virus. Here, we describe the isolation and use of DNA microsatellites and gauge their ability to determine population genetic connectivity of C. brevitarsis within Australia and with countries to the north. Eleven DNA microsatellite markers were isolated using a novel genomic enrichment method and identified as useful for genetic analyses of sampled populations in Australia, northern Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Timor-Leste. Significant (P < 0.05) population genetic subdivision was observed between all paired regions, though the highest levels of genetic sub-division involved pair-wise tests wi...
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