juracimbrophlebia is an extinct genus of hangingflies that lived during the middle jurassic period about 165 million years ago .

the type species was discovered from daohugou in northeastern china ’s inner mongolia .

the insect was selected by the international institute for species exploration at arizona state university as one of the top 10 new species discovered in 2012 out of more than 140 nominated species .

the uniqueness is its striking resemblance to the fossilised leaves with which it was discovered , indicating one of the earliest instances of biological mimicry .

the selection was announced on 22 may 2013 .

juracimbrophlebia

juracimbrophlebia <EOT> image - juracimbrophlebia ginkgofolia . png | dinosaur alive wiki | fandom powered by wikia

a restoration of juracimbrophlebia ginkgofolia hiding among jurassic ginkgo leaves . art by wang chen , from wang et al . , 2012 .

juracimbrophlebia ginkgofolia image © 2012 ms . chen wang . used with permission of the international institute for species exploration . all rights reserved .

a specimen of juracimbrophlebia ginkgofolia — a new genus and species , showing an appearance similar to y . capituliformis . photo by : wang , labandeira , shih and ren

a reconstruction of juracimbrophlebia ginkgofolia mimicking the ginkgoites leaves of the contemporaneous yimaia caputiliformis plant , while sharing in a mutual benefit for both hangingfly and a ginkgo plant . artwork by ms . chen wang

a fossil of the jurassic hangingfly juracimbrophlebia ginkgofolia ( c ) next to the leaf of the ginkgo yimaia capituliformis ( e ) found in the same deposits . from wang et al . , 2012 .

the systematic paleontology is as follows : insecta linnaeus , 1758 ; mecoptera packard , 1886 ; raptipeda willmann , 1977 ; cimbrophlebiidae willmann , 1977 ; juracimbrophlebia ginkgofolia wang , labandeira , shih et ren gen . et sp . nov .

y . j . wang , c . c . labandeira , c . k . shih and d . ren . 2012 . juracimbrophlebia ginkgofolia taxonomy , in jurassic mimicry between a hangingfly and a ginkgo from china . proceedings of the national academy of sciences 109 : 20515 - 20516 urltoken

full reference : y . j . wang , c . c . labandeira , c . k . shih and d . ren . 2012 . juracimbrophlebia ginkgofolia taxonomy , in jurassic mimicry between a hangingfly and a ginkgo from china . proceedings of the national academy of sciences 109 : 20515 - 20516

the generic name juracimbrophlebia is the combination of jura - and cimbrophlebia ( the type genus of the family cimbrophlebiidae ) , referring to the jurassic age and scorpionfly nature of the species . the specific name ginkgofolia is the combination of latin words ginkgo and - folia , referring to the distinctively ginkgoalean , leaf - like wings .

juracimbrophlebia ginkgofolia country : china living species of hangingflies can be found , as the name suggests , hanging beneath foliage where they capture other insects as food . they are a lineage of scorpionflies characterized by their skinny bodies , two pairs of narrow wings , and long threadlike legs . a new fossil species , juracimbrophlebia ginkgofolia , has been found along with preserved leaves of a gingko - like tree , yimaia capituliformis , in middle jurassic deposits in the jiulongshan formation in china ' s inner mongolia . the two look so similar that they are easily confused in the field and represent a rare example of an insect mimicking a gymnosperm 165 million years ago , before an explosive radiation of flowering plants .

when the hangingfly ( juracimbrophlebia ginkgofolia ) that was fossilized in this find stretched its wings , it would have resembled the five - lobed leaf of an extinct ginkgo - like tree ( yimaia capituliformis ) that once dwelled in the region . the scientists accidentally ran across this mimicry about a year and a half ago , after initially mistaking the insect for a leaf in the lab and the field .

mimicry isn ' t a new development among insects . the evolutionary connection between arthropods and the vegetation they resemble may go back over 300 million years , and , among modern forms , has adapted insects so intricately that they even show markings similar to fungus and lichen common on the plants they are supposed to look like . juracimbrophlebia isn ' t even the first mimic insect to be found in the high - resolution fossil slabs of the jiulongshan formation . nevertheless , this is the first time a hangingfly has been found to mimic a plant .

a new species of hangingfly with wings that perfectly mimic the multi - lobed leaf of an ancient ginkgo - like tree has been discovered in china by scientists from the smithsonian’s national museum of natural history and the university of maryland , as well as the college of life sciences at capital normal university , in beijing . exquisitely preserved in fossil sediments dating from the middle jurassic , the insect , newly named juracimbrophlebia ginkgofolia , was discovered in 165 million - year - old deposits , as was the ginko - like tree , yimaia capituliformis , the mimicked plant .

in order to blend in on the jurassic ginkgo yimaia capituliformis , tricky juracimbrophlebia had to spread its wings . when held just so , the elongated , veined wings of the insect resembled the multi - lobed shape of the ginkgo leaves . this is assuming that the mimicry hypothesis is correct . the insect and the leaves show a close resemblance , but how can we test this hypothesis 165 million years after these organisms shared the same forest ? the hangingfly does resemble the ginkgo , that much is clear , but how can we tell whether or not the insect ' s anatomy was a form of camouflage or just coincidentally similar ?

“living species of hangingflies can be found , as the name suggests , hanging beneath foliage where they capture other insects as food . they are a lineage of scorpionflies characterized by their skinny bodies , two pairs of narrow wings , and long threadlike legs . a new fossil species , juracimbrophlebia ginkgofolia , has been found along with preserved leaves of a gingko - like tree , yimaia capituliformis , in middle jurassic deposits in the jiulongshan formation in china’s inner mongolia . the two look so similar that they are easily confused in the field and represent a rare example of an insect mimicking a gymnosperm 165 million years ago , before an explosive radiation of flowering plants . ”

so , who made the cut ? one of the top ten species includes the lucihormetica luckae , a glow in the dark cockroach originating from ecuador . the scientists have only found one specimen that was collected 70 years ago , suggesting that this species is either extremely rare , or already extinct . other insects that made the list were the semachrysa jade , a butterfly from malayasia and the juracimbrophlebia ginkofolia , a fly from china . the semachrysa jade has a green lacewing with dark markings found at the base of the wings and was first discovered after a photograph of it was published on social media . the fly is known for hanging under foliage in order to catch food .

the inch and a half long fossil specimen was first overlooked , the team says , as those that found it first believed it to be a ( now extinct ) five lobed ginkgo leaf sample embedded within ancient rock . upon closer inspection , the researchers discovered that the specimen was actually that of a fossilized scorpionfly , which is known more commonly as a hangingfly ( juracimbrophlebia ginkgofolia ) , because of its tendency to hang from branches waiting for prey to pass by . it was found in the northeastern part of inner mongolia . the scorpionfly gets its name from its oversized male genitalia that resemble a scorpion stinger . to mimic surrounding ginkgo leaves , the insect would latch onto a branch , hang down and spread its wings wide open .

hangingfly fossil : living species of hangingflies can be found , as the name suggests , hanging beneath foliage . that is where they capture other insects as food . they are a lineage of scorpionflies . they are characterized by their skinny bodies , two pairs of narrow wings , and long threadlike legs . this new fossil species , juracimbrophlebia ginkgofolia , has been found along with preserved leaves of a gingko - like tree , yimaia capituliformis . the two were found in middle jurassic deposits in the jiulongshan formation in china’s inner mongolia . the two look so similar that they are easily confused in the field . they represent a rare example of an insect mimicking a gymnosperm 165 million years ago . this was before an explosive radiation of flowering plants .

but let ' s run with the mimicry hypothesis . under this scenario , wang and collaborators propose that the hangingfly might have been hiding from the insectivorous mammals , dinosaurs , pterosaurs , lizards , and amphibians that inhabited the same forest . ( the same cast of arthropod - crunchers was recently cast as a threat to the katydid archaboilus musicus , found in the same formation and known from a set of wings researchers recently used to reconstruct the insect ' s song . ) alternatively , juracimbrophlebia might have been a predator itself - the hangingfly could have ambushed the various insects which fed upon prehistoric ginkgo trees . perhaps the mimicry proved advantageous in both respects . the span of time between us the jurassic forest prevents us from knowing - such tantalizing traces of prehistoric interactions only come to life in our imaginations .

abstract a near - perfect mimetic association between a mecopteran insect species and a ginkgoalean plant species from the late middle jurassic of northeastern china recently has been discovered . the association stems from a case of mixed identity between a particular plant and an insect in the laboratory and the field . this confusion is explained as a case of leaf mimesis , wherein the appearance of the multilobed leaf of yimaia capituliformis ( the ginkgoalean model ) was accurately replicated by the wings and abdomen of the cimbrophlebiid juracimbrophlebia ginkgofolia ( the hangingfly mimic ) . our results suggest that hangingflies developed leaf mimesis either as an antipredator avoidance device or possibly as a predatory strategy to provide an antiherbivore function for its plant hosts , thus gaining mutual benefit for both the hangingfly and the ginkgo species . this documentation of mimesis is a rare occasion whereby exquisitely preserved , co - occurring fossils occupy a narrow spatiotemporal window that reveal likely reciprocal mechanisms which plants and insects provide mutual defensive support during their preangiospermous evolutionary histories .

camera lucida drawings of j . ginkgofolia gen . et sp . nov . , holotype cnu - mec - nn - 2010–050p . credit : ( c ) 2012 pnas , doi : 10 . 1073 / pnas . 1205517109

( phys . org ) —researchers working in china have discovered an insect that lived 165 million years ago that they believe used its wings to mimic the leaves of an ancient ginkgo tree . the fossil finding , the team writes in their paper published in the proceedings of the national academy of sciences , is one of the few that shows that early insects mimicked non - flowering plants millions of years before doing so with angiosperms .

the researchers suggest that the insect likely evolved its mimicry abilities to help it evade predators or to help it hide from prey , as is seen with many modern insects . the first attribute would have been most useful as close inspection of the insect revealed weak wings and legs . they noted also that it was possible that the insect and the ginkgo formed a partnership of sorts with the tree providing shelter and the hangingfly eating other bugs that might seek to feed on the trees ' leaves .

the discovery of the hangingfly fossil adds to the knowledgebase of insects that mimic non - flowering plants . most mimicking insects going back 100 million years tend to mimic angiosperms . the newly discovered hangingfly fossil predates other fossilized mimicking insects by approximately 40 million years .

both the fossilized hangingfly and the ginkgo plant that it mimicked , date back to the heyday of the dinosaurs and thus it ' s quite possible that the plant served as food for them and other large herbivores .

more information : jurassic mimicry between a hangingfly and a ginkgo from china , pnas , published online before print november 26 , 2012 , doi : 10 . 1073 / pnas . 1205517109

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researchers think they have a better understanding for how ancient north americans thrived for centuries in northwestern new mexico ' s arid desert .

wonder to know this information . . . . tell me more about the dna extraction from the blood . . . . . . ? ?

wonder to know this information . . . . tell me more about the dna extraction from the blood . . . . . . ? ? they found a fossil , not an actual insect . hence there is no blood or dna . their conclusions are based on the shape and size of the insect , particularly its wings and legs .

" the researchers suggest that the insect likely evolved its mimicry abilities to help it evade predators or to help it hide from prey , " or perhaps both .

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reconstruction of j . ginkgofolia mimicking the leaves of y . capituliformis . this relationship was beneficial for both the insect mimic and plant model . ( courtesy chen wang , capital normal university )

“the mimicry is so amazing that some 165 million years later it even fooled me as i was examining fossils from the field and at the lab in china , ” says conrad labandeira , paleobiologist at the national museum of natural history and co - author of a paper on the discovery in the proceedings of the national academy of sciences usa . hanging down by its long forelegs from the bottom of a leaf petiole , the four long wings and body of j . ginkgofolia would have perfectly mimicked the five hanging lobes of a single ginkgo - like leaf .

hangingflies are a subset of scorpionflies with long legs , narrow wings and a long thin body . ( the body of the type specimen of this insect is 38 . 5 millimeters , or about 1 . 5 inches . ) . j . ginkgofolia , was found in deposits of the jiulongshan formation at daohugou village , in northeastern china’s inner mongolia , and represents a new genus and species .

j . ginkgofolia’s shape and form most likely attracted smaller insects that fed upon the leaves of the ginkgo - like plant , which j . ginkgofolia would catch and eat , labandeira explains . in this way the insect benefited from a reciprocal relationship with the tree , a relationship that the fossils indicate lasted about 1 million years . the ability of these insects to hide in plain - sight upon the leaves of the ginkgo - like tree also helped it avoid predators such as other insects , pterosaurs and small , tree - living dinosaurs and mammals .

“this discovery is important because it is a rare example of insect mimicry modeled on a gymnosperm and not a flowering plant , ” labandeira says . “virtually all of today’s examples of insect mimicry are modeled on flowering plants , the angiosperms . j . ginkgoflora , however , lived about 45 - million years before the appearance of flowering plants , so this discovery gives us better idea of the early relationships between gymnosperms and this hangingfly insect group . ” although the ginkgo - like y . capituliformis occurs in other geologic deposits , the hangingfly has not , labandeira says . “they both probably went extinct at the end of the jurassic . ”

“ jurassic mimicry between a hangingfly and a ginkgo from china , ” ( article link ) by yongjie wang , conrad c . labandeira , chungkun shih , qiaoling ding , chen wang , yunyun zhao , and dong ren , proceedings of the national academy of sciences usa , volume 109 .

edited * by david l . dilcher , indiana university , bloomington , in , and approved october 8 , 2012 ( received for review april 3 , 2012 )

one mid - mesozoic group of sites where fossil conditions are ideal for examining the possible presence of leaf mimesis is daohugou , in northeastern china’s inner mongolia . the encompassing jiulongshan formation is dated as late middle jurassic (

) . here , we propose a likely leaf mimesis that occurred between a very different pair of interactors—a species from the insect order mecoptera ( scorpionflies ) and a species from the diverse seed plant order ginkgoales ( ginkgos ) , representing a linked , finely honed association . both groups were more diverse and had a greater breadth of life habits during the mesozoic than their present diversities would indicate (

extant mecoptera is a nondiverse group in the modern insect fauna , including ∼32 genera in nine families . by contrast , fossil mecopterans are three times more diverse at the genus level , representing 98 genera accommodated in 34 extinct families ( 17 , 18 ) . this pattern suggests that recent mecoptera are relictual , a status also supported by a long and diverse evolutionary history extending to the permian ( 11 ) . mecopterans obtain their scorpionfly namesake from male members of the panorpidae , a mecopteran clade characterized by distinctive , scorpion - like terminalia . extant hangingflies ( bittacidae ) are a subset of scorpionflies that bear long legs and have a habitus paralleling that of crane flies ( diptera ) , exhibiting gross morphological convergence . the extant eomeropidae are considered to possess many plesiomorphic features , and consist of one extant species in the chilean rainforest with a very cockroach - like body ( 18 ) . despite these resemblances to other arthropods , there has been no evidence indicating that any fossil or modern mecopterans inordinately resemble the foliage of co - occurring plants .

( a – c ) camera lucida drawings of j . ginkgofolia gen . et sp . nov . , holotype cnu - mec - nn - 2010–050p . ( a ) habitus of holotype . ( b ) highly enlarged portion of the midleg , showing annulately distributed pubescence . ( c ) portion of hindleg , displaying two spurs at the femur–tibia joint . ( d ) y . capituliformis leaf specimen of ginkgoites ( cnu - pla - nn - 2010 - 396 ) , with rugose surface for comparison . ( e ) a portion of the wing from the paratype of j . ginkgofolia ( cnu - mec - nn - 2010 - 012p ) . ( f ) lobe of a ginkgoites leaf from y . capituliformis ( cnu - pla - nn - 2010 - 396 ) for comparison . ab , abdomen ; ant , antennae ; e , compound eyes ; fl , foreleg ; hl , hindleg ; ml , midleg ; oce , ocelli ; ros , rostrum ; spu , tibial spurs . ( scale bars : 5 mm , e and f . )

( a – f ) mimesis of ginkgoites leaves from y . capituliformis with the hangingfly j . ginkgofolia , from the middle jurassic jiulongshan formation of northeastern china . ( a ) ginkgoites leaf of y . capituliformis ( cnu - pla - nn - 2009 - 733p ) . ( b ) a ginkgoites leaf of y . capituliformis ( cnu - pla - nn - 2010 - 044 ) . ( c ) holotype of j . ginkgofolia ( cnu - mec - nn - 2010 - 050p ) , with an appearance similar to y . capituliformis . ( d ) a cimbrophlebiid specimen ( cnu - mec - nn - 2010 - 017p ) . ( e ) a ginkgoites leaf of y . capituliformis ( cnu - pla - nn - 2010 - 371p ) . ( f ) a ginkgoites leaf of y . capituliformis ( cnu - pla - nn - 2010 - 501 ) . ( g ) artist’s reconstruction of j . ginkgofolia mimetic on ginkgoites leaves of y . capituliformis . ( h – k ) comparisons of single j . ginkgofolia wings to single y . capituliformis leaf lobes . ( h ) right forewing of paratype of j . ginkgofolia ( cnu - mec - nn - 2010 - 022 ) . ( i ) right forewing of a cimbrophlebiid specimen ( cnu - mec - nn - 2010 - 017p ) . ( j ) lobe of a ginkgoites leaf from y . capituliformis ( cnu - pla - nn - 2009 - 733p ) . ( k ) lobe a ginkgoites leaf from y . capituliformis ( cnu - pla - nn - 2010 - 371p ) . ( scale bars : 10 mm . )

holotype cnu - mec - nn - 2010 - 050p / c ( figs . 1 a – c and 3 c ) had a well - preserved , nearly complete body with most of four wings present , but wing apexes , genital region , and parts of antennae and legs were not preserved . paratypes were as follows : cnu - mec - nn - 2010 - 022 ( fig . 3 h ) ; cnu - mec - nn - 2010 - 037p / c , single forewing preserved ; cnu - mec - nn - 2010 - 023 , overlapped wings , with parts of body and antennae ; and cnu - mec - nn - 2010 - 012p / c ( fig . 1 e ) , single forewing missing basal area . specimens are deposited in the key laboratory of insect evolution and environmental changes , capital normal university .

all specimens were collected from the jiulongshan formation , of late middle jurassic age ( bathonian–callovian boundary interval ) from daohugou village , shantou township , ningcheng county , of inner mongolia autonomous region in china . ar - ar and shrimp u - pb dating results indicate an absolute age of 164–165 ma ( 7 ) .

the previously undescribed genus and species are distinguished from other cimbrophlebiid species by the following wing characters . the 2a vein with six or more pectinate primary branches separates the previously undescribed genus from perfecticimbrophlebia , which has one branch of 2a with a distal bifurcation , and from two species of cimbrophlebia ( cimbrophlebia flabelliformis and cimbrophlebia brooksi ) , of which the 2a has no more than four branches . the 2a , with only primary branches , separates the genus from malmocimbrophlebia , telobittacus , and three other species of cimbrophlebia ( cimbrophlebia leahyi , cimbrophlebia westae , and cimbrophlebia bittaciformis ) , which collectively possess distally bifurcating 2a branches .

body is ∼38 . 5 mm long as preserved . head is compressed dorsally ; antennae are filiform , covered by numerous setae ; compound eyes are conspicuously occupying most of the lateral head exposure ; three ocelli are arranged triangularly ; rostrum is prolonged and gradually narrowed distally ( fig . 1 a ) .

thorax is poorly preserved and slightly deformed , with dimensions of 6 . 8 mm long by 3 . 7 mm wide . prothorax is vaulted anteriorly ; metathorax is well differentiated , with prescutum and scutellum easily discernable . legs are extremely long and gracile , like most hangingflies , and are covered by abundant annulate pubescence ( fig . 1 b ) . foreleg and midlegs are partly preserved and extended anteriad . hindlegs are modified for grasping and become slender , with femora ∼11 . 6 mm long , tibia 16 . 4 mm long , and basitarsi 3 . 9 mm long ( fig . 1 c ) ; tibial spurs are elongate . abdomen is 26 . 5 mm long as preserved , with eight visible segments , but the terminal abdominal segments are not preserved ; sex is unknown .

forewing is slightly broader than hindwing , at 32 . 4 mm long as preserved , with the proximal part minimally 2 . 1 mm wide and the rounded apex maximally 8 . 9 mm wide . forewing exhibits light coloration and a field of transparent spots . membrane is distinctly rugose , and a similar condition is present among co - occurring yimaia leaves ( fig . 1 d – f ) and other cimbrophlebiids ( 20 ) . venation is typically cimbrophlebiid - like : subcosta vein ( sc ) ends at costa vein ( c ) , ∼2 / 3 of wing length ; first branch of radial vein ( r 1 ) branches near pterostigma ; radial sector ( rs ) has five dichotomous branches ; media ( m ) has four branches , fused with cubitus vein ( cu ) toward the base ; the divergence of the anterior branch of cubitus vein ( cu 1 ) and cu 2 is closed to the wing base ; cu 2 bent sharply toward posterior wing margin close to the termination ; the first anal vein ( 1a ) has a single branch , curved and entering the posterior margin ; the second anal vein ( 2a ) has six or more pectinate primary branches , and a short crossvein occurs close to the wing base . hindwing is similar to the forewing in size and venation , at 33 . 8 mm long and 8 . 6 mm wide ( maximum ) .

did mesozoic bittacids sharing a similar morphology with cimbrophlebiids also evolve a mimetic biological association ? we performed a quantitative analysis to evaluate similarity among cimbrephlebiids , bittacids , and ginkgoaleans ( si text , figs . s2 – s5 , and table s3 ) . in the geometric morphometric analysis , cimbrophlebiids show less shape variation compared with ginkgoalean leaves than do bittacids ( fig . s4 a and b and s5 a and b ) . these data provide direct evidence to indicate that cimbrophlebiids possess a more significant morphological foundation for mimicking ginkgoalean leaves than bittacid insects . it also suggests that bittacids overwhelmingly had an open , nonmimetic lifestyle , instead of evolving a specialized dependence on ginkgoaleans , a potential feature accounting for their survival to the present day .

) . possessing unusually long and slender legs , cimbrophlebiids were not built for cursorality , and with weakly constructed wings they were poor fliers as well , as in extant bittacids and craneflies . one avenue for predator avoidance would be use of ginkgoalean foliage as shelter or , perhaps more efficiently , employing leaf mimesis as additional or alternative protection . we identified five species of multilobed , broadleaved ginkgoaleans at daohugou , representing ∼12 . 4 % of the total number of plant specimens documented (

there is another possible explanation for this specialized morphology . as a leaf - mimicking predator ,

) , and providing potential food to a diverse herbivore fauna . it is possible that the association between

association could be applied to other coexisting insect and plant taxa . such reconstructions of organismic behavior and assessments of the functions of structures are accomplished through exploration of ecological and evolutionary puzzles that are informed by unique discoveries (

insect herbivore damage on ginkgoites leaves of y . capituliformis from the middle jurassic jiulongshan formation of northeastern china . insets are enlargements of damaged areas circled from respective leaves and using the damage type ( dt ) system of reference ( 44 ) . ( a ) gall damage ( dt80 ; cnu - pla - nn - 2010 - 605p ) . ( b ) piercing - and - sucking damage ( dt48 ; cnu - pla - nn - 2010 - 044 ) . ( c ) rows of small circular galls ( dt80 ; cnu - pla - nn - 2010 - 548 ) . ( d ) margin feeding ( dt12 ; cnu - pla - nn - 2010 - 521 ) . ( scale bars : solid , 10 mm ; dashed , 1 mm in a – c , 2 mm in d . )

we explored other biotas with well - documented cimbrophlebiid and ginkgoalean taxa , selecting those candidates with the most similar combination of insect body and wing shape and size that matched similar co - occurring ginkgoalean leaf forms ( fig . 2 ) . interestingly , the occurrences of cimbrophlebiids were occasionally coincident with multilobed ginkgoalean species . although no convincing matches equivalent to that of j . ginkgofolia and the ginkgoites leaves of y . capituliformis were found , some cimbrophlebiids possessed appearances similar to j . ginkgofolia , perhaps representing a continuation of their interactions with ginkgoaleans . it is possible that various associations between cimbrophlebiids and ginkgoaleans may have lasted > 100 million years , from the middle jurassic to the early eocene .

we thank qiang yang and xiaoguang yang for assistance in locating specimens . this work was supported by the national basic research program of china 973 program grant 2012cb821906 ; national natural science foundation of china grants 31071964 , 31172143 , 31230065 , and 41272006 ; key project of the beijing municipal commission of education grant 201207120 ; china geological survey grant 1212011120116 ; the china postdoctoral science foundation funded project ( grants 20110490449 , 2012t50113 ) , and the beijing postdoctoral research foundation ( grant 2011zz - 36 ) . this is contribution 245 from the evolution of terrestrial ecosystems consortium of the national museum of natural history .

author contributions : y . w . , y . z . , and d . r . designed research ; y . w . , c . c . l . , c . s . , and d . r . performed research ; y . w . , c . c . l . , c . s . , q . d . , c . w . , and d . r . analyzed data ; y . w . , c . w . , and d . r . prepared the life reconstruction art ; and y . w . , c . c . l . , c . s . , and d . r . wrote the paper .

trichomes on the leaves of anomozamites villosus sp . nov . ( bennettitales ) from the daohugou beds ( middle jurassic ) , inner mongolia , china : mechanical defence against herbivorous arthropods

the ginkgo , the most ancient living tree . the resistance of ginkgo biloba l . to pests accounts in part for the longevity of this species

version 3 . 0 . ( smithsonian institution , washington , dc ) . available at urltoken

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doesn ' t look especially impressive . found in the roughly 165 million year old beds of china ' s jiulongshan formation , and described by paleontologist yongjie wang and colleagues today in

. but when taken in context with the various other organisms found in the same beds , a subtle connection comes into focus . the ancient hangingfly , wang and co - authors propose , was a mimic of jurassic ginkgo trees .

wang , w . , labandeira , c . , shih , c . , ding , q . , wang , c . , zhao , y . , ren , d . 2012 . jurassic mimicry between a hangingfly and a ginkgo from china . pnas urltoken

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living species of hangingflies can be found , as the name suggests , hanging beneath foliage where they capture other insects as food . they are a lineage of scorpionflies charactersized by their skinny bodies , two pairs of narrow wings , and long threadlike legs . a new fossil species ,

, in middle jurassic deposits in the jiulongshan formation in china’s inner mongolia . the two look so similar that they are easily confused in the field and represent a rare example of an insect mimicking a gymnosperm , 165 million ysears ago , before the explosive radiation of flowering plants .

reference : wang , y . , labandeira , c . c . , shih , c . , ding , q . , wang , c . , zhao , y . , and d . ren . 2012 . jurassic mimicry between a hangingfly and a ginkgo from china . pnas 109 , 20515 - 19 .

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the hangingfly j . ginkgofolia ( right ) , which mimics the appearance of a leaf from the ginkgo - like tree y . capituliformis ( left ) . scale bars : 10 mm .

a fossilized scorpionfly that apparently mimicked the leaves of an ancient ginkgo - like tree has just been unearthed , researchers say .

the finding adds to evidence that this form of camouflage is very ancient , the scientists added .

more than 100 years ago , scientists began noticing extraordinary resemblances between insects and plants in the fossil record , such as those between certain roaches and the leaflets of particular seed ferns . such mimicry , also seen in living animals , likely helps protect creatures from predators , or might help them sneak up on prey .

now paleoentomologist dong ren at capital normal university in beijing and his colleagues have discovered another such plant mimic in northeastern china ' s inner mongolia region .

the 165 - million - year - old insect in question is a species of scorpionfly , a group that gets its name from the insects ' enlarged male genitals that resemble scorpion stingers . specifically , the fossil , which was about 1 . 5 inches ( 38 . 5 millimeters ) long , is a type of scorpionfly known as a hangingfly , which often hangs from surfaces waiting to snag prey .

can you find the hangingfly ? here , an artist ' s reconstruction of the hangingfly j . ginkgofolia on the leaves of the ginkgo - like tree y . capituliformis , which it mimicked some 165 million years ago .

the region back then was a large , relatively shallow lake basin containing both lakeside forest and shrubland , much of which was adapted to a seasonal and somewhat arid climate . the dominant plants were now - extinct relatives of familiar conifers , ginkgos , ferns and horsetails .

the researchers suggest the hangingfly may have evolved this mimicry to hide from predators , since its relatively large body and weak legs and wings would have made it easy prey . the insect also may have used mimicry to help ambush prey . this was a potentially mutually beneficial relationship with its host , with the tree providing shelter , while the insect devoured creatures that might otherwise munch on the plant . [ dazzling photos of dew - covered insects ]

nearly all of the insect mimicry documented today and for the past 100 million years involves the flowering plants , known as angiosperms . this newfound mimic , however , involves ginkgo - like lineages , which are not flowering plants , " and presages some types of mimicry that occurred tens of millions of years later with angiosperms and more modern insect lineages , " researcher conrad labandeira , a paleoecologist and curator of fossil arthropods at the smithsonian institution ' s national museum of natural history , told livescience .

as such , the findings revealed this form of plant mimicry evolved long before the flowering plants arrived .

" the mere occurrence of this type of mimicry approximately 40 million years before the appearance of flowering plants is the most important implication " of our finding , labandeira said .

this ginkgo - like plant likely went extinct during the heyday of the dinosaurs , and this form of mimicry apparently died along with it .

ren , labandeira and their colleague yongjie wang detailed their findings online nov . 26 in the journal proceedings of the national academy of sciences .

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charles q . choi is a contributing writer for live science and space . com . he covers all things human origins and astronomy as well as physics , animals and general science topics . charles has a master of arts degree from the university of missouri - columbia , school of journalism and a bachelor of arts degree from the university of south florida . charles has visited every continent on earth , drinking rancid yak butter tea in lhasa , snorkeling with sea lions in the galapagos and even climbing an iceberg in antarctica .

elon musk ' s plan to rescue trapped thai boys ? a kiddie submarine that looks like a coffin .

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type specimen : cnu - mec - nn - 2010 - 050 , an exoskeleton . its type locality is daohugou ( cnu 2010 collection ) , which is in a callovian / oxfordian lacustrine - large shale in the daohugou formation of china .

average measurements ( in mm ) : body 38 . 5 x 3 . 7 , forewing 32 . 4 x 8 . 9 , hindwing 33 . 8 x 8 . 6

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using the cover not only to evade predators , but also to lay in wait for their own prey . if they ' re right , it makes this specimen one of the earliest examples of mimicry known to researchers .

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new & recent described flora & fauna species from all over the world esp . asia , oriental , indomalayan & malesiana region

wuodendron b . xue , y . h . tan & chaowasku wuodendron praecox ( hook . f . & thomson ) b . xue , y . h . tan & x . l . hou in xue , tan . . .

[ botany • 2017 ] begonia fulgurata | ดาดดารารัศมี • a new species ( sect . diploclinium , begoniaceae ) from chiang mai , northern thailand

begonia fulgurata c . - i peng , c . w . lin & phutthai ดาดดารารัศมี | | doi : 10 . 3767 / blumea . 2017 . 62 . 03 . 01 urltoken be . . .

chamaelirium viridiflorum l . wang , z . c . liu & w . b . liao in liu , feng , wang & liao , 2018 . doi : 10 . 11646 / phytotaxa . 357 . . . .

great - billed seed - finch sporophila maximiliani ( cabanis , 1851 ) in ubaid , silveira , medolago , et . al . , 2018 . doi : 10 . 11646 / . . .

endocerids with their filtering apparatus in mironenko , 2018 . doi : 10 . 1080 / 08912963 . 2018 . 1491565 reconstruction by andre . . .

aristolochia tongbiguanensis j . y . shen , q . b . gong & s . landrein in gong , landrein , xi , et al . , 2018 . doi : 10 . 6165 / tai . . . .

bagualosaurus agudoensis pretto , langer & schultz , 2018 doi : 10 . 1093 / zoolinnean / zly028 illustration : jorge blanco c . . .

the hypothetical phylogenetic relationships of ceratosaurs based on current topologies . the main source is from wang et al . ( 2016 . . .

nipponosaurus sachalinensis nagao , 1936 in takasaki , chiba , kobayashi , et al . , 2018 ニッポノサウルス | | doi : 10 . 1080 / 08912963 . 2017 . . . .

begonia medogensis jianw . li , y . h . tan & x . h . jin in li , tan , wang , et al . , 2018 . doi : 10 . 3897 / phytokeys . 103 . 25392 . . .

[ entomology • 2013 ] a new genus and species of fai . . .

[ botany • 2004 ] allium nathaliae • a new species f . . .

[ botany • 2013 ] allium formosum • a new onion spe . . .

anomaloglossus meansi : a new species of cryptic forest frog from the wokomung and ayanganna sky islands of southern guyana .

the benefits and costs of academic travel . or " there and back again ; again and again "

canon renueva su gama de 70 - 200 mm f : 2 . 8 y f : 4

plants go extinct , but sometimes species are rediscovered . this one after 151 years .

i ' m killing antediluvian salad but even in death there is rebirth . . .

necps carnivorous plant show : sept . 9 - 10 at tower hill botanical garden

this is a particularly beautiful species of centrolenid - the granular glass frog , cochranella granulosa .

his wings mimed the leaves of gingko to camouflage , it is one of the oldest examples of biomimicry . so much so that the first fossils of this animal were attributed to gingko leaves , before being properly described in 2012 . this insect measures 8 cm of wingspan and feeds on other insects .

can ' t find a community you love ? create your own and start something epic .

figure 2 . photographs of niumbaha superba live and as a freshly prepared specimen . top photos show profile and anterior view , with ventral and dorsal images below .

a new genus is proposed for the strikingly patterned african vespertilionid “ glauconycteris ” superba hayman , 1939 on the basis of cranial and external morphological comparisons . a review of the attributes of a newly collected specimen from south sudan ( a new country record ) and other museum specimens of “ g . ” superba suggests that “ g . ” superba is markedly distinct ecomorphologically from other species classified in glauconycteris and is likely the sister taxon to glauconycteris sensu stricto . the recent capture of this rarely collected but widespread bat highlights the need for continued research in tropical sub - saharan africa and in particular , for more work in western south sudan , which has received very little scientific attention . new country records for g . cf . poensis ( south sudan ) and g . curryae ( gabon ) are also reported .

keywords : glauconycteris superba , glauconycteris poensis , glauconycteris curryae , niumbaha gen . nov . , badger bat , south sudan , description

etymology : the name is the zande word for ‘rare / unusual’ . this name was chosen because of the rarity of capture for this genus , despite its wide distribution throughout west and central africa , and for the unusual and striking appearance of this bat . zande is the language of the azande people , who are the primary ethnic group in western equatoria state in south sudan ( where our recent specimen was collected ) . the homeland of the azande extends westwards into democratic republic of the congo , where superba has also been collected ( the holotype and another recent capture ) , and into southeastern central african republic . gender : feminine .

reeder dm , helgen km , vodzak me , lunde dp , ejotre i . 2013 . a new genus for a rare african vespertilionid bat : insights from south sudan . zookeys . 285 : 89–115 . doi : urltoken

partial solar elipse to be visible from parts of australia , new zealand and antarctica on firday 13 july 2018 .

his wings mimed the leaves of gingko to camouflage , it is one of the oldest examples of . . .

this series , based on ultra - realistic 3d computer graphics , and supported by the world’s leading . . .

click on a date / time to view the file as it appeared at that time .

this file contains additional information , probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to create or digitize it . if the file has been modified from its original state , some details may not fully reflect the modified file .

a glow - in - the - dark cockroach , a harp - shaped carnivorous sponge and the smallest vertebrate on earth are among the top 10 newly discovered species selected by the international institute for species exploration at arizona state university . a global committee of taxonomists – scientists responsible for species exploration and classification – announced its list to coincide with the anniversary of the birth of carolus linnaeus , the 18th - century swedish botanist responsible for the modern system of scientific names and classifications

discovered in the lomami basin of the democratic republic of the congo , the lesula is an old world monkey well known to locals but newly known to science . this is only the second species of monkey discovered in africa in the past 28 years . scientists first saw the monkey as a captive juvenile in 2007 . researchers describe the shy lesula as having human - like eyes . more easily heard than seen , the monkeys perform a booming dawn chorus . adult males have a large , bare patch of skin on the buttocks , testicles and perineum that is colored a brilliant blue . although the forests where the monkeys live are remote , the species is hunted for bush meat and its status is vulnerable

a spectacular , large , harp - or lyre - shaped carnivorous sponge discovered in deep water ( averaging 3 , 399 meters ) from the north - east pacific ocean off the coast of california . the harp - shaped structures or vanes number from two to six and each has more than 20 parallel vertical branches , often capped by an expanded , balloon - like , terminal ball . this unusual form maximises the surface area of the sponge for contact and capture of planktonic prey

eugenia is a large , worldwide genus of woody evergreen trees and shrubs of the myrtle family that is particularly diverse in south america , new caledonia and madagascar . the new species

is a shrub growing to two meters with emerald green , slightly glossy foliage and beautiful , dense clusters of small magenta flowers . it is one of seven new species described from the littoral forest of eastern madagascar and is considered to be an endangered species . it is the latest evidence of the unique and numerous species found in this specialized , humid forest that grows on sandy substrate within kilometres of the shoreline . once forming a continuous band 1 , 600km long , the littoral forest has been reduced to isolated , vestigial fragments under pressure from human populations

living species of hangingflies can be found , as the name suggests , hanging beneath foliage where they capture other insects as food . they are a lineage of scorpionflies characterised by their skinny bodies , two pairs of narrow wings , and long threadlike legs . a new fossil species ,

luminescence among terrestrial animals is rather rare and best known among several groups of beetles — fireflies and certain click beetles in particular — as well as cave - inhabiting fungus gnats . since the first discovery of a luminescent cockroach in 1999 , more than a dozen species have ' come to light ' . all are rare , and interestingly , so far found only in remote areas far from light pollution . the latest addition to this growing list is


the fall armyworm ( spodoptera frugiperda ) is part of the order of lepidoptera and is the larval ( see caterpillar ) life stage of a fall armyworm moth .

it is regarded as a pest and can wreak havoc with crops if left to multiply .

its scientific name is derived from its feeding habits : frugiperda is latin for lost fruit as it can destroy crops .

native to the americas , these caterpillars mainly attack maize crops .

they will eat everything in an area , and once the food supply is exhausted , the entire " army " will move to the next available food source .

fall armyworm

fall armyworm <EOT> fall armyworm resembles both armyworm and corn earworm , but fall armyworm has a white inverted " y " mark on the front of the dark head .

the fall armyworm is adding to the devastation already caused by the native african armyworm , spodoptera exempta .

fall armyworm injury to corn plant . ( left ) fall armyworm larva damage on corn foliage . ( right ) images by eric bohnenblust .

an investigation by cabi has found that the fall armyworm is established in ghana .

species spodoptera frugiperda - fall armyworm moth - hodges # 9666 - bugguide . net

spodoptera frugiperda ( fall armyworm ) ; larva on tomato ( lycopersicon esculentum ) .

management fall armyworm can be one of the most difficult insect pests to control in maize . fall armyworm can only be effectively controlled while the larvae are small .

spodoptera frugiperda ( fall armyworm ) ; egg mass on cotton ( gossypium hirsutum ) .

spodoptera frugiperda ( fall armyworm ) ; larval damage on maize ( zea mays ) .

spodoptera frugiperda ( fall armyworm ) ; larva on bermuda grass ( cynodon dactylon ) .

spodoptera frugiperda ( fall armyworm ) ; larval damage on sorghum ( sorghum bicolor ) .

spodoptera frugiperda ( fall armyworm ) ; larva feeding on rice ( oryza sativa ) .

cotesia marginiventris and chelonus insularis were the two most common parasitoids attacking fall armyworm larvae .

luginbill p . 1928 . the fall armyworm . usda technical bulletin 34 . 91 pp .

spodoptera frugiperda ( fall armyworm ) ; larva on hay grass . usa . august 2006 .

spodoptera frugiperda ( fall armyworm ) ; larval damage in whorl of maize ( zea mays ) .

spodoptera frugiperda ( fall armyworm ) ; larva , on cotton ( gossypium hirsutum ) . usa .

spodoptera frugiperda ( fall armyworm ) ; severe larval damage on cotton boll ( gossypium hirsutum ) .

fall armyworm adult male ( left ) , adult female ( right ) . images by ian grettenbergerground

spodoptera frugiperda ( fall armyworm ) ; adult at rest , lateral view . laboratory image . usa .

luginbill p . the fall armyworm . us dept agric tech bull . 1928 ; 34 : 1–91 .

and they say there is confusion over the identity of the fall armyworm as it is similar to other types of armyworm , which are already present in africa .

spodoptera frugiperda ( fall armyworm ) ; larva , on cotton ( gossypium hirsutum l . ) . usa .

lima er , mcneil jn . female sex pheromones in the host races and hybrids of the fall armyworm ,

scientists tackle deadly fall armyworm infestation devastating maize in southern africa | cimmyt . international maize and wheat improvement center

host plants fall armyworm is polyphagous which can attack maize , sorghum , bermuda grass , soybean , cotton and beans . it is reported that fall armyworm larvae can attack over 60 species of plants representing more than 20 families .

maize plants damaged by fall armyworm in a farmer’s field in southern malawi in balaka district . cimmyt / christian thierfelder

multi - pronged approach key for effectively defeating fall armyworm in africa » cimmyt . international maize and wheat improvement center

there is some suppression of fall armyworm larvae with some types of bt corn such as the yieldgard and to a lesser extent knockout / naturegard . herculex does provide the best fall armyworm control among the different types of bt corn . however , with later planting dates ( after june 1 ) and high fall armyworm levels , all bt corn hybrids will need to be monitored for fall armyworm activity and treated with an insecticide according to the above economic threshold .

spodoptera frugiperda ( fall armyworm ) ; adult male . museum set specimen . links to spodoptera id : urltoken - urltoken

given the severe economic threat that the fall armyworm poses , governments and international bodies are putting in place emergency plans .

. techniques to improve the management of fall armyworm in overwintering areas of south florida using conservation biological control are discussed .

sparks an . 1979 . a review of the biology of the fall armyworm . florida entomologist 62 : 82 - 87 .

fao , 2018b . briefing note on fall armyworm ( faw ) in africa . 16 february 2018 , 7 pp . urltoken

in africa , a deadly pest called the fall armyworm has invaded large swathes of land , causing major damage to crops .

mr chabikwa said he expects the fall armyworm to multiply next cropping season due to a lack of information and effective control .

allele linked to resistance against cry1fa corn in fall armyworm from puerto rico has been recently described ( banerjee et al . ,

goergen g , kumar pl , sankung sb , togola a , tamo m . first report of outbreaks of the fall armyworm

common name : fall armyworm scientific name : spodoptera frugiperda ( j . e . smith ) ( insecta : lepidoptera : noctuidae )

the fao is to hold an emergency meeting in harare between 14 and 16 february to decide emergency responses to the fall armyworm threat .

figure 4 . mature larva of the fall armyworm , spodoptera frugiperda ( j . e . smith ) . photograph by james castner .

spodoptera frugiperda ( fall armyworm ) ; early instar larvae ( arrowed ) , and damage on cotton boll bract ( gossypium hirsutum ) .

the fall armyworm poses a major threat to food security and agricultural trade , warns the centre for agriculture and biosciences international ( cabi ) .

" the recent discovery of fall armyworm in africa will be a huge threat to food security and also to trade in the region . "

vickery ra . 1929 . studies of the fall armyworm in the gulf coast region of texas . usda technical bulletin 138 . 63 pp .

the fall armyworm makes a lot of yellowish debris and whitish powder on the leaves and in the funnel where they are , she says .

lu yj , kochert gd , isenhour dj , adang mj . molecular characterization of a strain - specific repeated dna sequence in the fall armyworm

huang f , qureshi ja , meagher rl , reisig dd , head gp , andow da , et al . cry1f resistance in fall armyworm

the corn earworm has a orange - brown head , while the armyworm has a brown head with dark honeycombed markings . fall armyworm has four dark spots arranged in a square on top of the eighth abdominal segment .

iita , 2016 . first report of outbreaks of the " fall armyworm " on the african continent . iita bulletin , no . 2330 . urltoken

these include monitoring with pheromone traps to determine the spread of the fall armyworm , road shows to increase public awareness and emergency registration of pesticides .

to differentiate this larva from other armyworm species or corn earworm one needs to look at the head of the insect . the fall armyworm ' s head has a predominant white , inverted y - shaped suture between the eyes .

all jn . 1988 . fall armyworm ( lepidoptera : noctuidae ) infestations in no - tillage cropping systems . florida entomologist 71 : 268 - 272 .

fao , 2017b . briefing note on fap actions on fall armyworm in africa 15 december 2017 , 7 pp . . urltoken fao , rome , italy

fao , 2018 . in : briefing note on fao actions on fall armyworm in africa 31 january 2018 fao , rome , italy , 6 pp .

ippc , 2017d . preliminary report on fall armyworm in zambia . ( no . zmb - 02 / 2 ) rome , italy , fao , urltoken

gene to study the divergence of the fall armyworm host strains . insect molecular biology . 2016 ; 25 ( 3 ) : 324–37 . pmid : 26991678

the female fall armyworm can lay up to 1 , 000 eggs at a time and can produce multiple generations very quickly without pause in tropical environments .

figure 2 . egg mass of the fall armyworm , spodoptera frugiperda ( j . e . smith ) . photograph by james castner , university of florida .

ashley tr , wiseman br , davis fm , andrews kl . 1989 . the fall armyworm : a bibliography . florida entomologist 72 : 152 - 202 .

fao , 2017a . fao advisory note on fall armyworm ( faw ) in africa , 7 pp . . 5 june 2017 . fao , rome , italy

chemical control in the us control of the fall armyworm has depended exclusively on insecticide for many years . as a result , fall armyworm has developed resistance to major classes of insecticides in the us . the first resistance reported was to carbaryl , but resistance to parathion - methyl , fluvalinate , lambda - cyhalothrin , carbamate , organophosphates and pyrethroid has also been reported . again this emphasise the possibility of fall armyworm developing resistance to insecticides and that label instructions should be followed .

fall armyworm can be one of the more difficult insect pests to control in field corn . late planted fields and later maturing hybrids are more likely to become infested . fall armyworm causes serious leaf feeding damage as well as direct injury to the ear . while fall armyworms can damage corn plants in nearly all stages of development , it will concentrate on later plantings that have not yet silked . like european corn borer , fall armyworm can only be effectively controlled while the larvae are small . early detection and proper timing of an insecticide application are critical .

figure 1 . eggs of the fall armyworm , spodoptera frugiperda ( j . e . smith ) , hatching . photograph by james castner , university of florida .

figure 6 . typical adult male fall armyworm , spodoptera frugiperda ( j . e . smith ) . photograph by lyle j . buss , university of florida .

figure 7 . typical adult female fall armyworm , spodoptera frugiperda ( j . e . smith ) . photograph by lyle j . buss , university of florida .

the fall armyworm even bores into the ears ( cobs ) and does far more damage than the stalk borer or bollworm , which usually attack at cob stage .

figure 8 . corn leaf damage caused by the fall armyworm , spodoptera frugiperda ( j . e . smith ) . photograph by paul choate , university of florida .

cool , wet springs followed by warm , humid weather in the overwintering areas favor survival and reproduction of fall armyworm , allowing it to escape suppression by natural enemies . once dispersal northward begins , the natural enemies are left behind . therefore , although fall armyworm has many natural enemies , few act effectively enough to prevent crop injury .

nagoshi rn , meagher rl . behavior and distribution of the two fall armyworm host strains in florida . florida entomologist . 2004 ; 87 ( 4 ) : 440–9 .

lu yj , adang mj . distinguishing fall armyworm ( lepidoptera : noctuidae ) strains using a diagnostic mitochondrial dna marker . florida entomologist . 1996 ; 79 : 48–55 .

luginbill , p . the fall armyworm . technical bulletin united states department of agriculture , v . 34 , p . 1 - 91 , 1928 . [ links ]

nairobi , kenya ( 28 april 2017 ) – tackling the menace of the tenacious fall armyworm pest to avoid economic hardship for smallholder farmers across africa requires quick and coordinated action , a massive awareness campaign , scientific innovation and multi - institutional collaboration , said scientists attending the stakeholders consultation meeting on the fall armyworm in nairobi this week .

the fall armyworm – spodoptera frugiperda – was first reported on the african continent in nigeria . it subsequently appeared across parts of west and central africa , before extensively invading farmers’ fields in southern africa in december 2016 . the destructive activities of the fall armyworm have only served to add to devastation caused by the native african armyworm ( spodoptera exempta ) and severe drought caused by an el nino weather system in 2015 - 2016 .

figure 3 . newly hatched larva of the fall armyworm , spodoptera frugiperda ( j . e . smith ) . photograph by lyle j . buss , university of florida .

pitre hn , hogg db . 1983 . development of the fall armyworm on cotton , soybean and corn . journal of the georgia entomological society 18 : 187 - 194 .

nagoshi rn , meagher rl . review of fall armyworm ( lepidoptera : noctuidae ) genetic complexity and migration . florida entomologist . 2008 ; 91 ( 4 ) : 546–54 .

pashley dp . quantitative genetics , development , and physiological adaptation in host strains of fall armyworm . evolution . 1988 ; 42 ( 1 ) : 93–102 . pmid : 28563847

scientists fear the fall armyworm could continue to multiply and become endemic across the continent . professor kenneth wilson at britain’s lancaster university , who has extensive experience working on the african armyworm , predicts the pest could potentially spread into the middle east and eventually to europe .

ashley tr , wiseman br , davis fm , andrews kl , 1989 . the fall armyworm : a bibliography . florida entomologist , 72 ( 1 ) : 152 - 202 .

ippc , 2018 . report on fall armyworm ( spodoptera frugiperda ) . ippc official pest report , no . gha - 01 / 4 . rome , italy : fao . urltoken

eradication of the fall armyworm at this stage is unlikely . control of the pest will be best achieved if managed on an international scale with southern african countries coordinating their efforts .

“we need to act fast , failure is not an option , ” rugalema said , adding that adequate funding and taking a regional approach to controlling the fall armyworm are vital .

nagoshi rn , brambila j , meagher rl . use of dna barcodes to identify invasive armyworm

it’s also possible that the fall armyworm arrived over the atlantic through wind currents . this is because wind - borne adult insects can move over vast distances . the fall armyworm wouldn’t be the first insect species crossing the atlantic in this way . the most famous example is the monarch butterfly , danaus plexippus , crossing the atlantic from america to the british isles .

johnson sj . 1987 . migration and the life history strategy of the fall armyworm , spodoptera frugiperda in the western hemisphere . insect science and its applications 8 : 543 - 549 .

nagoshi rn . improvements in the identification of strains facilitate population studies of fall armyworm subgroups . annals of the entomological society of america . 2012 ; 105 ( 2 ) : 351–8 .

in its native regions , it can travel up to 2000 km each year in search of warmer climates . the worm is averse to the harsh winters of north america , returning to tropical habitat in the autumn , which americans call “fall” , hence the name “fall armyworm” .

very early symptoms of fall armyworm resemble european corn borer infestation . small holes and " window pane " feeding in the leaves emerging from the whorl are common . although initial symptoms of damage are similar , thresholds and control measures differ . therefore it is important to find the live larvae and determine which insect is causing the damage . unlike armyworm , fall armyworm feeds during the day and night , but are usually most active in the morning or late afternoon .

farmers there are putting sandy soil into the maize funnels , according to bridget oconnor . the sand is abrasive to the skin of the fall armyworm and can kill it , she adds .

pashley dp , martin ja . reproductive incompatibility between host strains of the fall armyworm ( lepidoptera : noctuidae ) . annals of the entomological society of america . 1987 ; 80 : 731–3 .

a : yes . a survey carried out from june to august 2016 in embu and kisii counties showed fall armyworm infestation . although the infestation is still low in comparison to other parts of the region , the situation could change . scientists from the university of nairobi also reported sightings of fall armyworm maize damage in machakos county . anani bruce , cimmyt maize entomologist , nairobi , kenya

the fall armyworm , spodoptera frugiperda ( j . e . smith ) , is the primary pest of corn production in south america and in portions of the southeastern united states [ 1 ] . although it is unable to survive freezing winters , fall armyworm infestations extend as far north as canada , the result of annual long - distance migrations from overwintering areas in southern united states and mexico [ 2 – 4 ] . in 2016 , severe outbreaks of fall armyworm were reported in several western and central african countries , representing the first indication of the species establishing itself in the eastern hemisphere [ 5 ] . the voracious feeding and long - distance flight behaviors exhibited by fall armyworm indicate a significant threat to african agriculture with the potential for rapid dispersion throughout the hemisphere .

the fall armyworm has several characteristics that make it difficult to control . apart from being a strong flyer , adult females are highly fertile , laying in excess of 1000 eggs during their lifetime .

the fall armyworm has been reported to cause annual losses of us $ 600 million in brazil alone . caterpillars also feed on other important crops , such as cowpea , potato , and soybean .

gene facilitate host strain identification of fall armyworm ( lepidoptera : noctuidae ) populations in the southeastern united states . j econ entomol . 2006 ; 99 ( 3 ) : 671–7 . pmid : 16813297

a : a transgenic maize trial ( under confined field trials ) was attacked by the fall armyworm in namulonge and kassesse ( uganda ) during the first and second cropping seasons in 2016 . the mon810 bt maize entries showed resistance to the fall armyworm compared to non - transgenic maize materials . this however , needs to be further confirmed through additional experiments . anani bruce , cimmyt maize entomologist

larvae should not be mistaken for the african armyworm ( photo 3 ) , the lesser armyworm ( photo 4 ) , the cotton leaf worm ( photo 5 ) , the african bollworm ( photo 6 ) , the false armyworm ( photo 7 ) or the common cutworm ( photo 8 ) .

all jn , stancil jd , johnson tb , gouger r . 1996 . controlling fall armyworm infestations in whorl stage corn with genetically modified bacillus thuringiensis formulations . florida entomologist 79 : 311 - 317 .

marenco rj , foster re , sanchez ca . 1992 . sweet corn response to fall armyworm ( lepidoptera : noctuidae ) damage during vegetative growth . journal of economic entomology 85 : 1285 - 1292 .

roberts pm all jn . 1993 . hazard for fall armyworm ( lepidoptera : noctuidae ) infestation of maize in double - cropping systems using sustainable agricultural practices . florida entomologist 76 : 276 - 283 .

the fall armyworm spodoptera frugiperda is a lepidpopteran pest that feeds in large numbers on leaves and stems of more than 80 plant species , causing major damage to economically important cultivated grasses s . . .

fall armyworm may be found feeding during daylight hours , and they typically are found scattered throughout a field . besides feeding on leaves , they may attack the tassels and / or ears of corn .

pashley dp , sparks tc , quisenberry ss , jamjanya t , dowd pf . two fall armyworm strains feed on corn , rice and bermudagrass . louisiana agriculture magazine . 1987 ; 30 : 8–9 .

nagoshi rn , meagher rl . seasonal distribution of fall armyworm ( lepidoptera : noctuidae ) host strains in agricultural and turf grass habitats . environ entomol . 2004 ; 33 ( 4 ) : 881–9 .

pheromone lure pheromone traps can be used as an early warning . to optimise pheromone lure captures for fall armyworm , it is essential to have the correct blend of components . therefore , if pheromone traps are used it should be kept in mind that the two strains of fall armyworm have differences in sex pheromone composition and that the different combinations in the lure can affect the amount of male moth captures .

moths are typically attracted to fields of late - maturing corn to lay their eggs . the larvae are primarily daytime feeders . they appear in corn fields late in the season , from mid - july through harvest . fall armyworm , unlike armyworm , are typically found damaging corn in patches throughout a field .

pashley dp . host - associated genetic differentiation in fall armyworm ( lepidoptera , noctuidae ) —a sibling species complex . annals of the entomological society of america . 1986 ; 79 ( 6 ) : 898–904 .

the african armyworm is usually hatched somewhere outside the farms and then steadily eat their way through everything in their path en masse , they say . by contrast , the fall armyworm moth lays its eggs on the host plant . it does not eat everything and as it grows it moves up the maize plant .

a : we do have a few cimmyt maize inbred lines that can potentially offer partial resistance to the fall armyworm , but intensive breeding efforts are needed to identify more sources of resistance and to develop africa - adapted improved maize hybrids with resistance to fall armyworm , including other relevant traits required by smallholders in the continent . b . m prasanna , director of cimmyt’s global maize program & cgiar research program maize .

natural enemies because the fall armyworm is invasive in africa , it is not yet known which natural enemies will play a role in attacking this species . however , the nuclear polyhedrosis virus is an important mortality agent for fall armyworm in the us . a total of 63 individual parasitoids are also reported , which belongs to the two orders of diptera and hymenoptera , as well as potential pathogens and predators in latin america .

fao said it will support countries in close collaboration with sadc and other partners and stakeholders to implement the necessary assessment activities aimed at improving understanding on the extent and intensity of the fall armyworm threat to the region .

johnson sj , 1987 . migration and the life history strategy of the fall armyworm , spodoptera frugiperda in the western hemisphere . insect science and its application , 8 ( 4 - 6 ) : 543 - 549 .

pashley dp , hammond am , hardy tn . reproductive isolating mechanisms in fall armyworm host strains ( lepidoptera , noctuidae ) . annals of the entomological society of america . 1992 ; 85 ( 4 ) : 400–5 .

how the pest was introduced in africa from its native habitat in the americas is unclear . however , such invasive pests as the fall armyworm are known to cross continents either through infested commercial grain or through jet streams across oceans . many fall armyworm moths have been collected in the gulf of mexico as far as 250 km from land , indicating the possibility of seasonal trans - gulf migration between the united states and the tropics .

genetically modification bt technology has been used to control fall armyworm with success in other countries , however to protect the technology it will still be important to scout for damage in the crop and to have additional control strategies in place . resistance of fall armyworm to bt maize has been reported in puerto rico , brazil and the south - eastern region of the us . therefore , insect resistance management and integrated pest management are still important .

the fall armyworm is a highly polyphagous migratory lepidopteran pest species . it can colonize over 80 different plant species including many grasses , and crops such as alfalfa , soybean , sorghum , and corn . in pennsylvania , low populations are usually present late in the summer , but population densities are rarely high enough to be of economic concern in field corn . on the rare occasion that fall armyworm is problematic in field corn ; the late - season timing of the infestations makes them difficult to manage because insecticide application may require specialized equipment to pass over tall corn . fall armyworm is more likely to be an economic pest in sweet corn and vegetable crops .

fall armyworm generally feeds on foliage , but during heavy infestations , larvae will also feed on corn ears . foliar damage to corn is usually characterized by ragged feeding , and moist sawdust - like frass near the whorl and upper leaves of the plant . early feeding can appear to be similar to european corn borer damage ; however european corn borer larvae bore into the stalk whereas fall armyworm larvae continue to feed on the foliage making larger more ragged holes . ear damage is similar to the damage caused by the corn earworm , chewed kernels and visible frass , except that fall armyworm tends to burrow through the husk instead of feeding down through the silks .

he said the fall army worm is traditionally found in the united states and probably came with imported maize .

the fall army worm recently invaded zambia , posing a threat to crops in six of the zambian provinces .

circles approximate locations were fall armyworm surveys were performed with color indicating the haplotype metric found . green circles , fl - type ; red , tx - type ; red and green , faw [ m ] mixed profile .

the aim of this work was to evaluate the attractiveness of different cotton plant parts and varieties to newly hatched fall armyworm larvae and the non - preference of the larvae for feeding on these plant parts and cotton varieties .

figure 5 . head capsule of fall armyworm , spodoptera frugiperda ( j . e . smith ) showing light - colored inverted " y " on front of head . photograph by lyle j . buss , university of florida .

starratt an , mcleod dgr , 1982 . monitoring fall armyworm , spodoptera frugiperda ( lepidoptera : noctuidae ) , moth populations in southwestern ontario with sex pheromone traps . canadian entomologist , 114 ( 7 ) : 545 - 549 .

wonder chabikwa , president of the zimbabwe commercial farmers union ( zcfu ) , which represents 25 000 farmers , said farmers , both small and large , were taken by surprise when the fall armyworm laid siege on their farms .

he said while the country was receiving good rains , the fall army worm , was a threat to crops .

tumlinson jh , mitchell er , teal pea , heath rr , mengelkoch lj . 1986 . sex pheromone of fall armyworm , spodoptera frugiperda ( j . e . smith ) . journal of chemical ecology 12 : 1909 - 1926 .

fao has initiated the process of procuring pheromone insect lure traps which are used for capturing armyworm and monitoring their spread .

the fall armyworm , so called because it eats its way through most of the vegetation in its way as it marches through crops , is native to north and south america but was identified for the first time in africa last year .

these results illustrate how the assessment of strain proportions can vary substantially depending on the methodology used . despite this variability , the genetic marker data consistently indicate that the corn - strain is the predominant fall armyworm subpopulation present in the togo collections

in conclusion , genetic markers provide an important resource for the investigation of fall armyworm infesting agricultural areas of africa . genetic analysis can confirm species identification based on morphology , is the only reliable means of identifying host strains , can provide an indication of where in the western hemisphere the population invading africa might have originated , and can detect a bt - resistance trait that could compromise the effectiveness of bt pesticides and bt crops as control options . the togo population may not be representative of fall armyworm in other parts of africa and may be susceptible to future invasive introductions , indicating the need for continued and more comprehensive genetic characterizations of african fall armyworm populations to monitor and forecast the spread of this invasive pest .

the fall armyworm , a recent interloper in africa widely prevalent in the americas , attacks more than 80 different plant species , including maize , a major food staple in sub - saharan africa on which more than 200 million people depend .

in this paper we analyze specimens from several agricultural regions in the african nation of togo collected in the latter half of 2016 . genetic analyses confirmed the fall armyworm identification of the specimens , estimated host strain identity , and tested for the presence of the puerto rico bt - resistance allele . the haplotype and marker data were used to extrapolate the most likely western hemisphere source locations . the ramifications of these results on the pest potential of the togo fall armyworm population are discussed .

the high levels of damage caused by the fall armyworm to cotton plants in brazil the economic importance of the crop ( soares ; vieira , 1998 ) , the use of chemical insecticides as the only control measure ( valicente ; fonseca , 2004 ) and the scarcity of data regarding new control tactics justify studies of the feeding habits of the fall armyworm on cotton plants . these studies can potentially with a possible contribute to the optimization of measures for the management of this pest .

he said the country was on high alert for the fall army worm and a possible army worm attack on crops .

pannuti ler , baldin ell , hunt te , paula - moraes sv . 2015 . on - plant larval movement and feeding behavior of fall armyworm ( lepidoptera : noctuidae ) on reproductive corn stages . environ . entomol . 45 : 192 - 200

pair sd , raulston jr , westbrook jk , wolf ww , adams sd . fall armyworm ( lepidoptera : noctuidae ) outbreak originating in the lower rio - grande valley , 1989 . florida entomologist . 1991 ; 74 ( 2 ) : 200–13 .

nagoshi rn , silvie p , meagher rl . comparison of haplotype frequencies differentiate fall armyworm ( lepidoptera : noctuidae ) corn - strain populations from florida and brazil . j econ entomol . 2007 ; 100 ( 3 ) : 954–61 . pmid : 17598561

the genetic similarity of the togo collection with puerto rico fall armyworm is of particular concern because of field - evolved resistance to cry1fa corn that arose in fall armyworm populations in puerto rico and was present in high frequency in bt cornfields ( [ 32 , 40 ] ) . genotyping for the allele linked to resistance in puerto rico ( sfabcc2mut ) did not detect its presence among the togo specimens , as all individuals tested were homozygous for the wild type ( susceptible ) allele ( fig 6 ) .

spodoptera frugiperda ( fall armyworm ) ; larva on maize cob . the larvae , which are marked with a distinct inverted " y " on the front of the head , feed on a wide variety of plants , and are a particular problem in fall seeded alfalfa and wheat . milo , sweet corn , and field corn also are important hosts . laboratory image . usa .

the scientific name , spodoptera frugiperda , refers to the grey - patterned wings of the moths and the fruit destroying habits of the caterpillars . the common name , fall armyworm , is based on the habit of mass movements of the caterpillars in autumn .

another reason the fall armyworm is difficult to manage is because of its tendency to build up resistance to pesticides . there have been efforts to curb its devastating effect by planting bt - maize . but this remains highly contested territory in many african countries .

the fall armyworm has invaded south africa in january , after reports of invasion in west and central africa . this species mainly established in maize fields in south africa . other crops that were attacked in south africa were sorghum , sweet corn and potatoes . the first observation of fall armyworm on the africa continent was made in late january last year on maize in the rainforest zone of south - western nigeria and in maize fields at the international institute of tropical agriculture ( iita ) at ibadan and ikenne .

a conservative estimate indicates the loss of africa’s maize due to the fall armyworm could cost the continent $ 3 billion in the coming year , according to roger day , sanitary and phytosanitary coordinator at the center for agricultural and biosciences international ( cabi ) .

the fall armyworm is an economically important pest of sorghum and corn as it feeds on the growing leaves and the ear / seed head . to screen sorghum and corn plants for resistance to fall armyworm feeding , field , greenhouse , or laboratory bioassays are often used individually or in combination . laboratory bioassays are best for insect confinement but as the number of replications and entries increase , a large amount of time each day is spent by the experimenter replenishing leaf tissue , adding water , and cleaning the experimental system . a previous study had used agar plates containing benzimidizole , a chemical that prevents leaf dying , to assess the russian wheat aphid feeding on barley . we sought to determine if agar plates containing benzimidizol could be used to assess fall armyworm feeding in sorghum and corn . we found this method accurately identified resistant and susceptible maize lines and was able to be used for sorghum . furthermore this method requires no labor by the experimenter until 7 days after the experimental setup , preserved sorghum and corn leaf tissue , and minimal fungal and bacterial contamination was seen . thus , the benzimidazole agar plate method is an easy and effective method for assessing fall armyworm feeding on maize and sorghum and thus can be used to identify maize and sorghum plants with resistance to fall armyworm feeding .

dr jayne crozier , of cabi , said the fall armyworm ' s presence had now been confirmed in west africa and was thought to be present in the south and east of the continent , many parts of which rely on maize for their staple diet .

whichever way the fall armyworm arrived , its rapid spread across the african continent attests to its high dispersal ability . as strong flyers adult moths cross borders with ease . in the us the species has long been known to use jet streams for adult dispersal .

nagoshi rn , meagher rl , hay - roe m . inferring the annual migration patterns of fall armyworm ( lepidoptera : noctuidae ) in the united states from mitochondrial haplotypes . ecology and evolution . 2012 ; 2 ( 7 ) : 1458–67 . pmid : 22957154

nagoshi rn , meagher rl , jenkins da . puerto rico fall armyworm has only limited interactions with those from brazil or texas but could have substantial exchanges with florida populations . j econ entomol . 2010 ; 103 ( 2 ) : 360–7 . pmid : 20429449

“the truly frightening risk of the fall armyworm to food security in africa must be recognized and tackled with a holistic integrated pest management program , ” said b . m . prasanna , director of the global maize program at the international maize and wheat improvement center ( cimmyt ) and the cgiar research program on maize . “we cannot eliminate the pest from africa – now that it’s here , it will stay , but we can provide support to farmers and provide options to manage their crops against the fall armyworm . ”

there has been an outbreak of the fall army worm in six districts in matabeleland north , a senior government official has said .

ashley , t . r . , e . r . mitchell , n . c . leppla , and e . e . grissell . 1980 . parasites attacking fall armyworm larvae spodoptera frugiperda in late planted field corn . florida entomologist 63 : 136–142 . full text

prowell dp , mcmichael m , silvain jf . multilocus genetic analysis of host use , introgression , and speciation in host strains of fall armyworm ( lepidoptera : noctuidae ) . annals of the entomological society of america . 2004 ; 97 ( 5 ) : 1034–44 .

scientists believe that the fall armyworm may have spread and proliferated on the continent due to warmer global temperatures over the past few years . they suspect the pests may have travelled from the americas in warm ocean jet streams or arrived by some other form of transportation .

later that season high numbers of fall armyworm were also reported from northern nigeria , benin and togo . in april last year government of são tomé and principe called for assistance from the food and agriculture organisation of the united nations ( fao ) . thereafter , in june last year , the federal government of nigeria reported fall armyworm on maize in edo and adjacent states in the southwest of the country . this pest then spread through the rest of africa , travelling southwards to south africa in a little bit more than nine months .

pair sd , gross jr hr 1984 . field mortality of pupae of the fall armyworm , spodoptera frugiperda ( j . e . smith ) , by predators and a newly discovered parasitoid , diapetimorpha introita . journal of the georgia entomological society 19 : 22 - 26 .

fully grown larvae are 1 . 25 – 1 . 5 inches in length and vary in color from pale green to almost black , with a reddish - brown head . they closely resemble true armyworm , and corn earworm larvae in appearance . the difference is that the heads of fall armyworms have a prominent inverted " y " and black tubercles from which hairs arise arrayed throughout the body . fall armyworm pupates in the soil , and pupae can be identified by their smooth , leathery skin that is reddish - brown to dark brown .

others say it was accidental , shipped by air , or by climate change - induced strong winds . with more than 80 host plants identified , the fall armyworm can also attack crops like cowpea , groundnuts , potato , soyabean and cotton , according to the iita .

armyworm crusade sixteen eastern and southern african countries have agreed to coordinate an emergency response to tackle the fall - armyworm infestation that is threatening food security in sub - saharan africa . the decision was made at a meeting in harare , zimbabwe , on 16 february . endemic to south america , the fall armyworm ( spodoptera frugiperda , pictured ) was first observed in africa in early 2016 and has since been detected in at least seven countries . in its larval form , the pest consumes the foliage and flowers of a wide variety of crops . estimates by the food and agriculture organization of the united nations suggest that more than 250 , 000 hectares of african cropland have been affected .

mr nyoni said it was important for farmers to thoroughly check their crops and make sure they are safe from the fall army worm .

participants at the harare meeting agreed that the fall armyworm infestation shows the urgent need for swift and coordinated action to deal with such threats . they identified gaps in the region’s early warning systems , response , preparedness , contingency planning , including information dissemination and effective regional coordination .

davis fm , baker gt , williams wp , 1995 . anatomical characteristics of maize resistant to leaf feeding by southwestern corn borer ( lepidoptera : pyralidae ) and fall armyworm ( lepidoptera : noctuidae ) . journal of agricultural entomology , 12 ( 1 ) : 55 - 65 .

the fall armyworm is an invasive american moth , difficult to detect and to control . it was first noticed in africa in january 2016 , causing massive damage to crops in several west african countries , according to the international institute of tropical agriculture ( iita ) in benin .

nagoshi rn , fleischer sj , meagher rl , hay - roe m , khan a , murúa gm , et al . fall armyworm migration across the lesser antilles and the potential for genetic exchanges between north and south american populations . plos one . 2017 ; in press .

the fall armyworm , spodoptera frugiperda ( j . e . smith ) , a native species of tropical and subtropical regions of the americas , is geographically widespread ( luginbill , 1928 ) and feeds on a wide range of cultivated plants ( luginbill , 1928 ) . although the fall armyworm prefers to feed on plants of the grass family ( maize , millet , wheat , sorghum , rice and sugar cane ) , it will attack other such economically important crops as peanuts , potato , soybean and cotton ( ali et al . , 1989 ) .

a comprehensive account of the biology of fall armyworm was published by luginbill ( 1928 ) , and an informative synopsis by sparks ( 1979 ) . ashley et al . ( 1989 ) presented an annotated bibliography . a sex pheromone has been described ( sekul and sparks 1976 ) .

“fall armyworm , which is mostly associated with the americas , is a new threat in southern africa and we are very concerned with the emergence , intensity and spread of the pest . it is only a matter of time before most of the region will be affected , and the costs and implications of this are very serious , as seen in places where fall armyworm is endemic such as brazil , where the government spends in excess of $ 600 million each year to try to control infestations , ” said david phiri , fao subregional coordinator for southern africa .

“the insect is establishing itself and is expected to remain an economic pest for very long time to come hence we need to put in place a short and long term fall armyworm management and control plan , ” said bayeh mulatu , national integrated pest management expert at fao ethiopia .

it is also important not to rely on one control practice . integrated pest management should always be kept in mind . in collaboration with the department of agriculture , forestry and fisheries ( daff ) a list of insecticides registered to control fall armyworm is available ( table 1 ) .

numerous species of parasitoids affect fall armyworm . the wasp parasitoids most frequently reared from larvae in the united states are cotesia marginiventris ( cresson ) and chelonus texanus ( cresson ) ( both hymenoptera : braconidae ) , species that are also associated with other noctuid species . among fly parasitoids , the most abundant is usually archytas marmoratus ( townsend ) ( diptera : tachinidae ) . however , the dominant parasitoid often varies from place to place and from year to year . luginbill ( 1928 ) and vickery ( 1929 ) describe and picture many of the fall armyworm parasitoids .

there’s disagreement about how the fall armyworm arrived in africa . one suggested avenue is that it arrived on foodstuffs imported from the americas . this is feasible as insects can readily cross borders with infested plant material . the species has been intercepted on shipments destined for europe on several occasions .

since the first fall armyworm larvae were collected in the settlers area mid - january this year and reared through to moths for identification , dr vivienne uys ( arc - ppri ) made the positive identification in early february as spodoptera frugiperda ( je smith ) ( lepidoptera : noctuidae ) .

description and life history the life cycle of the fall armyworm is about 24 to 30 days in favourable temperature and humidity . the number of generations occurring in an area will vary with the appearance of the dispersing moths . this species does not have a diapause ( overwintering ) stage .

nagoshi rn , silvie p , meagher rl , lopez j , machados v . identification and comparison of fall armyworm ( lepidoptera : noctuidae ) host strains in brazil , texas , and florida . annals of the entomological society of america . 2007 ; 100 ( 3 ) : 394–402 .

“we need to understand better the behavioral ecology of the fall armyworm in the africa context . how it breeds , travels and feeds on crops , as this is critical for effectively managing the devastation this pest can cause and its major risk to food security , ” martin kropff cautioned .

“scientists at cimmyt are currently researching available breeding resources characterized with potential resistance to fall armyworm and screening elite maize germplasm to identify possible sources of resistance , ” said b . m . prasanna , director of cimmyt’s global maize program and the cgiar research program maize . “maize lines with partial resistance to fall armyworm were developed in the past , but the work was not scaled - up given the need to focus breeding programs on other high priority traits , including drought tolerance , heat tolerance , and resistance to major diseases , such as maize lethal necrosis ( mln ) . ”

this came at the end of a three - day , fao - organized emergency meeting in harare to discuss ways to respond to a major fall armyworm infestation affecting at least seven countries in the region , whose combined population is more than 70 percent of the total population of southern africa .

fall armyworm eggs are laid in clusters of 50 or more in a single layer attached to foliage . eggs are dome - shaped and dirty white to gray in color . after egg deposition , the female deposits grayish scales over the egg mass , giving it a hairy or moldy appearance .

mitchell er , mcneil jn , westbrook jk , silvain jf , lalannecassou b , chalfant rb , et al . seasonal periodicity of fall armyworm , ( lepidoptera : noctuidae ) in the caribbean basin and northward to canada . j entomol sci . 1991 ; 26 ( 1 ) : 39–50 .

murúa mg , nagoshi rn , dos santos da , hay - roe m , meagher rl , vilardi jc . demonstration using field collections that argentina fall armyworm populations exhibit strain - specific host plant preferences . j econ entomol . 2015 ; 108 ( 5 ) : 2305–15 . pmid : 26453719

the fall armyworm is native to the tropical regions of the western hemisphere from the united states to argentina . it normally overwinters successfully in the united states only in southern florida and southern texas . the fall armyworm is a strong flier , and disperses long distances annually during the summer months . it is recorded from virtually all states east of the rocky mountains . however , as a regular and serious pest , its range tends to be mostly the southeastern states . in 2016 it was reported for the first time in west and central africa , so it now threatens africa and europe .

tazelekew habtamu , a maize farmer in southern ethiopia where the insect set foot for the first time in ethiopia , observed unusual insect pest infestation on his maize farm in the first week of march 2017 . he reported the case to a local agriculture extension worker , who facilitated immediate pesticide spraying . “at first , the fall armyworm infestation was huge , ” said tazelekew . “the pesticide spray killed most of the pests . i would have lost my maize plants if i did not use the pesticide . however , some remnants of the fall armyworm are still attacking my maize field . ”

the africa wide meeting on the fall armyworm that was held in nairobi , kenya gave the responsibility to fao to coordinate interventions to bring the fall armyworm problem under control . in addition to funding of usd 52 000 , fao supports the government’s prevention efforts with expert advice and consultation , and facilitation of field assessments , surveillance and monitoring . in addition , in collaboration with the desert locust control organization for eastern africa ( dlco - ea ) and other development partners , fao is developing a project to derail the insect expansion and mass multiplication so that yield loss could be minimized significantly .

however , that’s not the way of the african armyworm , scientists at the international centre of insect physiology and ecology ( icipe ) in kenya concluded .

cimmyt , 2018 . fall armyworm in africa : a guide for integrated pest management . first edition . . prasanna , b . m . , huesing , j . e . , eddy , r . , peschke , v . m . , eds . cimmyt , mexico , 109 pp .

hruska aj , gould f , 1997 . fall armyworm ( lepidoptera : noctuidae ) and diatraea lineolata ( lepidoptera : pyralidae ) : impact of larval population level and temporal occurrence on maize yield in nicaragua . journal of economic entomology , 90 ( 2 ) : 611 - 622 ; 27 ref .

in collaboration with the food and agriculture organization of the united nations ( fao ) and other development partners , the government of ethiopia has intensified efforts to protect major maize growing areas from the ravage of the fall armyworm . the fall armyworm , which first arrived in africa in 2016 , was intercepted on a few hectares of irrigated maize fields in southern ethiopia in the last week of february 2017 . it has now covered about 52 962 hectares in 144 districts in three of the major maize - growing regional states – gambella , oromia and southern nations nationalities and peoples’ region ( snnpr ) .

luttrell , r . g . ; mink , j . s . damage to cotton fruiting structures by the fall armyworm , spodoptera frugiperda ( lepidoptera : noctuidae ) . journal of cotton science , v . 3 , n . 2 , p . 35 - 44 , 1999 . [ links ]

fall armyworm larva vary from light tan to black with three light yellow stripes down the back . there is a wider dark stripe and a wavy yellow - red blotched stripe on each side . larvae have four pairs of fleshy abdominal prolegs in addition to the pair at the end of the body .

fao says the fall armyworm is now present in namibia , south africa , mozambique , malawi and zambia , threatening agriculture output in a season of plenteous rainfall . authorities here say it has spread to nearly all the country’s ten provinces . the amount of damage caused in zimbabwe so far is unknown .

to differentiate the fall armyworm from other species a predominant white , inverted y shape is present on the forehead between the eyes ( photo 2 ) . the duration of the larval stage can be as short as 14 days in summer . unlike other armyworms , larvae feed during the day and night .

ali , a . ; luttrell , r . g . ; pitre , h . n . feeding sites and distribution of fall armyworm ( lepidoptera : noctuidae ) larvae on cotton . environmental entomology , v . 19 , n . 4 , p . 1060 - 1067 , 1990 . [ links ]

mihm ja , smith me , deutsch ja , 1988 . development of open - pollinated varieties , non - conventional hybrids and inbred lines of tropical maize with resistance to fall armyworm , spodoptera frugiperda ( lepidoptera : noctuidae ) , at cimmyt . florida entomologist , 71 ( 3 ) : 262 - 268 .