Stomoxes: biting flies harmful to breeding

By Gérard Duvallet Among the ectoparasites that are a nuisance to livestock and livestock in general, there are, alongside ticks (Mites), several families of Dipterans (Insects). Horn stomoxes and flies (Diptera, Muscidae) and taons (Diptera, Tabanidae) are certainly the most important (photos 1, 2 and 3), due to the nuisance spawned and the possible transmission…

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Insect disappearance: Causes and consequences

by Benoit GILLES With their presence on Earth for more than 400 million years, their diversity, their adaptability and their abundance, insects are an unprecedented biological success and an essential component to life on our planet. Today, one organism living on two and three out of four animals belong to their order. The ecological functions…

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Scale insects: Poorly-know vectors of plant virus

by Etienne Herrbach Exciting study models The scales from the vast superfamily of Coccoidea, rich of over 8,000 species and 33 families (and 16 fossils) (link). Like their sternorrhynchan cousins (aphids, whiteflies, and psyllids), they feed on plant saps using a piercing-sucking mouth apparatus.  Their very diverse and sometimes astonishing biological and morphological peculiarities foster numerous studies.…

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The Entomofauna of the French subantarctic islands

by Maurice Hulle The Subantarctic islands, among the most isolated in the world, harbour a small number of native terrestrial invertebrates which, in the course of their evolution, have developed specific biological adaptations, the most notable of which is the loss of The flight function in insects. Since their recent discovery and, above all, since…

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Parthenogenesis in insects: synthesis

by Benoit GILLES In order for them to multiply, nature has endowed living organisms with a wide diversity of reproductive systems. In insects, one of these strategies is parthenogenesis. This is based on the development of individuals from unfertilized gametes, thus without the need for fertilization. This strategy is interesting for more than one reason:…

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Be versatile or specialize? The choice of flowers and their pollinators

By Vincent ALBOUY Specialization/Generalism Specialization is defined as physical, biological and/or behavioural adaptation to a small group of partners. Bryona dioica (Bryona dioica), a wild Cucurbitaceae, flowers in spring in hedges and wastelands. Its greenish-white flowers attract various collectors. Among them, a small blackish bee marked with red, andrène de la bryone (Andrena florea), visits…

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Claude Dejoux: a career in the name of entomology

Interview of Claude Dejoux Wetland entomologist IRD Retiree – Chad – Bolivia – Mexico Professional career path Fascinated since childhood by the “things of nature”, I opt for a scientific baccalaureate called at the time “Modern Prime”. With this last diploma in my pocket, I set off in search of a training course in which…

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