Warlier insects were identified on morphological characters, now many molecular and similar tools are available to reduce ambiguity and correct identification of the species. In this regard if you come across any publications please kindly share.
The following are a few of my many papers on use of cuticular hydrocarbons to identify difficult members of closely related species. These are often mis-identified, and colonies often become changed inadvertantly, as we found in commercial parasitoid colonies. Little DNA efforts have been ,made for some groups. But the hydrocarbons analyzed by inexpensie fast high resolution Gas Chromatography are usually good for this purpose. We worked on a host of insects, honeybees, parasitoid wasps, rare and exotic cockroaches, all 27 spp of tsetse flies. and many others including moths and beetles. Most all species are loaded with unique protective hydrocarbons, but not ticks! Here are a few references/
Carlson, D.A., D.R. Roubik and S.K. Milstrey. Distinctive Hydrocarbons among the Giant Honey Bees, the Apis dorsata group (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Apidologie 22: 169-181. 1991.
Lavine, B.K. and D.A. Carlson. Taxonomy based on Chemical Constitution: Differentiation of New World from Old World Helicaverpa Moths. Microchem. J. 43: 35-41. 1991.
Carlson, D.A. and S.K. Milstrey. Alkanes of Four Heliothis Species Analyzed by Gas Chromatography. Arch. Ins. Biochem. Physiol. 16: 165-175. 1991.
Carlson, D.A., J.F. Reinert, U.R. Bernier, B.D. Sutton and J. A. Seawright. Analysis of the cuticular hydrocarbons among species of the Anopheles quadrimaculatus complex (Diptera: Culicidae). J. Amer. Mosq. Control Assoc. 13 (4 (Supplement)):103-111. 1997.
Geden, C.J., U.R. Bernier, D. A. Carlson and B.D. Sutton. Identification of Muscidifurax spp., parasitoids of muscoid flies, by composition patterns of cuticular hydrocarbons. Biol. Control 12:200-207. 1998.
Bernier, U.R., D. A. Carlson, and C. J. Geden. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis of the cuticular hydrocarbons from parasitic wasps of the genus Muscidifurax. J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom. 9:320-332. 1998.
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Biological Science
- Biota
- Eukaryota
- Fungi