The gene expression patterns between female and male fat bodies differ significantly and may be crucial for their different reproductive roles in dioecious insects. In this study, we used digital gene expression profiling to construct the gene expression profiles of the fat body of male and female adults of the oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) (Diptera:Tephritidae), which is one of the most important agricultural pests worldwide. In total, 452 and 993 unigenes were highly expressed in the female and male fat bodies, respectively. Functional analysis showed 179 sequences assigned to reproduction, 181 sequences responding to stimuli, and 45 involved in immune functions. The expression of a selection of differentially expressed genes was validated by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction. We found that the expression patterns of all tested genes were consistent with the digital gene expression profiles. In addition, three vitellogenin (Vg) genes in the female fat body were identified. Interestingly, one among these was a new Vg (Unigene1031) that has not been previously reported in B. dorsalis. We named this BdVg3, with accession number of KY305182 in NCBI GenBank database. Sequence analysis of BdVg3 showed that the deduced amino acid sequence of BdVg3 was highly similar to Vg from Bactrocera tau and Vg3 from Drosophila melanogaster. The high expression of all three BdVg genes specifically in the female fat body indicates their critical role in female reproduction.

We examined sperm storage patterns of doubly mated females in a species of tephritid fly (Anastrepha suspensa (Loew) [Diptera:Tephritidae]) with four sperm storage organs and an unusually complex reproductive system to elucidate possible reproductive arenas in which sexual selection can or has played a role in sperm competition and cryptic female choice and to predict effects on paternity outcomes. The duration of copulation with each male of doubly mated female flies was recorded and the sperm storage organs were dissected to determine the location and identity of each male's sperm (by microsatellite polymerase chain reaction) and its relative quantity. Short copulations with the first male generally resulted in little transfer of sperm and predicted the length of time spent in second copulations, resulting in disproportionate sperm storage from second copulations. For doubly mated females, most storage organs contained sperm from second males only, although the fertilization chamber often contained sperm from both males (allowing for possible sperm competition). Long-term storage organs (spermathecae) always contained sperm from single males exclusively possibly limiting opportunities for sperm competition. Our data provide a mechanism for second male precedence without invoking sperm competition, and caution that paternity patterns must be critically interpreted with inclusion of information on sperm storage patterns.

Nocturnal aculeate wasps (Hymenoptera: Chyphotidae, Brachycistidinae [Tiphiidae], and Mutillidae) are abundant in North America's deserts, yet their patterns of diversity are not well studied. Here we report on the diversity of these groups in Joshua Tree National Park (JTNP). On the basis of collection data from a transect of 14 sampling sites transitioning from the Mojave to the Sonoran Desert, our study shows that there are at least 11 species of Chyphotes (Chyphotidae), based on the collection of 1,513 specimens, there are at least 22 species of brachycistidine Tiphiidae species in five genera, based on the collection of 13,960 specimens, and at least 35 species of nocturnal mutillids in six genera, based on 8,477 specimens. Brachycistidine Tiphiidae populations peak earlier in the season compared with the other two groups. Also we found an increase in Chyphotidae, Brachycistidinae, and Mutillidae diversity and abundance with decreasing latitude. Several species appear to be spatially restricted to one desert region; others exhibit temporal isolation, only being collected during specific months. Our study suggests that JTNP houses a diverse community of nocturnal aculeate wasps with the Sonoran Desert being more diverse than the Mojave Desert.

The phylogenetic status and relationships of the globally distributed grassland leafhopper tribe Hecalini were explored by analyzing a DNA sequence dataset comprising three gene regions (nuclear 28S rDNA, histone H3, 12S mtDNA) for 14 genera and 29 species plus 9 outgroups. Bayesian, maximum likelihood, and maximum parsimony analyses recovered similar trees and supported the monophyly of Hecalini and its two included subtribes, but excluded the Oriental genus Hecalusina He, Zhang & Webb, the position of which was poorly resolved among the included outgroup taxa. Within subtribe Hecalina, the analysis recovered two major lineages, one including only New World taxa and the other including a second New World clade nested within a larger lineage comprising taxa from the Afrotropical, Oriental, and Australian regions. The large, widely distributed genus Hecalus was not recovered as monophyletic. Species of this genus grouped into two separate, noncontiguous clades, one North American and the other comprising African, Australian, and Oriental species.

The Japanese fauna of the yellow butterfly Eurema hecabe (L.) (Lepidoptera; Pieridae) populations in Ryukyu area (Southwestern Islands) were shown to differ from their Mainlands population (Honshu) in its seasonal forms of adult wing color pattern expression and in larval food habits. Recently, E. hecabe was divided into two species, E. hecabe and Eurema mandarina (de l'Orza) (Lepidoptera: Pieridae), based on their morphological, behavioral and genetic characteristics. However, whereas these two species are classified into two distinct groups based on nuclear DNA, both species are mixed in the phylogenetic tree from their mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences. The reason is a selective sweep by Wolbachia infection, and they can not be distinguished by DNA barcode method using mtDNA. We analyzed allozyme variation as a nuclear gene phenotype in 15 loci from 11 enzymes of the two closely related butterflies. Examining the esterase zymogram of each population, appearance frequency of Est-2 locus in each population varied greatly. E. mandarina showed the bands but E. hecabe showed no bands in Est-2 locus. The UPGMA and NJ phylogenetic trees branched out into two species—E. hecabe and E. mandarina—although their habitat overlapped in Okinawajima Is. populations. The results showed that the allozyme analyses were not affected by the selective sweep of Wolbachia infection between these two species.