Beetles succession on different microhabitats of small mammals in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Al‐Mekhlafi Fahd A. 한국곤충학회 2020 Entomological Research Vol.50 No.9

The decay of small carcasses is considerably neglected although it may provide important forensic data. This study differentiates the beetle species correlated with rat, Rattus norvegicus and mouse, Mus musculus (L. 1758) carcasses placed in two different habitats at King Saud University in western Riyadh. Decay processes and beetle succession were analyzed from January to February 2018. We collected an average of 268.67 beetles belonging to nine species from eight families, including Histeridae, Dermestidae, Cleridae, Tenebrionidae, Staphylinidae, Coccinellidae, Melolonthinae, and Pyrrhocoridae. Collected specimens were identified morphologically and by molecular techniques based on the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. Their presence rose in the bloated and decaying stages of decomposition. The beetle communities differed between the two habitats. In addition, a distinctive beetle community was found in the decaying stage compared to the other stages. The lowest number of beetles was reported in the dry stage. The abundance of beetles was associated with carcass size (rat or mouse) and habitat type.

Bioassay-guided fractionation of a dried commercial source, Alpinia galanga (L.) Willd rhizomes extract, against Culex pipiens (Diptera: Culicidae)

Nael Abutaha,Fahd A. AL-MEKHLAFI 한국응용곤충학회 2020 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.23 No.1

The increasing risk of insecticide resistance in mosquito populations has led to the search for new larvicidal agents. Evaluation of bioassay-guided fractionation of the rhizome extract of Alpinia galanga (L.) Willd against Aedes aegypti was assessed. Bioactive fractions were isolated from the rhizome extract of A. galanga using a Soxhlet extractor and chromatography techniques, and subsequently tested against the fourth instar of Culex pipiens. The lethal concentration (LC) was calculated via log-probit analysis. The active fraction was evaluated by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC–MS) and infrared (IR) analysis. The highest larvicidal potential obtained from bioassays using the Soxhlet apparatus was observed in dichloromethane (DCM) and ethyl acetate (EtoAc) extracts, with LC 50 values of 124.49 and 176.30 ppm, respectively, after 24 h of exposure. Subsequently, the DCM extract was subjected to column and thin-layer chromatography. Results of the DCM extraction and the active TLC fraction (F133) of the Rf value 0.5 revealed that LC 50 and LC 90 values decreased over time. The F133 fraction of A. galanga exhibited zero hatchability (100% mortality) at LC 50 (63.416 ppm) and LC 25 (31.70 ppm) against Cx. pipiens eggs. GC–MS analysis of the active thin-layer chromatography TLC fraction (F133) revealed the presence of phenol 2 4-bis (1 1-dimethylethyl), which was identified as the major compound. Alpinia galanga extract is a promising candidate for the control of mosquito populations. Further study is required to determine the effect of the extracts on non-target organisms.

Larvicidal potential of gold and silver nanoparticles synthesized using Acalypha fruticosa leaf extracts against Culex pipiens (Culicidae: Diptera)

Alhag Sadeq K.,Al-Mekhlafi Fahd A.,Abutaha Nael,Abd Al Galil Fahd Mohammed,Wadaan Muhammad A. 한국응용곤충학회 2021 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.24 No.1

Plant secondary metabolites have been recently used for the synthesis of different nanoparticles. The present investigation aimed at evaluating the effect of gold (AuNPs) and silver (AgNPs) nanoparticles synthesized using Acalypha fruticosa leaf extracts to control the mosquito Culex pipiens. The A. fruticosa AuNPs and AgNPs spectra displayed their maximum absorption at 550 nm and 440 nm, respectively. The infrared spectra revealed different functional groups related to different chemical compounds. The larval mortality of aqueous leaf extract of A. fruticosa was 499.54 ppm (LC 50 ) and 1734.06 ppm (LC 90 ) after 24 h of treatment. This study revealed that AuNP (LC 50 , 30.2 and LC 90 , 104.83 ppm) and AgNP (LC 50 , 52.86 and LC 90 , 157.227 ppm) preparations were highly effective compared to the A. fruticosa extract alone and also more affordable, as a smaller amount was required. The present findings show the potential larvicidal effect of the synthesized AuNPs and AgNPs for the control of mosquito-mediated disease transmission.

Larvicidal activity of some fungal extracts on Aedes caspius and Culex pipiens (Diptera: Culicidae)

Fahd A. AL-MEKHLAFI 한국곤충학회 2017 Entomological Research Vol.47 No.6

A preliminary study was conducted to evaluate the effects of nine methanol fungal extracts on fourth instar larvae of Aedes caspius and Culex pipiens (Diptera: Culicidae). None of the extracts tested showed larvicidal activity except for the Paecilomyces lilacinus extract, which showed 100 % mortality against the larvae of Ae caspius after 24 h. The LC50 values of the P. lilacinus extract after 24 h were 190.66 μg/mL against Ae. caspius and 254.25 μg/mL against Cx. pipiens, respectively. After 48 h, meanwhile, the LC50 values were 65.70 and 164.13 μg/mL, respectively. Histological analysis of the midgut of the treated larvae of Ae. caspius and Cx. pipiens revealed changes such as cell destruction, spacing between the cells and disruption of the microvilli, resulting in an appearance of vacuolization in the midgut. This article is the first report of the use of P. lilacinus extract for the control of Ae. caspius and Cx. pipiens larvae and the data obtained may help to provide a better understanding of the mode of action of P. lilacinus as an insecticide against mosquito larvae.

Inhibition of the growth and development of mosquito larvae of Culex pipiens L. (Diptera: Culicidae) treated with extract from flower of Matricaria chamomilla (Asteraceae)

Fahd A. AL-MEKHLAFI,Nael Abutaha,Ahmed M. AL-MALKI,Muhammad AL-WADAAN 한국곤충학회 2020 Entomological Research Vol.50 No.3

Mosquitoes can transfer many adverse diseases to human and animals therefore, there is a need to fight their spread. Among promising larvicidal sources is the use of plant extracts, which will play an important role in the future. This study was conducted to assess the larvicidal activity of Ferula hermonis Boiss,Achillea millefolium, Salvia officnalis, Psidium guaja and Matricaria chamomilla extract against Culex pipiens. The plant materials were extracted with hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, and methanol using a Soxhlet extractor. The extracts were evaluated for larvicidal activity against Cx. pipiens the mortality was monitored after 24 and 48 h of exposure. None of the extracts tested showed larvicidal acitivties except M. chamomilla. The ethyl acetate extract showed the most promising larvicidal activity with LC50 values of 287.1 and 209.4 ppm after 24 and 48 h of exposure, respectively. Treatment of the eggs with different concentrations of the active extract decreased the hatchability of the eggs dose dependently from 95 to 86.49%. Similarly, the pupal duration increased in treated groups. The larval period lasted for 12 d, whereas that of the control group lasted for 10 d. Furthermore, the pupal period lasted 3 d (control 2 d) in treated groups. The data also revealed a significant decrease in the growth index in treated groups (0.00–7.53) than that of the control (8.5). The GC–MS analysis revealed the presence of 1.6.10-dodecatriene, 7,11-dimethyl-3-methylene (89.68%), 1,6-cyclodecadiene, 1-methyl-5-methylene-8-(1-methylethyl)-, [S-(E,E)] (6.34%), 2H-pyran 3-ol (4.04%), and 2H-1-benzopyran-2-one (0.079%).

Effect of sedative drug zolpidem tartrate on the development rate of Sarcophaga (Boettcherisca) peregrina (Diptera: Sarcophagidae)

Al‐Mekhlafi Fahd A.,Al‐Khalifa Mohammed S.,Wadaan Muhammad A. 한국곤충학회 2022 Entomological Research Vol.52 No.10

Applied entomotoxicology is the study of toxicants found in carrion insects and other matter, such as frass especially when body fluids or tissues cannot be used. The use of necropsy insects in medical and criminal investigations to detect toxicants has been done successfully. This study investigated the effect of the sedative drug zolpedim tartrate on the developmental rate and morphological parameters of the feeding and non-feeding stages of the carrion insect Sarcophaga peregrina Robineau-Desvoidy. Five cultures were prepared-one control and four cultures containing different concentrations of zolpidem tartrate (1, 2, 3, and 4 ppm). A total of 80 larvae were kept in each culture and provided with finely chopped liver containing the respective concentrations daily. The results obtained showed significant variations in the morphological parameters of the feeding and non-feeding stages, and negatively correlated with the concentrations compared with the control. The developmental time of the feeding and non-feeding stages positively correlated with the concentration of zolpidem tartrate. The results obtained indicate that zolpidem tartrate retards larval development and alters the estimation of the total developmental duration. When analyzing the entomological evidence of whether zolpidem tartrate may be responsible for death, it is important to consider its effects on PMI estimation.

Decomposition abilities and characteristics of pig manure using three insect larvae

Al‐Mekhlafi Fahd A. 한국곤충학회 2022 Entomological Research Vol.52 No.10

This study investigated the effects of three insect larvae on decomposition abilities and survival rates in Experiment 1 or on pH, total nitrogen, total carbon, and C/N ratio in Experiment 2. A total of hatched 7,500 Tenebrio molitor (TM) larvae, hatched 501 Protaetia brevitarsis seulensis (PBS) larvae, and hatched 15,000 Ptecticus tenebrifer (PT) larvae were randomly subjected to three treatments with three replicates. The treatments were as follows: (1) TM, 5,000 g pig manure + 250 g TM larvae; (2) PBS, 5,000 g pig manure + 250 g PBS larvae; and (3) PT, 5,000 g pig manure + 250 g PT larvae. In Experiment 1, there were significant differences (p < 0.05) in the decomposition abilities of the pig manure from the three insect larvae-treated groups for 15–30 days. No significant differences in survival rates were observed for any of the in all treatments over time. Decomposition ability and survival rates in pig manure were higher in the PT larvae group than in the PBS and PT larvae groups. In Experiment 2, three insect larvae-treated pig manure treatments had an effect on total nitrogen for 20 and 30 days, total carbon for 10 and 30 days, and C/N ratio for 20 and 30 days. Thus, our results suggest that the three insect larvae have the ability to decompose pig manure to increase for increasing survival rates or might represent a valuable alternative as organic fertilizer, which could increase the total nitrogen content and decrease C/N ratio.

Growth and development of Chrysomya saffranea (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in response to different food substrates

Abd Al Galil Fahd Mohammed,Al‐Keridis Lamya Ahmed,AL‐Mekhlafi Fahd A.,Al‐Shuraym Laila A.,Alhag Sadeq K.,Ali El Hadi Mohamed Rania,Wadaan Muhammad A. 한국곤충학회 2021 Entomological Research Vol.51 No.10

Chrysomya saffranea is an insect that is important in criminal forensics as it plays a large role in decomposition on human cadavers. In this paper, the different developmental stages of C. saffranea flies were studied in the laboratory on different food, such as meat, liver, fat tissue and mixed food, to test whether these media affect the development of their larvae and have an impact on the calculation of the post-mortem interval. Our results indicated a significant growth enhancement among flies that fed on the mixed food (pure fat, meat and liver minced in equal proportions) compared with those that fed on minced (pure fat tissues, pure meat of and minced liver) of buffalo. The present results also confirmed the impact of food on the growth of C. saffranea, as well as the post-mortem interval PMI.

Effect of diets on the developmental rate of calliphorid fly of forensic importance Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius, 1794)

El Hadi Mohamed Rania Ali,Galil Fahd Mohammed Abd Al,Al-Keridis Lamya Ahmed,Al-Shuraym Laila A.,Al-Mekhlafi Fahd A.,Alhag Sadeq K. 한국응용곤충학회 2021 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.24 No.3

The aim of this study was to compare the effect of diets on the morphological parameters of different devel opmental stages of blowflies Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius, 1794). Adult C. megacephala flies were collected from a goat cadaver and reared in the laboratory when the max and min temperature were 32 and 24 ◦ C and the relative max and min humidity were ranged between 55 and 31% respectively. Blowflies at various feeding stages (first-, second-, and third-instar larvae) received different types of diets (meat, liver, fats, and mixed). The effects of the different diets on the life cycle duration and the morphological parameters of various stages were observed. The results revealed that the fat diet prolonged the post-mortem interval (PMI) up to 298.5 ± 1.15 hrs, whereas the mixed food diet shortened PMI to the 243.67 ± 0.12 hrs. Significant variation were observed at level (F = 740.71 df = 3P < 0.001). Furthermore, the mixed food diet significantly increased the morphological parameters (length, width, and weight) for almost all stages during the life cycle of blowflies. In contrast, the fat diet decreased these parameters to the lowest level. The present findings may provide a scientific basis for the determination of PMI.