The paper provides information on taxonomy of Anurida species from the northern Palaearctic. 4 new species (A. azurea, A. palustris, A. tatianae, A. sakhensis) are described and several forms are regarded as junior synonyms, viz. A. tundricola Tshelnokov (= A. alpina Agrell), A. balagannakhi Tshelnokov (= A. annatshagi Tshelnokov), A. nerensis Tshelnokov (= A. beringi Fjellberg), A. jakutica Tshelnokov (= A. bondarenkoae Tshelnokov), A. polychnetosa Tshelnokov (= A. hammerae Christiansen), A. mandibulata Tshelnokov (= A. hammerae Christiansen), A. macrochaetosa Tshelnokov (= A. luciae Fjellberg), A. tshuktshorum Tshelnokov (= A. narli Fjellberg), A. arctica Tshelnokov [= A. papillosoides (Hammer)], A. wrangelensis Tshelnokov [= A. polaris (Hammer)], A. tajmyrica Tshelnokov (= A. subarctica Fjellberg). The peculiarities of zonal and geographical distributions of Anurida species in the northern Palaearctic are discussed. A key to the identification of the northern Holarctic species of the genus is given.

Prague, Czech Republic, 2003, 857 pp.

Entomograph Vol. 14. Apollo Books, Denmark, CSIRO Publishing, Australia, 2004. 344 pages + 8 colour plates.

Ten ant species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from three subfamilies feed on honeydew excreted by nymphs of the leafhopper Balclutha punctata (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae). This relationship is facultative for the partners. Preliminary field observations suggest a mutualistic interaction that represents an intermediate stage in the spectrum of formicid-hemipteran mutualisms. Behavioural adaptations of the leafhopper (no escape reaction) and the ants (no predation of leafhoppers, protection from spiders) are evident, but characters of advanced facultative mutualism such as physical contact between the partners or ant-triggered excretion of honeydew were not observed.

Coleopterists Society, Special publication No. 1, Sacramento, 2003, spiral bound, 290 pp.

Pensoft, Sofia-Moscow, 2004, 239 pp.

Intercept, Andover (UK), 2004, xx + 301 pp.

Host-ant specificity of Maculinea alcon, an endangered obligatory myrmecophilous lycaenid butterfly, was studied at two sites in southern Poland (Świętokrzyskie Mts near Kielce). M. alcon larvae and pupae were found in nests of both Myrmica vandeli and M. scabrinodis, which is the typical host in Poland and Southern Europe. To our knowledge this is the first record of M. vandeli as a host of M. alcon. Our results show that M. scabrinodis and M. vandeli are about equally suitable as hosts. We hypothesize that both host ant species are closely related and have similar chemical profiles, and that the M. alcon "scabrinodis-vandeli" populations we studied belong to the M. alcon "scabrinodis" race. More than half of the M. alcon pupae, both from M. vandeli and M. scabrinodis nests, were parasitized by a single wasp species of the genus Ichneumon, which also suggests that the cuticular chemistry of the two ant species is similar.

Proceedings of the 6^th International Symposium on Aphids, September 2001, Rennes, France. INRA Editions, Versailles-Paris, 2004, 549 pp. ISBN 2-7380-113-6. Price EUR 62.00.

Centre Suisse de cartographie de la faune and Schweizerische Entomologische Gesellschaft, Neuchâtel, 2003, 312 pp.

Oxford University Press, Melbourne. 1^st edition: 1998, 467 pp. ISBN 0-19-553941-9 (paperback). 2^nd edition: 2001, 512 pp. ISBN 0195513681 (paperback). Price AU$ 80.00.

Paleoripiphorus deploegi gen. n., sp. n. and Macrosiagon ebboi sp. n., described from two French Albo-Cenomanian ambers (mid Cretaceous), are the oldest definitely identified representatives of the Ripiphoridae: Ripiphorinae. They belong to or are closely related to extant genera of this coleopteran subfamily. Together with Myodites burmiticus Cockerell, 1917 from the Albian Burmese amber, they demonstrate that the group is distinctly older than suggested by the hitherto available fossil record. By inference after the biology of the extant Ripiphorinae, Macrosiagon ebboi may have been parasitic on wasps and Paleoripiphorus deploegi on bees, suggesting that Apoidea may have been present in the Lower Cretaceous.

With foreword by Sue Hubbell. Cornell University Press (Comstock Publ. Assoc.), Ithaca & London, 2002, 160 pp.

Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 2003, 269 pp. ISBN 0-521-81409-X (hardback), ISBN 0-521-89108-6 (paperback), price: paperback GBP 27.95, hardback GBP 75.00

Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York, Boston, Dordrecht, London, Moscow, 2003, xxi+498 pp.

CRC Press, Boca Raton, London, New York, Washington, D.C., 2003, 344 pp. ISBN 0-8493-1577-8. Price GBP 87.00.

Wolbachia pipientis (Hertig) (Rickettsiaceae) is an endocellular bacterium infecting numerous species of arthropods. The bacterium is harboured by males and females but is only transmitted maternally because spermatocytes shed their Wolbachia during maturation. The presence of this endosymbiont can lead to feminisation of the host, parthenogenesis, male-killing or reproductive incompatibility called cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). Although Wolbachia transmission is exclusively maternal, phylogenetic evidence indicates that very rare inter-species transmission events have taken place. Horizontal transmission is possible in the laboratory by transferring cytoplasm from infected to uninfected eggs. Using this technique, we have artificially infected lines of the fruit fly Drosophila simulans Sturtevant (Drosophilidae). Recipient lines came from two different D. simulans populations. One ("naive" host) is not infected in the wild. The other ("usual" host) is a population naturally carrying Wolbachia in the wild. In this second case, recipient flies used in the experiment came from a stock culture that had been cured off its infection beforehand by an antibiotic treatment. Infected D. simulans laboratory stocks were used as donors. We assessed the three following parameters: (i) trans-infection success rate (ratio of infected over total female zygote having survived the injection), (ii) level of cytoplasmic incompatibility expressed by trans-infected males three generations post-trans-infection, and (iii) infection loss rate over time in trans-infected lines (percentage of lines having lost the infection after 20 to 40 generations). We observed that parameter (i) did not differ significantly whether the recipient line came from a "naive" or a "usual" host population. However, both (ii) and (iii) were significantly higher in the "naive" trans-infected stock, which is in agreement with earlier theoretical considerations.

Aphelinus abdominalis Dalman (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae), a solitary endoparasitoid of cereal aphids [e.g. Sitobion avenae (F.)] and aphids in greenhouses [e.g. Myzus persicae (Sulzer) and Macrosiphum euphorbiae (Thomas)] is available as biological control agent against aphid pests in greenhouses. As little is yet known about its long-range host location after release, the in-flight orientation of female A. abdominalis was investigated with regard to the effects of post-emergence experience, using a wind tunnel bioassay. In no-choice tests experienced females responded to the odour of M. euphorbiae-infested sweet pepper and aubergine plants while naive females exhibited mostly random flights. In a choice test, offering infested and uninfested plants of the same species, experienced wasps were able to recognize the plant-host complex (PHC) and selected it as landing site. In contrast to uninfested plants, host-damaged plants (infested plants with aphids removed) attracted experienced females just as well as infested plants. When the responses of groups of parasitoids with experience on two different plant-host complexes were studied, specifically trained wasps were observed to orientate significantly better towards the infested target plant than wasps with previous experience on the non-target plant. A final choice test, with an infested pepper and an infested aubergine plant as odour sources, showed that females trained on one of the offered plant-host combinations significantly preferred the odour of the learnt PHC to that of the different PHC. The results suggest that A. abdominalis females employ specific volatile signals emitted by host-infested plants (synomones) during long-range host location. These odours must be learnt, e.g. in association with a successful oviposition.

The spider community of a beech forest on limestone was studied for one year using four sampling techniques: emergence traps, pitfall traps, soil samples, and arboreal eclectors. 87 spider species were recorded. Emergence traps and arboreal eclectors were particularly efficient in detecting spider species. Dominance identity (percentage similarity) was highest for catches from emergence traps and pitfall traps. Species recorded were assigned to various ecological groups. In terms of proportional abundance, representation of the ecological groups varied and appeared related to the sampling method used. Stratum type and type of prey capture strategy accounted for >60% of the variance in the catch results (canonical correspondence analysis). Proportional abundance of funnel-web spiders was much higher in pitfall trap catches (31.7%) than in any other method (1.0-11.6%).

The reproductive biology (drumming call, mating behaviour, fecundity and egg structure) of Isoperla curtata, an endemic species from the Southern Iberian Peninsula, is described. The male's mating call has a diphasic pattern, with a mean of 17.3 beats per call (range = 8-27; SD = 4.7) and a duration of 792.9 ms per call (range = 228-1312; SD = 307.9). This call differs from that of other species of Isoperla in having two distinct phases with different millisecond intervals, and is species-specific. Mating lasts between 131 and 3864 seconds (mean = 2180.9 s and SD = 1027.8). Since males and females mate more than once (mean number of matings per female was 1.85 and per male 2.25), the species is polyandric and polygynic. The position adopted by the male during mating is different from that described for other stonefly species. Other mating behaviours are interpreted as displacement manoeuvers, tactile stimulation and possibly sexual selection by cryptic female choice. There was a statistically significant correlation between size and the number of matings in females (r = 0.849; p = 0.016), but not in males. Each female laid between one to four egg masses composed of an average of 88.7 eggs. Maximum fecundity was 319 eggs. The mean egg volume was 80.5 × 10⁵ µm³ which is very similar to that of other Isoperla species. An outstanding morphological characteristic of the egg is the lobed outline of the chorion cells.

The influence of parasitism by Glyptapanteles liparidis (Bouché) on the development, consumption, growth and food utilization from the third to the fifth instar of its host Lymantria dispar L. was studied on three different host types, each characterized by the stage in which they were parasitized. The first host type was parasitized during premoult into the 2nd instar, the second during premoult into the 3rd instar and the third during the middle of the 3rd instar.

Depending on the relationship between the host's size and the volume of the parasitoid complex inside the host, different developmental patterns of the various host types were found. From the majority of early-parasitized hosts, the parasitoid larvae emerged during the hosts' fourth instar (90%), while parasitoids emerged mainly during the fifth instar (77% and 81%) of both later-parasitized host types. Hosts which were heavily parasitized during their premoult stage, avoided obvious nutritional constraints by inserting a supernumerary host instar. Only from one lightly parasitized host type did parasitoid larvae emerge, after developing through only two host instars. Third-midinstar-parasitized hosts had a supernumerary instar only when they contained a relatively low number of parasitoids compared with those from which the parasitoids emerged during the fifth instar. Unparasitized gypsy moth larvae also differed in their developmental pattern, as (78% of males and 72% of females) pupated after the 5th and 6th instars, respectively. Differences in growth and development time permitted the differentiation between sexes, before larvae moulted to the fifth instar.
Parasitism most influenced host nutrition in early-parasitized hosts, as they showed increased rates of consumption and growth during the 3rd, penultimate host instar. Higher biomass gains during their final fourth instar of these early-parasitized hosts were due to prolongation of both development and the feeding period, which resulted in a relative consumption and growth rate significantly lower than in unparasitized female larvae and later-parasitized larvae. Growth and consumption rates during the 3rd and 4th instar of later-parasitized host types did not differ from female control larvae. In their final 5th instar these host types did not prolong their development or feeding period, but displayed a reduction in growth rate similar to early-parasitized hosts. The approximate digestibility (AD-value) and conversion efficiency of ingested and digested food (ECI- and ECD-values) was not influenced by parasitism.
No correlation was found between the number of parasitoid larvae per host and the duration of the endoparasitic development among most individuals of the three host types. The number of parasitoids per host, however, contributed markedly to the final gross weight, consumption, growth rate and biomass gained during the final host instar.

I review the effects of habitat fragmentation on carabid beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) and examine whether the taxon could be used as an indicator of fragmentation. Related to this, I study the conservation needs of carabids. The reviewed studies showed that habitat fragmentation affects carabid assemblages. Many species that require habitat types found in interiors of fragments are threatened by fragmentation. On the other hand, the species composition of small fragments of habitat (up to a few hectares) is often altered by species invading from the surroundings. Recommendations for mitigating these adverse effects include maintenance of large habitat patches and connections between them. Furthermore, landscape homogenisation should be avoided by maintaining heterogeneity of habitat types. It appears that at least in the Northern Hemisphere there is enough data about carabids for them to be fruitfully used to signal changes in land use practices. Many carabid species have been classified as threatened. Maintenance of the red-listed carabids in the landscape requires species-specific or assemblage-specific measures.

The effects of imidacloprid on 1-day-old third instars of Harmonia axyridis were assessed by topical treatment and contact with treated glass plates in laboratory bioassays. When 5 µl of imidacloprid solutions were applied topically, the LD₅₀ was 0.085 g/l per insect after 24 h. Contact with imidacloprid-treated plates had little effect on the number of third instars that became adults. Average duration of larval development was not significantly affected by duration of contact and imidacloprid concentrations. There were no significant differences in maximal larval weight, weight gain and day at maximum larval weight. There were significant differences in average weight gain per day (from third instar to prepupa) after treatments with different imidacloprid concentrations. A temporary knockdown effect was observed with higher concentrations and longer durations of contact with treated plates. Compared with untreated third instars, contact with imidacloprid-treated plates caused an increase in time spent (in seconds) on the glass plates resulting from an increase in number of stops (per second) and angular speed (degrees per second) and a decrease in linear speed, excluding stops (mm/second). The changes in locomotory behavior (i.e., duration of stay on untreated plate, number of stops and angular speed) lasted up to 24 h after contact with imidacloprid-treated plates.

Respiratory metabolism of developing eggs of Schistocerca gregaria has been individually monitored by means of scanning microrespirography. The freshly oviposited eggs consumed 7 nl of O₂ /min./egg (50 µl O₂/g/h) while the pharate 1st instar larvae shortly before hatching consumed 141 nl of O₂/min./egg (550 µl O₂/g/h), which shows 20-fold metabolic increase during the egg stage. The output of CO₂ was also regular, without discontinuous bursts throughout the whole embryonic development. The amounts of CO₂ produced were constantly close to R.Q. ratio of 0.7, suggesting that lipid was the main energetic source. The vermiform, pharate 1st instar larvae emerging from the eggs exhibited very high respiratory rates (up to 3,000 µl O₂/g/h). During initial phases of the egg stage, O₂ consumption steadily increased until day 6, which was associated with katatrepsis or blastokinesis stage of the embryo (61 nl of O₂/egg/min. = 240 µl O₂/g/h). Since blastokinesis, respiratory metabolism of the egg remained constant or decreased steadily until day 10, when it rose sharply again towards hatching. The temporary metabolic depression was closely correlated with endogenous peak in ecdysteroid concentration within the embryo. These results corroborate validity of the reciprocal, high ecdysteroid - low metabolism rule previously known from insect metamorphosis. They extend its application into the period of embryogenesis. Practical implications of certain physiological, morphological and evolutionary consequences of these findings are discussed with special emphasis on the connecting links between embryogenesis and metamorphosis.

A revision of the genus Wakarumbia Bocák, 1999 from Sulawesi is presented. Altogether 10 species are included in the genus Wakarumbia: the type species W. gracilis Bocák, 1999 is redescribed, a new combination of Wakarumbia celebensis (Kleine, 1933) is proposed (originally placed in Protaphes Kleine, 1926) and the following new species are described: Wakarumbia brendelli sp. n., W. brunnescens sp. n., W. flavohumeralis sp. n., W. grandis sp. n., W. nigra sp. n., W. oculata sp. n., W. pallescens sp. n. and W. similis sp. n. The important diagnostic characters are illustrated and all species are keyed. Relationship between species and ecological data are briefly discussed.

The Old World ladybird Coccinella septempunctata has rapidly established itself as an abundant, widespread species throughout North America. Overwintering individuals of this species, and of native ladybirds, were collected from early season alfalfa in northern Utah during the period of initial establishment of the invader (1989 to 1999), and were measured for body size. Adult body size can vary widely within insect species, often reflecting differential success of individuals as immatures in obtaining food. Here I examine patterns of ladybird body size to address two questions associated with the establishment of C. septempunctata: (1) is there evidence for adverse impact on native species?, and (2) why has the invader has been so successful in establishment? As an indirect test of adverse competitive effect of the invader on native species, I determined whether mean body size of adults of the five most common native species (Coccinella tranversoguttata, Hippodamia convergens, H. quinquesignata, H. sinuata, and H. tredecimpunctata) declined over the period 1991-1997 as the invader increased rapidly in abundance. No such decline was observed for any of these species, thus providing no evidence that the invader's establishment has significantly increased scramble competition for food among immature ladybirds. I also compared body size distribution of the invading species with that of native species. The invader was distinctive in having particularly large variation in body size among individuals (i.e., in having relatively high proportions of both unusually large and small individuals). Such results are consistent with the hypothesis that the invader's success derives from being a generalist with much "ecological flexibility" in regard to the conditions under which it engages and succeeds in reproduction.

Immature stages of a South African tenebrionid beetle, account is the first modern description of the egg and first and older larval instars of the genus Anomalipus and the subtribe Anomalipina. The significance of larval characters of Anomalipus and other relevant taxa for classification of the subfamily Opatrinae sensu Medvedev (1968) [= "opatrine lineage: Opatrini" sensu Doyen & Tschinkel (1982)] are discussed. A synopsis of Anomalipus plebejus plebejulus Endrödy-Younga, 1988, of the tribe Platynotini are described and illustrated. This Platynotini larvae is presented.

The tritrophic interactions between two different plant-host complexes, Avena sativa-Sitobion avenae, Triticum aestivum-S. avenae and the aphid parasitoid Aphidius rhopalosiphi were studied with respect to odour learning and recognition by the parasitoid. The orientation behaviour of females towards odours from either uninfested or aphid-infested oat or wheat plants was tested in a series of dual choice Y-tube olfactometer experiments. Female parasitoids had the opportunity to gain a single oviposition experience on either the oat-S. avenae or wheat-S. avenae complex before the experiment. In the first set of experiments, where A. rhopalosiphi was reared on the oat-S. avenae complex, eight odour-bait combinations were tested. The females did not discriminate between uninfested oat and wheat. After oat complex experience, females responded to odours from the oat complex, but not to odours from the wheat complex. Consequently, in a direct comparison the oat complex was preferred over the wheat complex. After wheat complex experience, the parasitoid's orientation responses gave a different picture. Both, the wheat complex and the oat complex, were then shown to be equally attractive. Hence, in direct comparison no preference was recorded between the oat and wheat complexes. In a second set of experiments, where A. rhopalosiphi was reared on the wheat- S. avenae complex, a possible influence of any pre-adult or emergence-related host plant experience could be excluded as the same results were obtained as before. At first glance the responses towards the different odour baits seem inconsistent. However, the results may be explained using a simple model with two key odour components.

The effect of different host plants on Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) body size was investigated. Thrips from three different populations, from the Netherlands, Italy, and USA, achieved greater body sizes when reared on cucumber than on bean. The same thrips grew larger when reared on susceptible than on resistant cucumber. On the latter, reproduction was reduced, suggesting that smaller thrips have a lower reproduction. However, no evidence was found for a correlation between size and reproduction in experiments with thrips from four different populations, from the Netherlands, New Zealand, France, and USA that differed significantly in body size. Also when individual thrips from the four populations were tested, there was no correlation between size and reproduction. It is concluded that resistant cucumber affects both size and reproduction of F. occidentalis. However, lower reproduction in general is not associated with smaller body size.

The effect of larval body size of Epirrita autumnata (Lepidoptera, Geometridae) on the risk of parasitism was studied in a field experiment. The experiment involved three pairwise exposures of different larval instars to parasitoids. Three hymenopteran species were responsible for most of the parasitism. Parasitism risk was found to be host-instar independent. This result was consistent across parasitoid species and experiments. The results suggest that host use by larval parasitoids cannot constrain selection for larger body size in E. autumnata. However, high mortality due to parasitism may select for a short developmental period (the slow-growth/high-mortality hypothesis), and smaller body sizes as a by-product. A strong selective effect of parasitism on the timing of larval development in E. autumnata is also unlikely. The larger was the host, the larger was the adult size of the parasitoid and the shorter its development time (for one species). We suggest that the lack of a preference-performance linkage in the system studied may be related to the time stress associated with the short phenological window of host vulnerability.