The monophyly of the subgenus Leptempis Collin of the genus Empis L. is established on the basis of a male hypopygial character, and the possibility of a close relationship between the subgenera Leptempis Collin, Planempis Frey and Kritempis Collin is discussed. Seven new species belonging to Empis (Leptempis) rustica-group are described from France, Germany, Greece and Spain: E. (L.) abdominalis sp. n., E. (L.) lamellata sp. n., E. (L.) multispina sp. n., E. (L.) pandellei sp. n., E. (L.) lamellimmanis sp. n., E. (L.) sinuosa sp. n. and E. (L.) trunca sp. n. A key to the E. (L.) rustica-group is presented.

The developmental fluctuations in immunoreactive ecdysteroids in the haemolymph of adult female Blattella germanica (L.) are reported. There is a relatively low titre in freshly ecdysed females, an increase during vitellogenesis to a peak at choriogenesis, and a decrease after ovulation. These fluctuations parallel those of ecdysteroid content in the ovary. In addition, haemolymph ecdysteroid levels are reduced following ovariectomy, and single ovarioles incubated in vitro effectively release ecdysteroids into the medium. The data strongly suggest that the ovaries are a major source of circulating ecdysteroids in adult females of this species. Since the prothoracic gland degenerates shortly after the imaginal moult, the presence of ecdysteroids in the haemolymph of ovariectomized females suggests that there are other tissues that also serve as a source of these circulating hormones during the reproductive cycle of B. germanica.

Adults of Syritta flaviventris and S. pipens were reared from larvae collected on decaying platyclades of Opuntia maxima Miller (Cactaceae) from the Spanish Mediterranean coast. The larva and puparium of S. flaviventris, as well as preliminary data about its life cycle are described. The feeding behaviour of the larva in relation to the cephalopharyngeal skeleton morphology is analysed. Based on the present data, a comparative table containing the main morphological characteristics of the immature stages of European species of the genus Syritta is presented.

Chvála M. 1994: The Empidoidea (Diptera) of Fennoscandia and Denmark. Vol. III: Genus Empis. Fauna Entomologica Scandinavica 29. E.J. Brill, Leiden, New York, Köln, 1994, 192 pp.

This paper deals with the taxonomy and distribution of Folsomia species from northern Russia with special reference to the Asian regions. Eight new species are described: F. amplissima sp. n., F. ancestor sp, n., F. atropolaris sp. n., F. borealis sp. n., F. brevisensilla sp. n., F. cryptophila sp. n., F. longidens sp. n., F. palaearctica sp. n. Five species, F. taimyrica, F. regularis, F. sp. aff. altamontana, F. alpha, and F. janstachi (nom. n. for Isotomina gracilis Stach, 1962 nec Folsomia gracilis Latzel, 1922), are redescribed. F. binoculata (Wahlgren) has been recovered and redescribed. The positions of F. macrochaetosa, F. magadani, and F. tesari have been defined more exactly on the basis of type material. An identification key of the northern Asiatic species of the genus is given.

Gullan P.J. & Cranston P.S.: The Insects. An Outline of Entomology. Chapman & Hall, London, 1994, 492 pp.

The large copper butterfly, Lycaena dispar batavus, a subspecies of much conservation interest, is host-specific to the great water dock, Rumex hydrolapathum, but little is known of the relationship between herbivore and host in wild populations. This study investigated the distribution of both R. hydrolapathum plants and L. d. batavus eggs in four different habitat types within the Weerribben National Park, The Netherlands, during the summer of 1993. As expected, host plant distribution strongly influenced that of its herbivore. Further, both species had significantly aggregated distributions, and that of R. hydrolapathum was in agreement with the negative binomial model. Host plant selection for oviposition showed no significant relationship with physical plant characteristics, such as plant height and the number of leaves, and at the scale studied, habitat type was of only limited influence. The possible influence of the vegetational architecture surrounding host plants is discussed.

Allozyme polymorphism was investigated in adult males of the stenotopic peat bog (tyrphobiontic) noctuid moth, Coenophila subrosea Stephens, from three isolated peat bog localities in Austria (Styria) and Czech Republic (South and North Bohemia). Of the eighteen enzyme loci examined, twelve were polymorphic and six monomorphic. Significant deviations of genotype frequencies from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were observed at about one third of polymorphic loci within the populations. The average heterozygosities for the populations from three geographically distinct localities ranged from 0.192 to 0.245, and 61% of the loci were polymorphic. The F_ST mean value of 0.0675 was higher than that found in most other Lepidoptera. The genetic distances based on allozyme heterozygosity ranged from 0.019 to 0.051, with the population from South Bohemia being the most distant. The genetic distances and F_ST values do not reflect the geographic distances between the populations. Morphometric analysis revealed a difference between the Austrian Purgschachen Moor and Bohemian populations. These isolated relict peat bogs are habitat islands inhabited by unique "geographical races" of tyrphobiontic taxa.

The south east Asian pest thrips, Thrips parvispinus is recorded breeding in Europe for the first time, damaging Gardenia plants in Greece. Morphological variation in this species from various Asian countries is recorded and compared to the type specimens. As a result Isoneurothrips jenseni Karny, 1925 and Thrips (Isoneurothrips) taiwanus Takahashi, 1936 are placed as synonyms of Thrips parvispinus (Karny, 1922). In contrast, Thrips compressicornis (Sakimura), a species from the Marquesa Islands of the Pacific that has previously been associated with these taxa, represents a very different species. The quarantine significance of T. parvispinus is emphasised.

The species of the mylabrine genus Mimesthes are revised and a new species (M. karooensis) is described from the South African Karoo. The systematic position of the genus is also discussed and an identification key to the species is proposed. Geographical distribution and habitat preferences, as well as other bionomic features, are summarised.

Insect herbivores were collected from Castanopsis acuminatissima (Fagaceae) at Wau, Papua New Guinea, by beating the foliage of 15 trees during four one-month sampling periods, each representing different leaf-flush events. The association of leaf-chewing beetles with C. acuminatissima was verified with feeding trials. Of 59 species of leaf-chewing beetles that were collected, 36 species could be used in feeding trials. Only 9 of these species fed on C. acuminatissima. A further 27 beetle species were tested in feeding trials but did not feed. Of these, 7 were specialists feeding on other tree species within the surrounding vegetation. Most beetle species collected from C. acuminatissima foliage were probably transient species, dispersing from other tree species. Path analyses showed that herbivore abundance during a particular sampling period was significantly influenced by rainfall, leaf flush of other conspecific trees and air temperature, but not so by the species richness of surrounding vegetation, number of surrounding conspecific trees and size (DBH) of trees sampled. The species richness of leaf-chewing beetles collected on particular study trees depended on that of the surrounding vegetation, thus supporting the hypothesis that most beetle species collected were transient. The abundance of insect herbivores on particular C. acuminatissima trees probably depends on a balance between the leaf flush of conspecific trees and that of the particular tree sampled. The results also emphasize the need to remove transient species in analyses of insect faunas of tropical trees, at the risk of analyzing species richness patterns derived from loosely defined "assemblages" of species.

In the laboratory, not all females of the seed bug Lygaeus simulans Deckert, 1985, produced fertilized eggs after copulation: 26.7% of the females were not inseminated and 5% were inseminated but did not lay fertilized eggs; only in 40% of the couples did copulation result in fertile eggs. The remaining 28.3% of couples refrained from mating. Duration of copulation was associated with insemination and fertilization: (i) fertile eggs were produced by only one couple that copulated for less than 60 min and all those that copulated for more than 360 min, (ii) probability of fertilization increased steadily with duration of copulation between 60 and 360 min, and (iii) duration of copulation was significantly different for couples that showed different insemination status.
A possible morphological explanation for this rime dependency was revealed by examining the genitalia of 69 couples freeze-fixed in copula after different periods in copulation. Because of the intricate structure of the genitalia in L. simulans, a male takes a long time to manoeuver its intromittent organ into the narrow insemination duct of the female. Only if completely inserted is the tip of the intromittent organ close enough for successful ejaculation of sperm into the spermatheca. The freeze-fixing experiment revealed that it usually took the male more than 30 min to locate the entrance to the insemination duct and another 30 min for full penetration. This explains why copulations that lasted less than 60 min failed, since insemination began only after intromission was complete.
The experiments, therefore, indicated that there is a relationship between the complex morphology of the genitalia and the low rates of insemination and fertilization in L. simulans.

From 1994-1997 the food of Coccinella septempunctata L. was investigated on the basis of gut dissections of adults and larvae collected in the field. Additionally, the gut contents of adults fed under laboratory conditions were investigated. The likelihood of recovering different prey types during gut dissection was variable, which will be illustrated by presenting some common prey fragments. The food eaten by adult C. septempunctata throughout a year was studied at a locality in Berlin-Staaken. Ladybirds were collected from March 1994 until November 1997 in different crops and habitats on roughly a monthly basis. Aphid feeding was detectable from April until October. In May and June they were the most frequent food type. Fungal spores, in most cases the conidia of Alternaria spp., became most frequent in July. Additionally non-aphid arthropods were frequently preyed upon in July. A very common non-aphid prey item were thrips. Pollen was important in May and September. Comparing the food components of newly emerged adults with those of overwintered adults some remarkable differences were detected. In newly emerged adults non-aphid arthropods and fungal spores were much more frequent than in overwintered adults whereas aphids were less frequently found. The diet of adults and larvae was also investigated in June and July in cereal fields at two other localities, Northern Flaeming and Magdeburger Boerde. No difference in adult diet was found between the three localities. The composition of the larval diet was relatively similar to that of the adults.

The occurrence of melatonin is known in nearly all organisms, but nothing is known exactly about its function outside of vertebrates. Long-term perifusions as well as short-term batch incubations of brains and moulting glands of the cockroach Periplaneta americana were used to identify the effect of melatonin on the release of prothoracicotropic hormone, a glandotropic neuropeptide in the brain, which stimulates the production of the moulting hormone ecdysone in the moulting gland. This is the first experimental evidence of a neurohormonal releasing effect of melatonin in the insect nervous system.

The efficacy of morphometric characters for separating the species of the genus Aspidiotes Schoenherr, 1847, was evaluated. Thirty characters were analyzed. Multivariate and univariate analyses of variance, and discriminant function analysis, all dem onstrated that each species is morphometrically distinguishable. The lengths of rostrum, scape, onychium, pronotum, and width and length of elytra have the maximum discriminatory power. Males and females are also morphometrically distinguishable, mainly due to differences in the widths of rostrum between pterigia and at base of pronotum, and width and length of elytra. The classification functions provided by discriminant gave the correct identification of every single specimen by sex and species. Mahalanobis' distances between species were calculated and subjected to UPGMA clustering, to construct a dendrogram reflecting the morphometric relationships between species. This dendrogram did not correspond to the phylogenetic relationships depicted by a cladogram based on discrete characters (Sánchez-Ruiz & Alonso-Zarazaga, 1994). Some hypotheses are reviewed, which might explain this discrepancy.

An analysis of the apomorphic and plesiomorphic character states of the European species of the ''Synacra complex'' suggests that they can best be classified in a single genus Synacra Foerster with three subgenera viz. Paratelopsilus Whittaker [new status; two species, both new: S. (P.) paupera and S. (P.) arracta], Sundholmiella Hedqvist [here reduced from generic status; one species: S. (Sundholmiella) giraudi Kieffer, comb. n.], and Synacra s. str. [three species: S. (S.) brachialis (Nees), S. (S.) holconota Kieffer, S. (S.) sociabilis (Kieffer)]. The genus is redefined, as well as its subgenera and species. A key is given to all six species recognized as valid. New synonymies include S. acutipennis Kieffer, S. brevipennis Kieffer and S. flavistilus Kieffer under S. brachialis (Nees); Neuropria inquilina Kieffer, Labolips anommati Morley, N. astigmatica Szabó and N. pannonica Szabó under S. sociabilis Kieffer and S. nigriceps Kieffer under S. holconota Kieffer.

The silkworm, Bombyx mori was reared on artificial diets supplemented with 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) during the 4th instar and on diets supplemented with various concentrations of either 20E or ecdysone (E) in the 5th (last) instar. The larvae transferred to diet containing E molted to the 6th instar earlier than the control larvae and their mortality was within norm. On the other hand, most of the larvae that were transferred to the diet supplemented with 300 ppm 20E continued to feed until they died without apolysis. The amount of 20E in their hemolymph was higher than in the larvae fed 200 ppm E. Larvae transferred to a diet containing both E and 20E did enter apolysis and their ecdysteroid level was similar as in the non-molting larvae receiving 300 ppm 20E. These results suggest that ingested ecdysone might change the sensitivity of epidermis to 20E.

The phylogenetic relationships among Palaearctic species of the ant genus Tetramorium and its social parasites of the genera Strongylognathtus, Anergates and Teletomyrmex, were investigated electrophoretically at 21 presumptive enzyme loci. The data set comprising 33 species was analysed with distance (UPGMA, Neighbor-joining and least squares statistics) and parsimony methods (independent allele, minimum turnover and mutation coding) in order to rule out analysis-dependent effects. Several groupings were consistently resolved by all procedures. Observed branching patterns support the placement of the three parasite genera and their hosts into the Palaearctic species group of Tetramorium (tribe Tetramoriini). The genus Strongylognathus forms a monophyletic group in which the slave-makers of the S. huberi group constitute the sister group of the inquilines S. testaceus and S. karawajewi (S. testaceus group). Most species of the S. huberi group show very low genetic differentiation. However, little consensus has been found with regard to which Tetramorium species are the closest relatives of Strongylognathus.

According to the electrophoretic data, social parasitism in Palaearctic tetramoriine ants has evolved independently at least twice. Though inquilinism once arose from slave-making ancestors in Strongylognathus, the extreme inquilines Anergates atratulus and Teleutomyrmex schneideri are clearly set apart from the Strongylognathus clade in phylogenetic analyses. Thus, extreme inquilinism cannot be regarded as the endpoint of a single parasitic lineage in the Tetramoriini. In these highly advanced inquilines, evolutionary rates at allozyme loci appear to be higher than those of their Tetramorium hosts. The results do not unambiguously reveal whether Anergates and Teleutomyrmex arose jointly or independently from Tetramorium ancestors. However, a combined analysis using all available evidence supports the former hypothesis. The finding that the Tetramorium parasites are not the closest relatives of their respective host species is discussed in relation to current theories for the evolution of social parasitism.

Hodgson C.J.: The Scale Insect Family Coccidae. An Identification Manual to Genera. International Institute of Entomology, CAB International, Wallingford, UK, 1994, vi + 639 pp., 168 groups of illustr.

The pupae of twelve species of the genus Caloptilia distributed in central Europe are described, figured and keyed. Notes on their bionomics are provided. The classification of the genus is discussed.

The external pupal characters divide Caloptilia species into the following groups: (1) C. cuculipennella (Hübner, 1796); (2) C. populetorum (Zeller, 1839), C. elongella (L., 1761), C. roscipennella (Hübner, 1796), C. betulicola (M. Hering, 1928) and C. fidella (Reutti, 1852); (3) C. rufipennella (Hübner, 1796), C. fribergensis (Fritzsche, 1871), C. stigmatella (F., 1781), C. hemidactylella (Denis and Schiffermüller, 1775), C. robustella Jäckh, 1972 and C. alchimiella (Scopoli, 1763).
The results support separation of the genera Caloptilia and Gracillaria.

Ceratophysella sigillata uses protrusible vesicles on its antennae and posterior end as sticky landing devices to avoid tumbling upon landing. This technique facilitates its orientated movement during winter migration. It allows the animal to use directional jumps without rebounding even when climbing tree trunks. The antennal vesicles are present only in the surface active morphs of C. sigillata, and only these individuals jump readily. The vesicles are everted only when the animal has time to prepare the jump. In an escape leap, they are not protruded and therefore the animal tumbles upon landing.

The influence of host intrapatch spatial distribution on parasitoid host acceptance behavior was investigated with Trichogramma principium parasitizing eggs of grain moth, Sitotroga cerealella. Single females were placed in Petri dishes, each containing 60 host eggs arranged either as a compact patch or partitioned into 60 or 12 clusters each consisting of 1 or 5 eggs, respectively. Partitioned patches provoked parasitization more often than compact patches. The percentage of ovipositing females (i.e., females parasitizing at least one of 60 host eggs) increased with the number of clusters, while it was independent of the intercluster distance over intervals of 2.5-15 mm. The mean number of eggs parasitized by ovipositing females during 48 h was almost independent of the host egg spatial pattern. As a result, the rate of parasitization was higher when the hosts were sparsely distributed within a patch than when they were aggregated.

The effects of 5 pmols of adipokinetic hormone (Lom-AKH-I) on both the locomotion and mobilization of lipids were studied in 10-day-old diapausing adult females of the short-winged (brachypterous) morph of Pyrrhocoris apterus (L.). The results revealed that AKH stimulation of locomotion in this bug is wing-morph independent. The stimulatory effect of AKH on locomotion was shown to be positively correlated with its effect on lipid mobilization.

The stereotypical sperm is characterised as being tiny but produced in great quantities. However a few species (frequently insects) produce much larger spermatozoa, probably with an associated cost in reduced numbers per ejaculate. Here I present the first evidence that a species within the Lepidoptera also produces giant sperm. It seems likely that given wider sampling this record for the largest sperm produced by a lepidopteran may subsequently be broken.

Salt D.T. & Whittaker J.B.: Insects on Dock Plants. Naturalists' Handbooks 26. The Richmond Publishing, Slough, 1998, 56 pp.

The genus Mogrus is redefined and diagnosed. Four species of Mogrus are recorded from the former Soviet Central Asia and one from adjacent regions of the Caucasus: M. antoninus, M. larisae sp. n., M. neglectus, M. valerii and Mogrus sp. A key and distributional maps are provided.

The Afrotropical subgenus Disneyempis Smith of the genus Empis L. is redescribed and redefined on the basis of three synapomorphies, namely labrum lengthened, male eyes more or less broadly separated on frons with all ommatidia of equal size, female abdomen with bluish to purplish metallic reflections on terga 2-5. At present, the subgenus comprises six species: E. (D.) hirsutipennis Smith as type species, E. (D.) jacksoni Smith, E. (D.) argentea sp, n., E. (D.) spinifemorata sp. n., E. (D.) proboprocera sp. n. and one unnamed species E. (D.) sp. 1. All species are described [except E. (D.) sp. 1] and keyed. The subgenus has a tropical African geographical range including Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire), Republic of Congo and Gabon.

Elsevier, Amsterdam, 2001, 234 pp.

Maternal care within the treehopper subfamily Centrotinae has been considered a rare trait. We present observations on maternal care and nymphal behaviour made in 16 rain forest plots in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah, Borneo, from 1996 to 1998. Females of 11 Centrotinae morphospecies from the tribes Centrocharesini (Centrochares Stål), Gargarini (Ebhul Distant), and Hypsaucheniini (Gigantorhabdus Schmidt, Hybandoides Distant, Pyrgauchenia Breddin, Pyrgonota Stål) produced egg clutches and guarded them. Maternal care was restricted to egg-guarding in all species. Pyrgonota ?bulbosa Buckton eggs hatched successively over a couple of days and females deserted their clutches when most, but not all, 1^st instar nymphs had hatched. Nymphs of egg-guarding species lived gregariously and/or by subaggregating, as did some non-guarding species. Leptobelus dama Germar, Gargara semibrunnea Funkhouser, and two Tricentrus Stål spp. were solitary as nymphs and adults.