The Trophic Cascade Theory has been used to explain the organization of herbivorous insect communities in tropical ecosystems. In addition, the insect community associated with a species of plant can also be determined by the geographical distribution and taxonomic isolation of the plant. In this study, the following predictions about the number of herbivores associated with particular host plants were tested: (i) plant species belonging to large taxonomic groups with broad geographical distributions have a higher number, (ii) the abundance of ants negatively affects herbivore insect diversity, (iii) local plant diversity positively affects chewing herbivore diversity and (iv) local abundance of a specific host plant positively affects the diversity of sucking herbivores. The samples of insect herbivores were collected from 32 plants (16 plants of Erythroxylum suberosum and 16 of Qualea parviflora) by beating. A total of 71 ants (13 species) and 158 herbivorous insects (90 species) were collected from these two species of plants. The richness and abundance of the insect herbivores collected from E. suberosum differed from those collected from Q. parviflora. The abundance of ants negatively affected the diversity of sucking insects associated with E. suberosum. In addition, the interaction between the variables total plant richness per plot and ant abundance affected the diversity of chewing insects associated with E. suberosum. The density of Q. parviflora per plot affected the diversity of associated sucking insects. In addition, the interaction of the variables abundance of ants and abundance of Q. parviflora influenced the diversity of chewing insects. Our results indicate that there is no predominance of bottom-up or top-down forces in the organization of herbivorous insect communities in this area of tropical savanna, but the roles of these forces on insect communities are guild-dependent.

Daily rhythmicity in the sexual behaviour of Monema flavescens Walker (Lepidoptera: Limacodidae) was studied under laboratory conditions. There was a distinct diel periodicity in female calling, male responsiveness and mating behaviour of M. flavescens. As females aged there was an advance in the onset and more time spent calling. One day old females started calling 4 h after the onset of the scotophase, and 5 to 6 day old females called during the first hour of the scotophase. About 34.5% of females called on the night they emerged (1 day old) and the peak in calling of 97.8% was recorded for 2 day old females, after which the incidence of calling decreased rapidly with advancing age. Wind tunnel and copulation tests showed that males were sexually mature on the third night and female moths on the second night. The highest value for the percentage mating was recorded for 3 day old virgin females 4 to 6 h after the onset of the scotophase. In field tests, traps baited with 2 day and 3 day old virgin females captured more males than any other trap and most males were captured 4 to 6 h (1 to 2 day old), 3 to 5 h (3 to 4 day old) and 2 to 4 h (5 to 6 day old) after the onset of the scotophase. These results indicate that there is a daily rhythm in the reproductive behaviour of M. flavescens and provides a better understanding of its sexual behaviour.

A new genus and species of Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Enicocephalomorpha: Aenictopecheidae: Aenictopecheinae, Ulugurocoris grebennikovi gen. et sp. n., based on micropterous females from Tanzania, Uluguru Mts, Budunki, is described and differentiated. The males are probably macropterous. Some general aspects of morphology of U. grebennikovi are discussed in a broader context, such as presence of cephalic trichobothria (suggested to be a groundplan character of Heteroptera), presence of "gular sulci" (suggested to have an ecdysial function), lack of cephalic neck (symplesiomorphy with other Hemiptera), presence of posterior lobe of pronotum associated with the epimeroid (a new term for so called "proepimeral lobe"), and presence of notopleural sulcus on the propleuron. Diagnostic characters of the Aenictopecheinae are summarized and distribution of their seven genera is reviewed. Ulugurocoris grebennikovi is the first representative of the basal family Aenictopecheidae in the Afrotropical Region. The type locality is situated in the Eastern Arc Mountains (Tanzania), a recently identified hotspot of Afrotropical diversity characterized by a high degree of endemism caused by high rates of speciation combined with low rates of extinction. A brief characterization of the area is provided.

Estimating the spatial dispersion of pest arthropods is crucial for the development of reliable sampling programs and one of the main components of integrated pest management. The natural spatial distribution of a population of a species may be random, uniform, or aggregated and can be so classified based on calculation of variance to mean relations and related dispersion indices. In this work some classical density-invariant dispersion indices and related regression models are used for the first time to quantify the spatial dispersion of an important peach pest Anarsia lineatella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) and construct fixed precision sequential sampling schemes. Taylor's power law, Iwao's patchiness regression and Nachman's model were used to analyse the damage to peaches caused by A. lineatella. All three regression models fit the data well, although the results indicate that Iwao's patchiness model provides a better description of the relationship between variance and mean density. Taylor's b and Iwao's b regression indices were both significantly smaller than 1, indicating that the distribution of individuals was uniform rather than random or aggregated. According to Green's and Kuno's models, the minimum sample size at the precision level of 0.2 varies from 3 samples, when total population density is more than 3 larvae/sample, to 10 samples, when population density is between 1 and 2 larvae/sample. Kuno's fixed sampling plan indicates that a small number of samples (i.e., 3-10 branches with fruit) is sufficient to estimate the mean population density of A. lineatella larvae with a precision of 0.2. The Resampling for validation of sampling plans (RVSP) method confirmed that the average level of precision of the fixed sequential plans matched the desired precision in most cases. The sampling plan presented here provides a level understanding of A. lineatella spatial ecology suitable for pest management decisions.

Large veteran trees are key structures sustaining biodiversity in wooded landscapes. Many organisms associated with such trees are, however, also able to inhabit suitable trees with smaller diameters or other surrogate habitats. Understanding the mechanisms behind the importance of veteran trees and the conditions enabling veteran tree specialists to exploit smaller trees might help conservation efforts targeted at the diverse and highly endangered biota associated with veteran trees. To investigate this, we studied local patterns in the exploitation of trees by a veteran tree specialist, the great capricorn beetle (Cerambyx cerdo), at three sites with different soil characteristics, namely floodplain, dry-sandy and dry-rocky sites, where this beetle exploits oaks of large (~1.5 m), medium (~0.75 m) and small (~0.25 m) diameters, respectively. We recorded the presence and number of exit holes made by C. cerdo on each tree and related these to the characteristics of the trees: their diameters, openness of the canopy around them and their state of health. The probability of occurrence and the number of exit holes increased with tree diameter, canopy openness, and decreasing tree health, but these relationships differed considerably among the study sites. In dry conditions, trees of small diameters were more likely to be exploited by the beetle than in the floodplain. The number of exit holes, on the other hand, was a function of tree diameter, with large trees sustaining more beetles and thus acting as larger habitat patches. The species of oak affected the probability of exit hole presence as the sessile oak (Quercus petraea) and pedunculate oak (Q. robur) were preferred over Turkey oak (Q. cerris). The slope orientation also affected the presence of exit holes as trees on slopes with either an eastern or northern orientation were not exploited by the beetle. This study revealed a high level of between-site variability in the tree characteristics relevant to predicting the occurrence of C. cerdo, mainly with respect to diameter. Therefore, while the general patterns of habitat use and the fundamental niche of this beetle are well known, survival and protection of local populations is dependent on site-specific characteristics. The realized niche of this beetle must therefore be carefully considered when planning conservation management for a particular site. The results also signify that at some sites, small trees can, at least temporarily, substitute for scarce large trees if the state of their health is managed using proper conservation measures.

Nartshuk E.P. & Andersson H. 2013: The Frit Flies (Chloropidae, Diptera) of Fennoscandia and Denmark. Fauna Entomologica Scandinavica, vol. 43, Brill Academic Publishers, Leiden, 277 p. ISBN 978-90-04-16710-0 (hard back), ISBN 978-90-04-19066-5 (e-book). Price: EUR 181.00, USD 248.00.

Rove beetles (Staphylinidae) are used to explore the forces that shaped the terrestrial fauna on Læsø, a young ca. 3000 year old Danish oceanic island located in the Kattegat strait between mainland Denmark and Sweden. We compile a detailed list of species of rove beetles for Læsø (328 species) and the surrounding Danish and Swedish regions (altogether 1075 species), which includes a standardized inventory of their body sizes, and the habitat and microhabitat preference of each species. The composition of the fauna on Læsø and adjacent mainland regions points to North-Eastern Jutland as the main source of the rove beetles on Læsø. Although large beetles are more active and likely to disperse than small beetles, there is no bias towards large species on the island indicating that the sea separating Læsø from the mainland has not been a barrier for rove beetle dispersal. The statistical analysis of the habitat and microhabitat preferences of the species of the entire system studied has shown that Læsø, compared to the mainland areas, is distinctly more dominated by ecological generalists, especially by species adapted to ephemeral, temporary humid microhabitats. Presumably, the mosaic of mostly dry open habitats available on Læsø filters for species, that are able to populate these suboptimal habitats via patches of humid but ephemeral microhabitats. A comprehensive eco-faunistic dataset for the Staphylinidae compiled for this study is the first modern account of the rove beetle fauna on the Danish island of Læsø.

The sex determination cascades in insects are diversified at the top of the cascade, where different primary molecular signals are employed, while at the bottom of the cascades, particularly the doublesex genes, are highly conserved. Here, we identified the doublesex ortholog (Btau-dsx) of Bactrocera tau, a pumpkin fruit fly, and found that Btau-dsx is composed of six exons and five introns with an additional short "m" exon located in the second intron. Btau-dsx is different from its orthologs in most dipteran insects: Its pre-mRNA is sex-specifically spliced to yield three (two male and one female) instead of two transcript variants. The two deduced proteins produced by the male-specific transcripts are a functional (Btau-DSX^M1) and a truncated (Btau-DSX^M2) protein, while the female-specific transcript produces the functional Btau-DSX^F protein. These three proteins contain all conserved domains except Btau-DSX^M2 which has no OD2 domain. The female-specific transcript is detected in both fertilized and unfertilized eggs and in both somatic and germ cells of the adult females, while the male-specific transcript is detected only in fertilized eggs and in the abdominal tissues and testes of adult males. The presence of the Btau-dsx^M1 transcript in fertilized eggs at the early syncytium stage suggests that in XY embryos, the Y-linked M factor gene may function quite soon after fertilization to alter the splicing pattern of Btau-dsx pre-mRNA from the female-specific to the male-specific mode. Injection of Btau-dsx^F dsRNA into recently emerging females can reduce the expression of vitellogenin (Btau-Vg) and causes some defects in the ovaries, indicating that Btau-dsx^F works upstream of Btau-Vg.

For biological control it is necessary to store mass-reared biological control agents when the demand is low. The objective of this study is to increase their shelf life without significantly reducing their fitness. The ladybird Hippodamia variegata is a widespread and voracious aphidophagous predator, with an important role in decreasing the abundance of pest aphids in many parts of the world. We investigated the effect of storage at three temperatures: constant 1°C, constant 6°C, and an alternating thermal regime of 12°C/0°C (the higher temperature for 12 h and the lower one for another 12 h). They were exposed to each of the temperature regimes for either 15, 25, 35, 45 or 60 days. We recorded survival, pre-oviposition period, fecundity and voracity of adult H. variegata following storage. The survival of adult beetles significantly declined with increasing storage duration at all three temperatures. Storage at 6°C up to 35 days and at 12°C/0°C up to 45 days had no significant effects on the fecundity of the ladybirds, but storage for longer significantly decreased fecundity. Beetles stored at 1°C for any of the durations had significantly lower fecundities. Prolonged cold storage caused an increase in the pre-oviposition period at all storage temperatures. Generally, 6°C and 12°C/0°C are the best temperatures for storing the ladybirds as they had the least negative effect on their fitness. The results of this research can help in improving the quality of H. variegata stored for use as biological control agents in the following season.

A variety of plant protection products and other agrochemicals are used in agro-ecosystems. Products approved for integrated pest management (IPM) or organic farming should have minimal negative side effects on beneficial insects. The Asian harlequin ladybird Harmonia axyridis (Pallas, 1773) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) has become a widespread and important generalist predator of certain agricultural pests, mainly aphids, throughout Europe. We studied the effects of two agrochemicals, Boundary SW^® (auxiliary plant protection product) and Prev B2^® (foliar boron fertilizer), usually regarded as "environmentally friendly" and known to have insecticidal side effects against some fruit and vegetable pests (e.g., aphids, spider mites, weevils), on the last larval instar and adults of Harmonia axyridis. The conventional organophosphate insecticide Reldan 22^® was used as a chemical standard for evaluating the lethal effect, because this product is usually effective against a broad spectrum of insects, and indeed was immediately lethal for both the adults and larvae of this species. However, whereas Prev B2^® had no effect, adult ladybirds sprayed with Boundary SW^® survived only for up to 25 h and also none of the larvae completed their development. Thus, although our experiments were not made under natural conditions, the use of Boundary SW^® cannot be recommended for IPM and organic farming in terms of safeguarding insect predators such as Harmonia axyridis until further more detailed testing.

The altitudinal gradient in diversity of dung beetles (Scarabaeidae) was studied in a Mediterranean mountain chain located in Central Anatolia to (i) determine if there are altitudinal differences between the main taxonomic groups, (ii) describe the seasonal variations in these assemblages and (iii) assess whether closed habitats influence dung beetle diversity differentially at different altitudes. Beetles were collected throughout a year at 14 localities between 469 and 1810 m above sea level in three different types of habitats. Dung beetle assemblages at 400 to 1200 m did not vary greatly in species richness, abundance and biomass. However, they varied in composition, with the assemblages dominated by species of Scarabaeinae up to 900 m, whereas in the mid-mountain assemblages (from 900 m to 1600 m) the numbers of species of Aphodiinae was higher. The decline with increase in altitude in richness, abundance and biomass of both small and large species of Scarabaeinae up to 1500 m, together with the constancy of these parameters in the case of Aphodiinae, accounts for the changes in the composition from the lowland to mid-mountain localities. Unlike at other Mediterranean localities, the open/closed structure of the habitat only slightly influences these assemblages independently of altitude or season. The general seasonal pattern follows the classical Mediterranean bimodal pattern associated with summer drought, but the patterns are more complex when the seasonal responses of the different groups and at different localities are analysed separately. We propose that the interplay between local climatic conditions (mainly temperature) and evolutionary conserved species preferences accounts for both the current seasonal and altitudinal gradients and the changes in species composition in terms of Aphodiinae and Scarabaeinae.

Spring and summer composition and species richness of bruchid pre-dispersal seed predator assemblages associated with species of leguminous plants were monitored in a four-year non-experimental survey of 32 service areas along five highways in Hungary. The vegetation bands along highways (delimited by fences) were considered a special type of ecotone where herbaceous plants are exposed to regular mowing and therefore the composition of the vegetation there is very different from the adjacent vegetation. Altogether 57 herbaceous and woody species of leguminous plants were recorded at these sites, harbouring 20 autochthonous, 3 allochthonous, but established, and 4 recently introduced species of bruchid seed predators (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae). The species of leguminous plants recorded along highway verges during this project make up approximately one fourth of the Fabaceae in Hungary and of the bruchids ca. 80 % (!) of the species known to occur in Hungary. At half of the service areas, mowing decreased the species richness of leguminous plants compared to that recorded prior to mowing, but not that of their bruchid seed predators. However, the species composition of the bruchid assemblages before and after mowing changed substantially. Null-model analyses indicated a random organization of spring assemblages and a deterministic one of summer assemblages of bruchids; very likely a result of host-specificity constraints. Calculations of host specificity confirmed the narrow host range recorded for bruchids that emerged from the samples of plants, in spite of new host records, such as three and two Trifolium species for Bruchidius picipes and Bi. sp. prope varius sensu Anton, respectively, Oxytropis pilosa for Bi. marginalis and Vicia cracca for Bruchus brachialis. Our results show that a surprisingly high number of species of bruchids occur in highway margins, however, the management of the vegetation there prevents a substantial portion of the native bruchid fauna establishing permanent populations.

Coccinellids are effective predators and a key component of the predator guild in rice ecosystems. In order to enhance their efficacy, a study was undertaken to assess the seasonal movement of coccinellids into rice fields and the role of the surrounding flora on their colonization. The seasonal abundance of coccinellids and their prey was recorded on the rice crop and the surrounding flora at fortnightly intervals from 2012 to 2015. Coccinellid prey range was assessed using PAGE electrophoresis. The herbivorous insects associated with weeds were Aphis gossypii Glover, Aphis craccivora (Koch), Cicadulina bipunctata (Melichar), Schizaphis graminum (Rondani), Sitobion sp., Thaia oryzivora Ghauri and Zygina maculifrons Matsumura. Of the species of coccinellids recorded in rice fields, Harmonia octomaculata (Fabricius), Micraspis discolor (F.), Propylea dissecta (Mulsant), Coccinella transversalis Fabricius, Cheilomenes sexmaculata (Fabricius), Scymnus nubilus Mulsant and Brumoides suturalis (Fabricius) were also recorded on weeds. The esterase profiles indicated that the leafhoppers and aphids on the weeds were the prey of the coccinellids before they colonized the rice fields. The coccinellids recorded on the weeds showed bands corresponding to the insects present on the weeds. Beetles collected from rice fields had different bands, some of which corresponded to the green leafhopper (GLH) Nephotettix virescens Distant, the brown planthopper (BPH) Nilaparvata lugens Stal and white backed planthopper (WBPH) Sogatella furcifera Hovarth infesting rice. In addition, some bands corresponded to hoppers and aphids that were present on the surrounding flora. The results indicate the importance of surrounding flora in the conservation and colonization of rice fields by coccinellids.

Water-filled tree holes are abundant microhabitats in forests worldwide and are inhabited by specialized communities of invertebrates. Despite their importance, the temporal dynamics of communities within and between years are largely unknown. Here, I present a case study on the phenology of insect larvae in two holes in a beech tree (lower and upper canopy) located in southern Germany over a period of three years. I asked whether water temperature and the characteristics of insect larvae at the community and population levels are similar in periodicity every year and whether they differ in the lower and upper canopy. The water temperature in tree holes differed greatly from air temperature, and this effect was more pronounced in the lower than in the upper canopy, which resulted in a lower probability of drying out occurring in the lower canopy. This was associated with a higher species richness in the lower canopy and greater abundance of drought tolerant species in the upper canopy. There was a significant periodicity in larval abundance, biomass, species richness and body size distribution of abundant species in both tree holes, but it was not seasonal. This result indicates that unpredictable drying out of tree holes are more important drivers of tree hole community dynamics than changes in water temperature. The community of larvae in the tree hole in the upper canopy lagged behind that in the lower canopy, which indicates that most species mainly colonize the more stable microhabitats in the lower canopy. Hopefully this case study will encourage future larger-scale phenological studies to test (1) whether the patterns observed in this study can be generalized over larger spatial scales and (2) the relative importance of abiotic and biotic drivers of the dynamics of communities in tree holes.

Nuptial flights of Crematogaster teranishii Santschi occur in autumn. Queens and possibly larvae pass the first winter without workers in Okayama, Japan. This study examines and tests the hypothesis that C. teranishii queens regulate not only their own diapause, but also that of their larvae. Some queens collected immediately after their nuptial flight in early October were exposed to a low temperature of 10°C for 3 months before transfer to 25°C; these queens started oviposition approximately 8 days after the transfer. Larvae reared by these previously chilled queens pupated synchronously until day 50. Other field-collected queens reared at 25°C without prior chilling reproduced soon after collection. They started oviposition, but the development of their larvae was arrested and pupation occurred late or not at all within the120 day experimental period. The delay in pupation in colonies in which the queens were not previously exposed to low temperature strongly indicates that many larvae are in diapause. Because eggs and larvae were not exposed to low temperatures, they were unable to determine the developmental pathway providing the best response to environmental factors. Results indicate that queens regulate whether their larvae undergo diapause.

In some regions of Argentina and Brazil, the South American fruit fly Anastrepha fraterculus (Wied.) (Diptera: Tephritidae) causes significant damage to crops. An efficient integrated management program requires knowledge of pest population dynamics, dispersion patterns, sexual and oviposition behaviour, and adaptive landscape. The present study combined simple sequence repeat (SSR) molecular markers and morphometric datasets in order to analyse the population structure and infer the oviposition resource use strategy of the females. Infested guava fruits were collected from nine wild trees in Tucumán, Argentina, and a total of 140 adult A. fraterculus were recovered. These were then measured for six morphometric traits and 89 of them were genotyped for eight SSR loci. Genetic variability estimates were high (expected heterozygosity = 0.71, allelic richness = 12.5), with 8 to 20 alleles per locus. According to Wright's F-statistics estimates, the highest proportion (83%) of genetic variation occurred within individuals while variance between and within fruits were similar (≈ 8.5%). Analysis of the cryptic genetic structure based on SSR using different approaches, namely discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC) and sparse non-negative matrix factorization (SNMF), yielded results consistent with the occurrence of two clusters with virtually no admixture. Average kinship between individuals which had emerged from the same fruit (0.07) was lower than that expected for full-sib families. Univariate and multivariate analyses of phenotypic data showed 54-66% of variance among individuals within fruits and 34-46% among fruits. The comparison between phenotypic (P_ST) and molecular (F_ST) differentiation identified wing width and length as possible target of positive selection. The average kinship and high genetic variation within fruits, together with the highly significant genetic differentiation among fruits, supports the hypothesis that each fruit was colonised by about three ovipositing females. The results also indicate that females were able to disperse widely from the emergence site before mating and starting oviposition activity.

The longhorn crazy ant, Paratrechina longicornis (Latreille), is a ubiquitous agricultural and urban pest that has invaded most tropical and subtropical regions. Although P. longicornis has been found worldwide for more than a century, the genetic structure, origin, and invasion history of this species have not yet been extensively studied, partially because of the limited number of genetic markers currently available. In the present study, we developed 36 polymorphic microsatellite markers for P. longicornis and characterized these markers by genotyping P. longicornis workers from 74 colonies in East and Southeast Asia. All loci were polymorphic, with the number of alleles per locus ranging from 3 to 18 (8.5 on average). Extremely high levels of heterozygosity were found in all populations, suggesting that workers are invariably produced from the mating of divergent queen and male lineages. Queens and males possess non-overlapping allele size ranges at 18 loci, indicating the potential resolving power of the subset of markers in inferring the history of queen and male lineages. Genetic differentiation among three studied populations was low yet significant and may likely reflect their close association with human activities. Overall, the new microsatellite markers developed in the present study serve as a practical tool to reconstruct routes of invasion and assess the population genetics of this invasive ant.

Among animal constructions, the orb webs of spiders are perfect geometrical architectural models. Webs are constructed by means of a succession of behaviours, which are often considered as instinctive and stereotyped. Anomalies in web structure are considered to be a consequence of variability in behaviour. In order to assess the variability in web structure, the spider Zygiella x-notata was allowed to build webs in the laboratory under standardized conditions. Webs (n = 127) were examined for anomalies, which were defined as modifications in the geometrical structure. Ten anomalies in the structure of webs produced by females, aged from 16 to 21 days after their adult moult, are described. The frequency of anomalies per web varies from 5 to 98. A very low percentage of the spiral elements of a web (less than 5%) were affected. Anomalies in the radii were less numerous (mean = 3 ± 3) than those in the sticky spiral (mean = 21 ± 11). Anomalies in the sticky spiral were different and more frequent in the peripheral than central parts of the webs. They were also relatively more numerous in the upper than in the lower part of the webs. Total number of anomalies was positively correlated with particular web characteristics (capture area, length of capture thread, width of the lower part of the web and mean distance between two spiral turns in the lower part) but not to the physical characteristics of the spiders (mass and size). Our results indicate that the orb webs of spiders, which are considered to be perfect geometrical structures, include anomalies mainly in the structure of the sticky spiral. These anomalies were the result of variability in behaviour during web building. In conclusion, their identification and description enable one to use them in spider webs as an index of behavioural variability.

Based on research carried out from 2016 to 2018 there are twenty-six species of aphids of the tribe Eulachnini in Lithuania. Seventeen are members of the subgenus Cinara of the genus Cinara, three of the subgenus Cupressobium and two of the subgenus Schizolachnus. In addition, there are four species of the genus Eulachnus. Summarized information on the distribution and host specificity of Eulachnini in Lithuania is presented. Nine species were in all climatic regions of Lithuania: C. (Cinara) brauni, C. (Cinara) hyperophila, C. (Cinara) neubergi, C. (Cinara) piceicola, C. (Cinara) pinea, C. (Cinara) pini, C. (Cinara) pruinosa, C. (Cupressobium) cupressi and C. (Cupressobium) juniperi. Five species of Lithuanian Eulachnini inhabit host plants of the genus Picea, three live on Larix, thirteen on Pinus, one on Abies, one on Thuja and three on Juniperus. Cinara (Cinara) piniphila was recorded on Pinus mugo and C. (Cinara) nuda on Pinus heldreichii for the first time. Partial COI and EF-1α sequences of C. (Cinara) hyperophila, C. (Cinara) pilosa and C. (Cinara) piceicola were obtained for the first time. Partial sequences of mitochondrial (COI) and nuclear (EF-1α) DNA of Lithuanian samples were used to explore molecular diversity using NJ trees, Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery (ABGD), General Mixed Yule Coalescent (GMYC) and Poisson Tree Processes (PTP). Species delimitation using GMYC (both on COI and EF-1α sequences), PTP (BI on COI) and ABGD (EF-1α) were the most consistent with traditional classifications. Pairwise between-species sample divergences (COI and EF-1α fragments) of the samples of the species complex C. (Cinara) pinea - C. (Cinara) piniphila indicate it is composed of a single species. Of the species of aphids that live on conifers, there are seven species of the tribe Eulachnini that are likely to shortly colonize Lithuania.

There are two hypotheses on egg maturation in the invasive chestnut gall wasp, Dryocosmus kuriphilus Yasumatsu (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae). That it is pro-ovigenic (most or all of its potential lifetime egg complement is mature upon emergence) or facultatively synovigenic (not all eggs are fully developed upon emergence and may be resorbed when suitable hosts are absent). These hypotheses were tested by determining the effects of adult age and food (honey) on egg maturation in D. kuriphilus wasps with no access to host plants. Egg load (the number of mature eggs per female) neither increased nor decreased with adult age in the presence or absence of honey when deprived of host plants. These findings support the pro-ovigenic hypothesis. Some eggs mature during the adult lifetime of cynipoid parasitoids even without hosts, but the cynipoid gall inducer, D. kuriphilus, is pro-ovigenic, probably due to the abundance of chestnut buds available for oviposition under natural conditions. In addition to no competition for oviposition resources, thelytokous reproduction, unintentional introduction of infested chestnut trees and escape from host-specific parasitoids in introduced countries, pro-ovigeny with a high egg load has presumably resulted in D. kuriphilus becoming a global pest of chestnuts. In addition, body length, mesosomal and metasomal lengths and widths, hind femoral length, hind tibial length, and egg load as well as egg width of this wasp were also measured. There was no variation in egg width, but all the other measurements were positively correlated with egg load. Large females of D. kuriphilus had higher egg loads than small females.

A new genus Oxymorus Borovec & Meregalli gen. n., belonging to the tribe Oosomini Lacordaire, 1863 of the curculionid subfamily Entiminae, is described. It includes nine new species, all from South Africa: Oxymorus uitkyk sp. n., type species, O. antennalis sp. n., O. johnprinei sp. n., O. minor sp. n., O. obesus sp. n., O. oculatus sp. n., O. rikae sp. n., O. strictifrons sp. n. and O. sulcaticollis sp. n. All species are illustrated and keyed.

Land use/land cover change (LULCC) is a major threat that affects the viability of insect populations worldwide yet our estimates of such effects are usually poor. We analysed how LULCC affected the distribution of 49 species of dragonflies and damselflies in the south-central zone in Mexico during the period 2006-2012. For this, we mapped the potential species richness using ecological niche models in order to analyse predicted future changes and determined the effect of LULCC on the current and future habitats of Odonata. We also estimated current incidence of deforestation and projected its effect to 2050 using the Dinamica-EGO program. Having predicted the level of deforestation in the year 2050, we then compared current vs. expected species richness and the factors that determine it. First, roads and urban areas turned out to be the most important drivers of LULCC in our analysis. Second, deterioration occurred at all sites, but species richness remained high despite considerable habitat fragmentation. Third, there is likely to be a high species turnover rate (i.e. a high species richness, but composed of different species) even in areas where there are significant changes in the vegetation. Our work illustrates both a resilience of Odonata to LULCC and provides a useful method for measuring the effects of LULCC on insects.

Carabids, as well-known bioindicators, have been used to study the long term changes that have occurred in their communities in the Dinaric Alps. This study involved eight sites in the protected forests of the Risnjak National Park in the years 2015 and 2016 of which three were previously studied in 1990 and 1991. A total of 9, 521 individual ground beetles belonging to 17 genera and 33 species were collected. Species diversity and community composition, including percentages of species grouped according to their habitat preferences, body size, wing morphology, preferred moisture and temperature were used to compare the sites sampled in 1990 and 1991 and resampled in 2015 and 2016. Even though this study was carried out in protected forests within the National Park with minimal anthropogenic pressure and the fact that available climatic data didn't show any significant change in climate over the last 25 years, there was a reduction in the abundance of specialist species and increase in the spread of generalist species. Furthermore, the lower abundance of a mountain specialist and endemic species, Pterostichus variolatus, and the lack of mountain specialists Molops alpestris, Pterostichus unctulatus and Trechus croaticus in the catches indicate the importance of further monitoring of these mountain forest ecosystems and for a well-timed and appropriate conservation approach.

This review starts by comparing photoperiodic diapause with non-photoperiodic quiescence in four representative species, paying particular attention to overwintering in Drosophila melanogaster. In the second part it describes dormancy strategies of insects from the equator to the polar regions, addressing topics such as the role of the circadian system in photoperiodic time measurement, latitudinal clines in diapause-related traits, hourglass-like photoperiodic clocks based on dampening circadian oscillators, and the dormancy strategies of insects close to the equator or at high latitudes where seasonal changes in photoperiod are unreliable or absent.

Tolerance of cold and heat and body size are traits that are important in thermal selection. Latitudinal and altitudinal transects include environments that gradually change in temperature. However, while there are studies on the effects on body size and cold tolerance in natural populations sampled mostly along latitudinal transects, there are few such studies along altitudinal transects. Resistance to starvation and desiccation, which are also thought to be affected by temperature, are the focus of studies on clines. In this study, we measured the variation in tolerance of cold (chill coma recovery time), body size, resistance to starvation and desiccation in isofemale lines of Drosophila melanogaster and D. simulans that originated from four locations (50 m - 1500 m) along an altitudinal transect in the southern part of Turkey. This revealed clines in the tolerance of cold and body size along the altitudinal transect with some degree of difference between these two species, whereas there were no clines in resistance to starvation and desiccation. This study revealed some differences and similarities between the sibling species D. melanogaster and D. simulans.

Colour form polymorphism in Adalia bipunctata (Linnaeus, 1785) and Harmonia axyridis (Pallas, 1773) has been extensively studied in the past. Climate, season, and region are known to influence the colour form frequencies of these species, however, this effect is region specific, and the response of populations has changed over time. Here, 5862 photographic records from the UK Ladybird Survey from 2013-2017 were used to assess the geographic variation in colour form frequency (melanic versus non-melanic) of A. bipunctata and H. axyridis across the United Kingdom (UK) in relation to climate and season. Climate data from the UK Met Office were used to determine the effect of climate on melanic form. Seasonal variation in melanic form was observed in H. axyridis but not A. bipunctata. For H. axyridis, the probability of being melanic decreased in areas with higher annual sunlight hours. In A. bipunctata, there was an interaction between sunlight hours and rainfall. In areas with low rainfall, the probability of being melanic was negatively correlated with sunlight hours. Where rainfall was high, the probability of being melanic was positively correlated with sunlight hours. These findings highlight the role of climate in determining the proportion of colour forms in UK populations of A. bipunctata and H. axyridis. Furthermore, the results support the hypothesis that seasonal variation in melanism does not occur in A. bipunctata populations with a low overall proportion of melanics.

Chilodendron Schedl, 1953 is resurrected as a valid genus based on Chilodendron planicolle Schedl, 1953. This is the only representative of the tribe Hylesinini Erichson, 1836 found on Madagascar and a molecular phylogenetic analysis of several genes supports a position separate from Hylesinopsis Eggers, 1920 and other putatively close relatives. It is likely that Chilodendron is the oldest living lineage of bark beetles on Madagascar and possibly originated in the late Cretaceous not long after the separation of Madagascar from the Indian subcontinent.

One of the main consequences of globalization is the intensification of biological introductions. Because of their negative impact on environments, the early detection and monitoring of introduced species through molecular approaches is gaining increased uptake. This study assembles 2,278 DNA barcode records to examine contemporary patterns of sequence variation in mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) in five butterfly species introduced to the Nearctic, with a focus on Pieris rapae Linnaeus (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) and Thymelicus lineola Ochsenheimer (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae). Parameters of genetic diversity were low (i.e., h < 0.606, π < 0.0039) for Nearctic populations of all analyzed species. Those of P. rapae and T. lineola showed marked genetic differentiation from their source populations in the Palearctic. Haplotype distributions in their Nearctic populations exposed a starburst pattern with a few common haplotypes known from Palearctic, and infrequent haplotypes diverging from them at only one or two nucleotide sites. Some uncommon haplotypes were only found in the Nearctic suggesting they originated after invasion, while others also occur in the Palearctic. This study provides an example of genetic paradox of invasion, where species often rapidly expand their distribution and become dominant in the new habitat despite their depleted levels of sequence variation.

Instances of heat waves and cold snaps are becoming more frequent and of increasing duration worldwide. It is well established that short exposure to high or low-temperatures, such as during extreme weather events, often results in adaptive (acclimation/hardening) or maladaptive plastic changes in tolerance of organisms to subsequent thermal stressors. However, little information is available about how the duration of a prior stressful thermal event mediates future organismal thermal responses. Understanding durational effects of thermal conditioning can help predict ectothermic survival in response to novel extreme weather patterns.

From 2000 to 2006 a total of 52 CPUE samples of spider wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae) were collected in the mosaic landscape of the Kampinos National Park (Poland), which is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The hypothesis tested was that both pompilid species richness and abundance is positively associated with spatial heterogeneity. The patterns in spider wasp assemblages were identified using a Kohonen artificial neural network (i.e., self-organizing map). The highest numbers and greatest species richness of pompilids were recorded at sites in open habitats, especially those located on dry soils that are the preferred nesting sites of ground nesting (endogeic) spider wasps. However, pompilid distribution depended not only on the character of a sampling site, but also its location in a mosaic of habitats. The highest values of pompilid abundance and species richness were also recorded at sites surrounded by several different habitats. Both parameters were lower at sites in more homogenous areas, where there were fewer habitats within the flight ranges of spider wasps. A group of three "cultural species" (Agenioideus cinctellus, A. sericeus and Auplopus carbonarius) was identified that is significantly associated with wooden buildings. The results of this study are thus consistent with the concept that habitat heterogeneity enhances faunal diversity, as each type of habitat, including anthropogenic ones, potentially contributes to a wider range of available resources.