Ivo Hodek, who was well-known for his professional work on ladybirds (Coccinellidae) and insect ecophysiology, as well as a teacher or mentor of many entomologists, and the longest serving editor of the European Journal of Entomology died on June 11, 2021, shortly after his ninetieth birthday. Because of his important contribution to the development of European Journal of Entomology, the editorial board decided to dedicate a special virtual issue of the journal to his memory.

Spiders are the most abundant naturally occurring predators in vineyards and play a crucial role in natural pest control. However, vineyards are frequently sprayed with fungicides, which can harm spider communities. Fungus-resistant grape varieties can drastically reduce this fungicide input. The spiders on grape vines that were sprayed with a variable number of fungicide applications in 32 vineyards in different landscapes in Southwestern Germany were recorded. Vineyards received between 0 and 14 fungicidal sprays of varying toxicity (cumulated hazard quotients for honeybee up to 6). The majority of spiders benefited from a reduction in the number fungicide sprays, particularly Dictynidae, Philodromidae, Theridiidae and Thomisidae. Overall, space web weavers, orb web weavers and ambush hunters were most strongly affected by the frequency and toxicity of fungicide applications. The response of spiders to the landscape were highly variable and included both positive and negative effects of the percentage cover of woodland. In conclusion, reducing the cumulative hazard of fungicides by reducing the number of fungicide applications is a key element in fostering spiders in vineyards.

We review the cicada genus Auritibicen Lee, 2015 based on the description of ten new species: A. aethus sp. n., A. daoxianensis sp. n., A. pallidus sp. n., A. rotundus sp. n., A. curvatus sp. n., A. purus sp. n., A. parvus sp. n., A. gracilis sp. n., A. septatus sp. n. and A. lijiangensis sp. n. Auritibicen shikokuanus (Kato, 1959) is confirmed to be a synonym of Auritibicen kyushyuensis (Kato, 1926). Diagnoses and descriptions, along with illustrations of the structure of male genitalia, are provided for all Auritibicen species. The systematics of Auritibicen is elucidated using both morphological and molecular characterization. Thirty-five morphological characters of the 24 species of Auritibicen and one outgroup taxon, Chremistica ochracea (Walker, 1850), were scored. Morphological phylogenetic analyses reveal the relationships among related species of Auritibicen, which are supported by a number of morphological characters. The mitochondrial gene fragments of Cytochrome Oxidase I (COI) of 11 species of Auritibicen and two outgroup Lyristes species were analyzed and yielded identical robust phylogenetic trees. The phylogram based on a Bayesian analysis of both morphological and molecular data is similar to the ML/BI topologies based only on the molecular data. The molecular phylogenetic analysis indicates that species of Auritibicen are structured phylogeographically, with related species clustered into three lineages. The divergence time estimated based on molecular data indicates that the divergence of Auritibicen from Lyristes occurred during the Miocene, and the most recent common ancestor (tMRCA) of Auritibicen evolved during the Pliocene. However, the time when the main divergence events of species of Auritibicen occurred was the Pleistocene. From the combination of the phylogeny and updated geographical distributions, we infer that the center of distribution of Auritibicen could be Southwest China (e.g., Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces), from where species of this genus spreaded northeastwards to Shaanxi, Hubei and other provinces along the Qinling and Daba Mountains, then further northeastwards to Hebei Province in China and also to Far East Russia, the Korean Penisula, and Japan.

The two-spot ladybird, Adalia bipunctata, is polymorphic for elytral colour pattern. Whilst colour pattern polymorphism is complex, there are two predominant morphs: melanic and typical, which vary spatially in frequency. In the UK the melanic form has historically been most common in the industrialized North West of England. Evidence from industrial midland populations showed a decline in melanic frequency between 1960 and 1986 concordant with de-industrialization. We resampled the population of Merseyside in the North West of England, where the highest frequencies of melanic forms were historically observed, and compared our samples to data previously collected in 1962-1963. Data was consistent with a decline in frequency of melanics in the 60 year interval, but the melanic form was nevertheless still observed at around 30% frequency. We estimate the melanic allele has declined from 60-67% frequency to 13-18% frequency over the last 60 years, and that selection favouring the typical form has been of the order of 5-7% per generation. We note that selection against melanics in Wirral/Merseyside has been less strong than that observed in other Northern populations. We conclude that the decline in the melanic form is consistent with industrial thermal melanism as a primary factor driving melanism, but de-industrialization has not been sufficient to cause complete loss of the melanic allele in this location.

Body mass is an important morphological trait, which is associated with the physiology and ecology of insects. In the past, estimates of body mass were often based on general mathematical equations in which body mass was related to linear measurements of anatomical structures. For example, in female bees, estimates of dry body mass are expected to follow a non-linear relationship (power function) with the distance between the tegulae on their thorax, also known as the intertegular distance (ITD). Nonetheless, a major group of bees not included in previous studies are the Neotropical orchid bees of which mostly males are collected. We investigated whether a similar non-linear relationship is also the case for male orchid bees and we found positive evidence as the relationship can be represented by a power function providing reliable estimate of dry body mass. This is particularly important for estimating dry body mass of individuals stored in collections.

The multicoloured Asian ladybeetle, Harmonia axyridis (Pallas), is a widespread invasive ladybird. It is considered a top predator among the aphidophagous coccinellids in North America and Europe; thus, it is supposed to be free from predation pressure by other members of the guild. Our study aims to evaluate the stage-specific vulnerability of H. axyridis to intraguild predation (IGP) by the indigenous Coleomegilla maculata lengi Timberlake and the invasive Propylea quatuordecimpunctata Linnaeus. We hypothesised that (1) H. axyridis stages will be less susceptible to IGP than the two other species, (2) vulnerability to IGP will decrease with the age of the larvae and (3) vulnerability to IGP will increase with increased weight difference between intraguild predator (IGPredator) and intraguild prey (IGPrey). Eggs, 1^st and 2^nd instars of H. axyridis were susceptible to IGP by both C. maculata and P. quatuordecimpunctata adults and larvae, but less vulnerable than the other beetles when facing the same IGPredator. Vulnerability to IGP for the three species was reduced with increased age of larvae and with decreased weight difference. Overall, H. axyridis was less vulnerable to IGP than the two other species, but the results confirm the fact that the status of IGPrey or IGPredator of H. axyridis will be determined by the stages of both species during the interactions.

The number of records of Acrida ungarica in novel habitats and in places where the species was considered extinct, has markedly increased in recent years. We hypothesized that the newly revealed occurrences, on the northern margin of the species range, were not due to an increase in survey effort, but rather a result of the warming climate in the Carpathian Basin. We studied the occurrence data of Acrida ungarica and the intensity of Orthoptera surveys over the period of 2002-2022 in 1,840 6 × 5.5 km grid cells of the Central European Flora Mapping System. As background variables, we included macroclimatic data and the vegetation cover of the main potential habitats. The number of grid cells containing A. ungarica was significantly higher than the corresponding increase in cells surveyed for orthopterans and the presence of sand and salt steppe habitats, respectively. Furthermore, from 2012 to 2022, significant increasing trends were revealed in effective heat summation above 10°C in the summer months. That the increase in the known distribution of A. ungarica is unrelated to the rise in survey intensity indicates that the species distribution seems to be increasing, making it one of the winners from global warming. At the same time, regional rising levels of disturbance (highway networks, large fallow areas) can contribute to the successful horizontal expansion of a species related to open habitats and this species tolerance of disturbance.

Here, a comprehensive cytogenetic analysis of three species of tenebrionid beetles: Alphitobius diaperinus, Tenebrio molitor and Zophobas morio, is presented. This paper also contains a review of the cytogenetic information for each species and adds new data. The male karyotype of both T. molitor and Z. morio is 2n = 18 + Xy_p, with large heterochromatic blocks in the pericentromeric regions of all chromosomes. The male A. diaperinus karyotype is 2n = 18 + X0, also with heterochromatic pericentromeric regions in all chromosomes. The location of the nucleolar organizer regions (NORs) differs in each species: in A. diaperinus, it is located on the smallest pair of autosomes, while in T. molitor, it is on two pairs of autosomes and both sex chromosomes. In contrast, it is exclusively located on the X chromosome in Z. morio. Telomere analysis revealed that all species have TCAGG repeats in their telomeres, but lack the canonical TTAGG insect telomeric motif. In addition, a study of the distribution of satellite DNA and composition revealed that each species has a main satellite DNA family forming the pericentromeric heterochromatin. Fluorescence in situ hybridization of each of these satellites did not produce hybridization signal in the other two species, indicating a divergence in repetitive DNA composition among them. This study adds to the understanding of chromosomal organization, heterochromatin distribution and repetitive DNA dynamics in tenebrionid beetles and sheds light on their cytogenetic diversity and evolutionary significance.

The diversity of dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) is affected by urbanization, habitat fragmentation and disappearance of native mammals, which result in changes in the quality and availability of food, and resources for nesting. We evaluated the diversity, distribution of species in different trophic guilds and foraging strategies, and temporal variation in abundance of dung beetles in an urban fragment of Cerrado in a Federal District of Brazil. This study was conducted at the Experimental Station of Biology (EEB) of the University of Brasília (UnB), Federal District, Brazil. Fortnightly, between October 2012 and September 2013, Scarabaeinae were collected using baited (human faeces, pig meat, or banana) and unbaited pitfall traps. Aspects of the dung beetle assemblage were evaluated, including species richness and abundance, feeding habits and foraging strategies. A total of 614 individuals were collected, which included eight species belonging to seven genera and four tribes. Dichotomius carbonarius (Mannerheim, 1829), a generalist species, dominated the assemblage, indicating that it is adapted to living in fragmented and urbanized areas. As regards feeding habits, Eurysternus caribaeus (Jablonsky & Herbst, 1789) was considered to be strictly coprophagous, Coprophanaeus cyanescens (d'Olsoufieff, 1924) copronecrophagous and D. carbonarius a generalist. Most species were classified as paracoprids, which accounted for 75% of the species collected. Regarding the attractiveness of the bait, the highest numbers of individuals and species were recorded in pitfall traps baited with human faeces. A high abundance of Scarabaeinae was recorded in the first half of the rainy season (October-December) with 98.2% of the individuals collected in this period. The urban area studied harboured a low number of species with high abundance of a few species.

Aquaporins (AQPs) are integral membrane proteins that can transport water and small molecules across cell membranes in organisms. In a previous report, we identified an AQP (SlAQP1) gene of the cotton leafworm, Spodoptera littoralis. In the current study, we identify and characterize two more SlAQP genes and their developmental and tissues expression. Predicted amino acid sequence and phylogenetic analysis revealed that SlAQP2 is a glycerol channel belonging to the insect specific Eglp subfamily, whereas SlAQP3 is a water specific channel belonging to the Prip subfamily. SlAQP2 expression was detected mainly in the first four larval instars and adult males, whereas SlAQP3 was detected in all developmental stages. SlAQP2 gene expression was mainly detected in larval midgut and Malpighian tubules and adult male testes, whereas SlAQP3 was detected in all the tissues tested. RNAi mediated knockdown of each gene separately resulted in deleterious effects including larval and pupal mortality, deformed pupae and adults and prolonged development. Results were confirmed using qRT-PCR, which revealed downregulation of both genes after injection of larvae with gene specific dsRNA. Our results confirm the presence of Prip and Eglp AQPs in S. littoralis and suggest that Eglp has a role in male reproductive ability.

The Drosophila repleta group is one of the most widely used model systems for studying adaptation and speciation. Traditionally, five subgroups are recognized within the repleta group: fasciola, hydei, mercatorum, repleta and mulleri. A sixth subgroup, inca, was the last to be defined. The inca species subgroup includes three species: Drosophila inca, Drosophila huancavilcae and Drosophila yangana, all of which are endemic to Ecuador and Peru. Previous molecular phylogenetic studies have been inconclusive regarding the geographic location, time and mode of diversification of lineages within the repleta group. By applying a phylogenetic and biogeographical analysis of 54 taxa belonging to the repleta, nannoptera, atalaia and virilis groups, the aim of this study was to: (1) determine the relationships between the inca subgroup and the other five subgroups within the repleta group, (2) improve the unresolved branching and low supports of the early divergent lineages in the repleta group phylogeny and (3) estimate the geographic and temporal context of the early divergence within the repleta group. Based on these findings, it is proposed that the Drosophila repleta group first diversified during the mid-late Miocene, most likely following the uplift of the Northwestern Andes.

A study on the pollination of Ophrys fuciflora (Orchidaceae), which is not a native orchid of Japan, was carried out in a botanical garden in Japan, where the flowers attracted the solitary bee, Eucera nipponensis. Six male bees were observed visiting the flowers over a period of 8 h. The pollinia of O. fuciflora became attached to these bees and four were successfully transferred to the stigmas of nearby flowers. The present study verifies that a species of Ophrys can attract pollinators in Japan, which is at least 8,700 km far from their natural habitat. Thus, it is likely that species of Ophrys could potentially extend their distribution by forming new alliances with other species of bees.

The painted lady, Vanessa cardui (Linnaeus, 1758), migrates seasonally between Africa and Europe with a northward multigenerational migration from Africa to Europe in spring and a southward migration from Europe to Africa in autumn. However, little is known about the year-round phenology of this species in southern regions in the Mediterranean Basin. In this study the year-round phenology and reproduction of painted ladies was recorded during a seven-year period (2014-2020) at 7 lowland sites (< 80 m a.s.l) near the coast of Cádiz (southern Spain). Overall, a total of 2341 painted lady butterflies (or 0.56 butterflies/km) were recorded along 4186 km of transects of the Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (BMS). Data pooled for all sites and years indicate a migration of painted ladies in autumn (mid and late October), another peak in abundance in winter (late February) and finally a migration in spring (late May). Abundance, however, varied greatly between sites and years. In July 2019, a spectacular migration of painted ladies was recorded across the study area that was also recorded in other European countries a few weeks later. Territorial behaviour of males, including hill-topping and courtship, oviposition and immature stages were recorded in autumn and winter. Reproductive behaviour was not recorded in spring or summer. Painted ladies were most abundant during the autumn migration, less abundant in spring and much less abundant in winter. This study confirms that the southern tip of Western Europe close to North Africa is an important stop-over region during the migration of painted ladies although numbers fluctuate enormously between years and sites. To my knowledge, this is the first time that the timing of year-round migration and the reproduction of painted ladies in the autumn-winter months have been described for a southern European population.

Insects are solely dependent on an innate immune system. Antimicrobial peptide production is the main immune response of insects. The molecular mechanisms underlying this reaction in Drosophila melanogaster involves the induction of antimicrobial peptide genes, which is regulated by the Toll and IMD pathways. The Toll pathway is mainly activated by fungi or Gram-positive bacteria and the IMD pathway by Gram-negative bacteria. In terms of comparative immunology, we investigated the antimicrobial peptide production system in the beetle, Tribolium castaneum, which differs from that in D. melanogaster. To obtain a more detailed understanding, we examined whether Pelle and Tube, orthologues of which in D. melanogaster are the Toll pathway components, contributed to antimicrobial peptide production and immune reactions. These two genes were not induced by challenges from any type of microbe, which in this case were Gram-positive bacteria, -negative bacteria and an eukaryote. Using Pelle and Tube knockdown pupae, it was demonstrated that Pelle and Tube are involved in the induction of Cec2 as a representative Toll pathway-dependent gene in T. castaneum by Gram-positive and -negative bacteria and eukaryote challenges. Furthermore, neither Pelle nor Tube contributed to immune defences against two entomopathogenic bacteria. These results, taken together with our previous findings, led to the conclusion that the Toll pathway immune signaling reported in D. melanogaster indeed occurs in T. castaneum, and the gene sets involved in Toll signal transduction in T. castaneum did not differ significantly from those in D. melanogaster, but transduced immune signals to challenges from Gram-positive bacteria, -negative bacteria and an eukaryote, which differed from those in D. melanogaster.

The hemipteran infraorder Cicadomorpha (cicadas, leafhoppers, treehoppers and spittlebugs) comprises more than 30,000 described extant species in 3,783 genera, 13 families and 3 superfamilies: Cicadoidea, Cercopoidea and Membracoidea. Here, we summarize and discuss data on the number of testicular follicles in 103 species belonging to 84 genera and 9 families of Cicadoidea (Tettigarctidae and Cicadidae), Cercopoidea (Aphrophoridae, Cercopidae and Ischnorhinidae) and Membracoidea (Aetalionidae, Cicadellidae, Membracidae and Myerslopiidae), as well as the number of ovarioles in 65 species belonging to 56 genera of the same families, except for Tettigarctidae, Aetalionidae, and Myerslopiidae, for which no such data were available. Almost 83% of the species and 81% of the genera studied belong to the family Cidadellidae. In general, the number of follicles in Cicadomorpha ranges from 1 to "about 100 or more" per testis, and the number of ovarioles from 3 to over 70-80 per ovary. The highest numbers are characteristic of Cicadoidea and Cercopoidea, with significantly higher values in the former superfamily. In Membracoidea, both follicle and ovariole numbers vary within markedly narrower limits. Most taxa are dominated by testes each consisting of 6 follicles, and the ovaries each consisting of 6 ovarioles. These character states are considered ancestral for Cicadomorpha, and possibly for Auchenorrhyncha as a whole.

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.

Brackish marshes resulting from embankments are a rare habitat in Europe and for which there is little knowledge of the entomofauna. There is an urgent need to document the insect diversity and its unique properties in the light of ongoing habitat losses. The current study focuses on snail-killing flies in the remaining Belgian brackish marshes, in particular the role of soil salinity in determining their diversity and how it compares with that in freshwater marshes. Snail-killing fly communities in brackish marshland were relatively species poor and clearly different from those in freshwater, yet species richness and abundance increased with decreasing soil salinity. We recorded no habitat-specific species, but Tetanocera arrogans was more abundant in brackish marshes. Malaise traps proved to be a successful and repeatable method of sampling sciomyzid communities, the species composition of which was strongly site-specific. We conclude that extant Belgian brackish marshes have poor to moderately rich snail-killing fly communities that lack unique species. Richness and abundance, however, increased as soil salinity decreased.

Annual crops are generally assumed to host simplified arthropod communities that depend on immigration from the surrounding landscape. Perennial, low-input crops such as olive groves are likely to depend less on immigration from other habitats, however, studies on the landscape ecology of perennial crops are scarce. This paper studies the assemblages of arboreal spiders in three types of habitats adjoining olive groves: woods, garigue and other cultivated olive groves in a traditional olive producing landscape. Spiders were sampled during summer and the three types of habitats were compared in terms of species, families and functional groups in order to determine differences in diversity and the potential for spider spillover. As is often reported for annual crops, olive groves had a lower alpha and beta diversity than more natural habitats in terms of species, with a strong dominance of a single species, Frontinellina frutetorum (C.L. Koch, 1834). Differences in diversity between olive groves and natural habitats were not significant at family or functional group levels. With the possible exception of orb weavers, this study indicates that the spiders that were common in olive groves did not occur at higher densities in habitats that were more natural. This indicates there is limited spillover between perennial crops and other late-successional habitats. The enhancement of spiders in olive orchards for pest control may thus depend more on local management than on the presence of semi-natural habitats as a source of immigration.

Saproxylic organisms play a key role in a variety of forest ecosystem functions, which result in an increase in overall forest productivity and biodiversity. At present, dead wood is frequently removed from exploited forests. Estimating the effect of current forest management on biodiversity, and what gain in biodiversity would result from implementing restoration programs, requires the use of standardized sampling protocols. These protocols need to be suitable for use in different sampling areas and cost effective. In this paper, we developed, tested, and optimized a method for sampling saproxylic insects during a single visit to a sample site (i.e., the "grab-and-go" method). In the spring of 2011, we collected samples of downed decaying small and medium diameter wood debris in two Italian beech forests: Sega di Ala (Alps) and Vallombrosa (Apennines). We used ex situ emergence traps in the laboratory to collect the beetles emerging from the wood sampled. At both sites, the minimum number of wood samples that resulted in a satisfactory description of the saproxylic beetle assemblage was 20. Wood moisture, mean diameter, and geographical location were significantly associated with the beetle assemblages. We discuss the implications of using the "grab-and-go" method in large-scale forest monitoring programs. In this context, we recommend collecting at each site twenty 50 cm-long samples of wood lying on top of the litter, with a diameter of 12 ± 2 cm, cortex cover < 50%, and at Hunter's stage of decay class 2.

An inventory of the carabid fauna was carried out in two post-industrial areas in central Poland. The two areas studied were a heap of ash generated by a power station and a colliery spoil heap. In each area sites of different ages were investigated using pitfall traps over an eight year period from 2004 to 2011. At the end of this period each of the youngest sites was as old, or even older, than the next oldest site studied in each area. A pine forest growing on natural soil close to the ash heap was included as a reference study site. Changes were described in terms of the numbers of species and individuals, total biomass, Mean Individual Biomass of Carabidae (MIB) and the most frequently collected species. Indirect and direct gradient analyses were carried out in order to determine the environmental basis of the major pattern in variation and analyse the relationships with current environmental parameters. During the eight years of this study 5032 individuals of 84 species were collected. Numbers of individuals decreased significantly with the age of the sites on the ash heap and the MIB values increased significantly on both heaps. Changes in the most frequently collected species were more pronounced on the spoil heap, the study sites on which covered a time span of 26 years, than on the ash heap, for which the period was only 11 years. Characteristic species differed on the spoil and ash heaps and numbers of species were lower on the spoil heap. Despite differences in speed of succession at the sites studied, there was a tendency for the MIB to increase after about 9 to 16 years. Indirect and direct gradients analyses confirmed that the stage of succession (age of the study sites) was an important factor determining the carabid assemblages at the sites studied. The results of this study are important for the restoration and management of post-industrial areas.

Thrips palmi (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) is an important pest of vegetables, ornamental plants and fruit crops. In addition to the direct damage caused by feeding, it transmits several tospoviruses. The absence of an in vitro assay system is a major bottleneck in investigating thrips-tospovirus interactions. The present study reports the establishment of a primary cell culture of T. palmi, which was initiated using embryonic tissue as an explant in modified Kimura's medium. Fibroblast-like cells began to be produced 3 h after tissue implantation and were the dominant cell type. They grew in size and number and covered most of the surface. This primary cell culture survived for 37 days providing sufficient time for analytical molecular studies on the replication of tospovirus and interactions with the vector components.

Intraspecific competition and food shortage due to high population density during early life can have a profound effect on adult fitness. Organisms often mitigate negative effects of high population density by adjusting resource allocation to adult morphological and life-history traits. In Lepidoptera with short-lived adults that do not feed, it is predicted that females developed from dense larval aggregations invest more in reproduction and traits linked to offspring survival. Here, we investigated the effects of larval population density on adult morphology and life-history traits in the female Mediterranean flour moth, Ephestia kuehniella by raising larvae at a range of population densities. Adults from high population density (16 larvae per g of food) had smaller head, thorax, and forewing compared to other densities. The allometric slope of forewing length with body mass did not differ among population densities, indicating no changes in adult wing morphology at high population density. However, we found that females emerged from larvae at high population density had bigger abdomens relative to body mass, indicating resource investment in reproduction, probably to mitigate the negative effects of crowding on egg production. Ovipositor length did not differ among population densities, indicating conservation of resources to structures with egg-laying function that affect offspring survival. Taken together, these results suggest that female E. kuehniella responding to high larval population density invest relatively more in reproduction, a life-history strategy that could alleviate negative effects of population density on fitness. This study also highlights the importance of a species' reproductive strategy in its adaptive response to environmental conditions, which is relevant to many capital breeders dependent on larval resources for reproduction.

The present study documents new records of winged insects collected from fragments of nests of the tropical fire ant Solenopsis virulens (Smith), using a trap, which is also described in detail. The emergence chamber consisted of a 5L opaque plastic container, a 50 ml transparent vial and a 1.5 ml microcentrifuge tube. This trap captured 70 insects from 12 nests of Solenopsis virulens. They were classified into two orders, 13 families, 18 genera and 39 morphospecies. The most abundant order was Diptera, with nine families. The richest family was Cecidomyiidae, with 12 morphospecies, followed by Sciaridae with seven. Ceratopogonidae, Chironomidae, Chloropidae, Drosophilidae, Hybotidae, Phoridae and Psychodidae were also represented. Hymenoptera included a total of three families: Figitidae (Eucoilinae), Platygastridae (Scelioninae and Platygastrinae) and Diapriidae. Although the association of several genera (Diptera: 11/ Hymenoptera: 1) and families (Diptera: 1/ Hymenoptera: 1) with ant nests was recorded for the first time, it is likely that many of these insects are only fortuitous or temporary inquilines and not obligatory myrmecophiles. The trap described is also useful for catching insects that emerge from other substrates such as leaves, logs, galls, termite nests, etc. Furthermore, it could enable researchers to sample and further study important material in the laboratory and decrease the costs of sampling during field trips.

Urbanisation is increasing globally and is considered to be a main driver of environmental change. Urbanisation-related factors include reduced habitat size and increased spatial isolation of the remaining habitats. As a consequence, the dynamics of plant and animal populations may change, which in turn might influence the quality and quantity of plant resources. Thus, urbanisation has the potential to disturb plant-animal interactions such as herbivory or galling. In the urban-rural setting of Basel (Switzerland), we aimed to assess whether the degree of urbanisation and forest size influence plant-galling infestation rates and leaf damage by mining and chewing arthropods on three tree species (sycamore, beech, and ash). We recorded species-specific responses to the degree of urbanisation and forest size. Gall infestation rate on sycamore leaves was affected by urbanisation but not by forest size. In contrast, gall infestation rates of beech gall midges responded sensitively to increasing urbanisation and decreasing forest size. The total leaf area damage caused by mining and chewing arthropods on sycamore was influenced by urbanisation and increased with increasing forest size. Leaf area damage by miners in beech tended to be affected by the degree of urbanisation, but not in ash. Urbanisation and forest size have the potential to alter herbivorous insect abundances. However, the effects depend on tree species and herbivore guild.

Seasonal and geographical adaptations in terms of obligatory embryonic diapause in the parthenogenetic stick insect, Ramulus mikado, were studied. First and second instar nymphs were collected at locations at three latitudes in Japan and reared in the laboratory under a photoperiod of 16L : 8D or 12L : 12D at 25°C. Their eggs were kept at 30°C for 30 or 60 days after oviposition, but no eggs hatched. Hatching was observed more than 100 days after transfer from 30°C to 15°C. The long period between transfer and hatching indicate that eggs in an early embryonic stage of development enter diapause at high-temperatures. The time from oviposition to hatching of eggs laid by adults that originated from the three locations kept under constant conditions between 15 and 25°C were compared. In all these experiments, eggs laid by individuals originating from high latitudes took longer to hatch. The eggs of those originating from Okayama and Ehime did not hatch at 25°C. However, more than 80% of the eggs of those that originated from the northernmost population hatched. Hatching before winter was observed when the eggs of those that originated from the northern population were placed outdoors in Okayama, even when the maternal insects were reared under long-day conditions in the laboratory. These findings indicate that univoltine R. mikado enters diapause twice during embryonic development, which enables it survive adverse conditions in summer and winter, respectively. Furthermore, diapause intensity was lowest in insects that originated from the lowest latitude.

The genus Mecistorhabdia Kiriakoff, 1953 is reviewed and one new species M. sulaki sp. n. from the Central African Republic and Cameroon (Afrotropical region) described. The holotype female of the type species M. haematoessa (Holland, 1893) is matched with a conspecific male using a molecular technique. M. burgessi Kiriakoff, 1957 is removed from the synonymy as it is considered to be a valid species. Habitus and male genitalia of all three species are illustrated along with the female genitalia of M. haematoessa. A key for identification of species based on the structure of male genitalia and a map of their distribution are provided. The results of a study of the genetic diversity of the three species of Mecistorhabdia, based on cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene, are presented. Relationships between species are briefly discussed.

The regulation of the development of the male reproductive organs in insects is still an open question. Although the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria, has been extensively examined, there is little information on the effects of phase and pheromones on the development of the male reproductive organs. This study clarified the association of these two factors with reproductive development (length or width of each organ) of the testis, testicular follicles, accessory glands, and seminal vesicles in this locust. The width of the follicles and width and length of the accessory gland mass are significantly associated with phase (solitary or gregarious). Developmen of all reproductive organs is age dependent as these organs developed in the adult stage. The development of follicles and accessory glands (width) in males in the first two weeks of adulthood was promoted by exposing them to pheromones from mature adults, but not from nymphs. These results indicate the incidence of male reproductive development is associated with phase and affected by pheromones.

Males of some species of the firefly Photinus produce nutritious spermatophores (nuptial gifts) the production of which is associated with a specific reproductive morphology. In fireflies and other insects, the production of nuptial gifts favours the evolution of polyandry. On the other hand, in fireflies, wing reduction (brachyptery) in females is associated with the lack of nuptial gifts. P. palaciosi is a synchronous firefly with brachypterous females, which would indicate an absence of nuptial gifts and a monandrous mating system. However, the reproductive morphology of P. palaciosi is like that of species producing nuptial gifts, which indicates this species should be polyandrous. Here, the results of an experimental study designed to test if females of the synchronous firefly Photinus palaciosi are polyandrous or monandrous are reported. The duration of copula was determined because this trait is associated with absence/presence of nuptial gifts in fireflies: it is very short (few minutes) in species lacking nuptial gifts and long (hours) in gift-giving species. More than sixty percent of the females mated with several males and the duration of each copulation was long. Thus, these results, together with those of previous studies on the morphology of the reproductive system, strongly indicate that males produce spermatophores (which usually contain nutrients and are, thus, considered nuptial gifts), which provides a possible explanation of both polyandry and prolonged copulations in P. palaciosi.

Trees in a state of decline exhibit a reduced foliage density and accumulate dead branches in their crowns. Consequently, forest decline can markedly affect both the habitats and sources of food for canopy-dwelling insects. The decline-induced increase in canopy openness may also modify the understory, shrub and ground layers, and have cascading effects on associated species. Flight interception traps and green Lindgren traps were used to survey the canopy-dwelling insects in stands of healthy and declining oak trees, in particular two insect orders: Raphidioptera, saproxylic insects associated with canopies, and Mecoptera, necrophagous or opportunistic species associated with the herbaceous or shrub strata. Overall, green Lindgren traps caught more of these insects than flight interception traps. The traps caught five species of Raphidioptera. Three of them, Subilla confinis, Phaeostigma major and, to a lesser extent, Phaeostigma notata, were more abundant in stands or plots with declining trees. However, the other two species of Raphidioptera, Atlantoraphidia maculicollis and Xanthostigma xanthostigma exhibited a reverse trend. Two species of Mecoptera, Panorpa germanica and Panorpa communis, were particularly abundant, but unaffected by the level of decline. Our results show that declining forests can either host more or fewer species of Raphidioptera with saproxylic larvae, whereas Mecoptera with ground-living larvae were unaffected. Seasonal phenology and sex ratio of the species are also discussed.

Many aphidophagous ladybird beetles lay clusters of eggs and sibling cannibalism occurs at hatching. Larvae that hatch early tend to cannibalize undeveloped eggs and those that hatch late. The cannibalized eggs, especially those that are sterile, represent a maternal investment in the cannibal and are regarded as "trophic" eggs, which increase their chances of surviving. The characteristics of cannibalized eggs, however, are poorly studied. In this study, I determined the sizes of eggs that developing and undeveloped eggs within egg clusters of Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae). Developing eggs were significantly larger (on average 3.45% larger) than the undeveloped sterile ones, which were mainly small. Furthermore, the hatchability of eggs was also significantly associated with their size, inclusive of the maternal effects. These results indicate that the production of relatively small sterile eggs functions as circumstance-dependent maternal investment in improving the survival of the first instar larvae to hatch in each egg cluster.