Tomicus piniperda is a pest in pine stands in Eurasia and is also found in the USA, where it has caused a decline in the abundance of pine since 1992. Knowledge of the genetic structure of pine shoot beetle populations is important for understanding their phylogeographic history and for quarantine control. In this study, European, Asian and American T. piniperda populations were analyzed by sequencing a region of the mitochondrial COI gene. Twenty-five haplotypes (HT) were detected and over 70% of these HT were found in individual areas, e.g. 5 HT in China, 5 HT in France and 3 HT in Spain. Nested clade analysis revealed that most European and the American population was in a clade containing 9 HT connected by one to two mutational steps. A second clade contained HT from France (2 HT), Spain (2 HT), Sweden (1 HT), Russia (1 HT) and China (5 HT). In this clade, one to 13 mutational steps and 13 missing or theoretical HT were detected. The third clade had 5 HT from France, Russia, Poland, Finland and Switzerland; 1 to 7 mutational steps and 5 missing or theoretical HT were detected. Although only a few significant relationships were found in the nested clade analysis, the following conclusions can be drawn: (1) T. piniperda is a polymorphic species with numerous HT throughout Europe, and HT are likely to exist regarding the missing or theoretical HT; (2) It is likely there were refugial areas in Southern Europe and Western Russia; (3) The Pyrenees formed a barrier to migration after the last ice age; (4) Chinese and European populations have been separated for at least 0.6 MYA.

The developmental time and size of a solitary koinobiont parasitoid, Gronotoma micromorpha (Perkins) (Hymenoptera: Eucoilidae), were measured in two host species: the serpentine leafminer, Liriomyza trifolii (Burgess) (Diptera: Agromyzidae) and tomato leafminer, L. bryoniae (Kaltenbach). There was no significant difference in the developmental time of G. micromorpha in these two hosts. However, significantly larger G. micromorpha adults emerged from L. bryoniae than from L. trifolii puparia. Dissection of larvae revealed that when offered a choice G. micromorpha accepted larvae of L. bryoniae more often than those of L. trifolii. The number of wasps emerging from parasitized hosts did not differ significantly between host species. These results indicate that L. trifolii and L. bryoniae are both acceptable and suitable hosts for G. micromorpha. Gronotoma micromorpha may be a useful biological control agent of both L. trifolii and L. bryoniae.

Intercropping may have a positive effect on the abundance and activity of carabid beetles and therefore their response to intercropping yellow lupin with spring triticale was studied for a period of three years (2001-2003). Carabids were most numerous in yellow lupin monoculture and in the intercrop with the highest proportion of lupin. Important differences between the experimental treatments were found, but they were mostly non-significant because of the great variation between samples. It is supposed that the positive effect of lupin on carabid beetles was due to the shelter it provides. During the three-year study 59 species of carabid beetles were recorded. The most abundant species in each treatment was Pseudoophonus rufipes. Irrespective of the experimental treatment, this species was caught in the greatest numbers towards the end of each growing season. This was probably because of the greater soil coverage provided by the larger lupin plants at the end of the season.

During the past four decades, several species of aphidophagous Coccinellidae became established in North America, including Coccinella septempunctata, Harmonia axyridis, Hippodamia variegata, and Propylea quatuordecimpunctata. After their establishment, unknown circumstances favoured a rapid increase in population densities and distribution of H. axyridis and C. septempunctata at localities hundreds and thousands of kilometers from their release sites. Propylea quatuordecimpunctata and Hippodamia variegata have spread more slowly after becoming established in northeastern North America. Comparative studies based upon allozyme variation in these four introduced species and in six native North American species of ladybird beetles revealed no significant differences in genetic diversities. Genetic variation, assessed by allelic diversity and heterozygosity, was uncorrelated with the establishment and spread of these predatory species in North America. All ladybirds studied show a remarkable degree of dispersion with little detectable population subdivision.

Membrane-bound proteases from preparations of the midgut of 5^th instar velvetbean caterpillars, Anticarsia gemmatalis (Hübner) were obtained by resuspension of the pellet obtained after 100,000 g centrifugation. As expected of trypsin-like proteases, they hydrolyzed casein and the synthetic substrates N-α-benzoyl-L-Arg-p-nitroanilidine (L-BApNA) and N-α-p-tosyl-L-Arg methyl ester (L-TAME). Higher activities were observed at 50°C, and at pH 8.5 and 8.0 for both synthetic substrates L-BApNA and L-TAME. The membrane-bound proteases were inhibited by EDTA, phenylmethan sulphonyl fluoride (PMSF), tosyl-L-lysine chloromethyl ketone (TLCK), benzamidine and aprotinin. TLCK and benzamidine were particularly active inhibitors. The K_M-values obtained were 0.23 mM for L-BApNA and 92.5 µM for L-TAME. These results provide evidence for the presence of membrane-bound trypsin-like proteases in the midgut of the velvetbean caterpillar, a key soybean pest in warm climates. The interaction between A. gemmatalis digestive proteases and soybean protease inhibitors has potentially important consequences for soybean breeding programs.

When investigating sexual strategies of aphids, it is necessary to set up multiple replicates to compensate for the small number of eggs laid per female. Genetic variation among replicates can be minimised if members of the same clone are used, but problems can arise unless the participants are also physiologically equivalent. A series of experiments on Myzus persicae (Sulzer) was performed to investigate aspects of male maturation and semen transfer that should be considered in planning or interpreting experiments on aphid sexual strategies.

New palaeodictyopterid Paraostrava stanislavi gen. n., sp. n. is described from the Upper Carboniferous (Duckmantian) deposits of the Jan Šverma Mine in northern Bohemia (Czech Republic). The new taxon based on hindwing venation is attributed to Homoiopteridae and compared with the other homoiopterid and heolid genera within Homoiopteroidea. Due to the poor state preservation of Boltopruvostia robusta, we consider this taxon as Palaeodictyoptera: Homoiopteridae of uncertain position and restore the well defined genus Ostrava Kukalová, 1960 (type species Ostrava nigra Kukalová, 1960). Some uncertainties in the current state of knowledge on the taxonomy and phylogeny of the Homoiopteridae are pointed out. The characters matrix used to separate the genera of Homoiopteroidea is included.

The Large Copper butterfly, Lycaena dispar, is extinct in Britain and rapidly declining in the rest of Europe, due predominantly to loss of its wetland habitats. In the Netherlands the sub-species L. d. batavus is at the edge of its range in Northern Europe and, as with most marginal butterflies, has more specialised food plant and habitat requirements than the core populations of L. d. rutilus. We investigate reasons for the relative specialisation of L. d. batavus on Rumex hydrolapathum in a fenland habitat when compared to the more widespread and common L. d. rutilus. Host-plant choice by ovipositing females and by larvae are measured as well as larval performance on alternative hosts. Laboratory experiments reveal that larvae are able to feed on other Rumex species without detriment to their overall survival and can utilise these alternative host plants at least as efficiently as their natural host plant. This suggests that plant chemistry is not responsible for their lack of utilisation in the wild. Under greenhouse conditions, females showed an equal willingness to oviposit on host and alternative Rumex, expressing no significant preference for any particular plant species. However, in field experiments using free-ranging females in a fenland habitat, eggs were laid only on R. hydrolapathum. Our interpretation is that there are no short distance cues discriminating between the three Rumex species but longer distance cues in the field situation may operate to maintain this host-plant specialisation. The selection pressure maintaining L. d. batavus as a specialist on R. hydrolapathum in a wetland may underlie its current rarity.

This paper reports the results of a comparative laboratory analysis of the behavioural responses of the egg parasitoid Trissolcus basalis (Wollaston) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) to semiochemical cues from four species of pentatomid bugs, Nezara viridula (L.), Eurydema ventrale Klt., Murgantia histrionica Hahn. and Graphosoma semipunctatum F. (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae). In a Y-tube olfactometer, T. basalis was attracted by volatile chemicals from N. viridula, but not from other pentatomid species. In an open arena, the parasitoid reacted to chemical trails left on filter paper by all the species but most intensely to those left by N. viridula. However, upon encountering pentatomid eggs, T. basalis examined more intensely and probed more frequently the eggs of G. semipunctatum than those of the other species. The parasitoid only parasitized and emerged from eggs of G. semipunctatum and N. viridula; those of the other species were unsuitable. Therefore N. viridula is semiochemically confirmed to be a coevolved host (old association) of T. basalis, whereas G. semipunctatum may be a potential non-coevolved host (new association). The utility of these tests for defining a parasitoids' host specificity and in assessing the risk of non-target effects in biological control is discussed.

Science Publishers, Enfield (NH), USA & Plymouth, UK, 2005, xxi + 817 pp. ISBN 1-57808-262-5 (Set), 1-57808-345-1 (Vol. 1), 1-57808-346-X (Vol. 2). Price GBP 81.40.

The subgenus Gnypetalia Cameron, 1939 is redefined and raised to the genus rank. Eleven valid species are recognised in the genus, six of which are described as new: Gnypetalia armata sp. n. (Solomon Islands), G. cuccodoroi sp. n. (Philippines: Luzon), G. insularis sp. n. (Solomon Islands), G. luzonica sp. n. (Philippines: Luzon, Palawan), G. nitida sp. n. (Indonesia: Sulawesi) and G. penrisseni sp. n. (Malaysia: Sarawak). One new synonym is established: Gnypetalia parva Cameron, 1950 = Ischnopoda (Caliusa) finitima Pace, 1998 syn. n. Five species are given in new combination: Gnypetalia indica (Cameron, 1939) comb. n (= Gnypeta (Gnypetalia) indica), Gnypetalia parva (Cameron, 1950) comb. n. [= Gnypeta (Gnypetalia) parva], Gnypetalia rougemontiana (Pace, 1986) comb. n [= Tachyusa (Caliusa) rougemontiana], Gnypetalia song (Pace, 1990) comb. n. [= Tachyusa (Caliusa) song] and Gnypetalia thoracica (Fauvel, 1879) comb. n. (= Tachyusa thoracica). Lectotype is designated for Gnypeta indica Cameron, 1939. The taxa are diagnosed, keyed and illustrated. The phylogeny of the aleocharine genus Gnypetalia is analysed using cladistic methods. The monophyly of Gnypetalia is confirmed and three major monophyletic species group are recognised.

Chilocorus kuwanae Silvestri is an effective predator of Unaspis euonymi (Comstock), a scale insect harmful to spindle trees (Euonymus europeus L. and E. japonicus Thumb). The feeding behaviour was studied on wild adults, collected from spindle trees in the Botanic Garden of Perugia University, and fed on overwintering U. euonymi females. The insects were exposed to gradually changing constant temperatures (13°-->10°-->8°-->6°-->4°-->2°-->13°-->15°C) for a ten day period at each temperature. C. kuwanae adults preyed on the scale also at low temperatures. The number of scales eaten decreased with decreasing temperatures from the initial 13°C to 4°C, and at 2°C the trophic activity of C. kuwanae adults almost stopped although they made brief walks in the petri dishes. At all tested temperatures the ladybirds made holes in or lifted the scale cover and preyed on the female. Sometimes they lifted the scale cover , but did not prey on these U. euonymi females which were destined to die from cold. As the temperature dropped from 13°C to 4°C, the number of females eaten by ladybird males and females did not differ statistically. When the temperature was raised to 13°C and 15°C, the ladybirds resumed feeding. Large differences were recorded between sexes, with females showing a much higher feeding activity than males. Scale cover lifting was most frequent at the beginning of the experiment and then decreased with diminishing temperatures, although no significant difference was recorded among temperatures within the range from 10°C to 4°C. The threshold for trophic activity can be taken as 2°C since we noted that a few (12%) individuals on one day showed predatory activity. At 13°C and 15°C lifting activity rose again but remained at a lower level than at the initial exposure to 13°C. There was no significant difference in activity at 13 and 15°C upon raising the temperature. As for total number of U. euonymi damaged by C. kuwanae the trend in damage revealed the same pattern as for number of scales eaten. At the final exposure to 15°C, 60% of C. kuwanae females laid eggs. Our data demonstrate that C. kuwanae can reduce U. euonymi populations in a submediterranean environment even in winter when the range of temperatures is similar to that tested in this experiment.

In 1996, an old forest pasture grazed from the 1960s to 1988 was restored by coppicing, fencing and grazing by cattle to protect a local population of the endangered butterfly Euphydryas aurinia. An adjoining ungrazed meadow provided a control. In the first years, the butterfly became almost extinct due to the nearly complete consumption of the host plant of the larva, Succisa pratensis, by cattle. The butterfly population quickly recovered when the grazing pressure was lowered. Thus, the intensity of management should be adjusted by continuous monitoring of the target species. In the 2000s, the annual population was about 50 butterflies, but marked fluctuations took place, probably caused by natural factors. Grazing benefited the meadow flora and improved the habitat of butterflies in general. Extensive forest grazing clearly has the potential for enhancing biodiversity. The value of the experiment is, however, limited because only a single pair of meadows was available for comparison. In the future, it will be even more difficult to arrange a similar experiment due to the great decline in the numbers of traditional meadows and forest grazing in SE Finland.

We examined the influence of offspring mortality caused by hyperparasitism on the secondary sex ratio of Lysiphlebus hirticornis Mackauer, a solitary endoparasitoid of the aphid Metopeurum fuscoviride Stroyan, in the field. Females of L. hirticornis produce pseudo-gregarious broods, which may comprise more than 200 offspring. Hyperparasitoids [mainly Syrphophagus aphidivorus (Mayr)] attacked and killed up to 60% of the primary parasitoids inside mummified aphids, especially late in the season. Hyperparasitized broods were larger than hyperparasitoid-free broods, which suggests that the risk of hyperparasitism increased with mummy density. We tested the hypothesis that mortality caused by hyperparasitism is greater for female than male offspring of L. hirticornis. If mummy quality scales with mummy size, hyperparasitoids should choose the relatively larger over the relatively smaller mummies. In the absence of hyperparasitism, broods of L. hirticornis included approximately two daughters for each son; the sex ratio did not vary with brood size. In hyperparasitized broods, the sex ratio was nearly even. This result indicates that relatively more female offspring (developing in the larger mummies) than male offspring (developing in the smaller mummies) were killed by hyperparasitoids. We propose that sex-differential offspring mortality in L. hirticornis is the result of differences in optimal host choice between the primary parasitoid and the hyperparasitoids.

The black bean aphid, Aphis fabae, is polyphagous and its life cycle involves seasonal migration between summer and winter host plants. The aphids are regularly tended by honeydew-collecting ants. This study investigates whether differences exist in honeydew production and honeydew sugar composition for A. fabae subspecies feeding on various host plants and whether such differences reflect differences in the intensity of ant-atttendance (Lasius niger).
A. f. fabae feeding on the perennial summer host, Tanacetum vulgare, produced twice the amount of honeydew (ca. 110 µg per aphid ^. h^-1) than when feeding on the annual host plants Vicia faba or Chenopodium album. Honeydew production of A. f. cirsiiacanthoides feeding on the creeping thistle Cirsium arvense was the highest measured in this study (ca. 150 µg per aphid ^. h^-1). Total sugar concentration in the honeydew of A. f. fabae did not differ when feeding on various summer hosts, whereas the honeydew of A. f. cirsiiacanthoides on C. arvense contained a significantly higher amount of total sugars. The trisaccharide melezitose was the dominant sugar in all the honeydew samples, except for the honeydew of A. f. fabae and A. f. evonymi feeding on the woody winter host plant Evonymus europaeus. The highest proportion of melezitose (80% of total sugars) was found in the honeydew of A. f. cirsiiacanthoides feeding on C. arvense. In this subspecies, the intensity of ant-attendance was also highest. The results confirm our hypothesis, that the sugar richness of the honeydew (rate of honeydew secretion × total sugar concentration) along with the presence of the attractant sugar melezitose are the critical factors in determining the extent of ant-attendance.
In A. f. fabae feeding on the spindle tree E. europaeus, the total sugar concentration of the honeydew as well as the sugar composition differed significantly between generations.

In the present study the temporal changes in the volume of the corpus allatum in three experimental groups of adult males (macropterous, reproductive brachypterous and diapausing brachypterous) of the flightless bug Pyrrhocoris apterus were determined and related to the size of male accessory glands. The results revealed wing morph- and age-dependent differences in the corpus allatum volume in males of this bug. In 4-14 day old males, the volumes of the corpus allatum and accessory glands were largest in long-day reproductive brachypters, intermediate in long-day macropters, and smallest in short-day diapausing brachypters. The smaller corpus allatum in young macropterous males than in same aged reproductive brachypterous males was due to the spontaneous fasting of the former. Later, starting on day 18 after adult emergence, i.e. when macropterous males were feeding normally, there were no significant differences in the volumes of the corpus allatum between long-day brachypterous and macropterous males. On the other hand, the corpus allatum of 18-28 day old diapausing brachypterous males was significantly smaller than that of same aged long-day macropterous and reproductive brachypterous males. The sizes of the corpus allatum and accessory glands were significantly positively correlated in macropterous and diapausing brachypterous males. This is the first report of corpus allatum volume-dependent wing morph-related differences in the rate of accessory gland maturation in males of insects with a non-functional macropterism. The role of differential activity of the corpus allatum in the different life history strategies of males of the two wing morphs in this wing-polymorphic insect is discussed.

The anomaly that Anopheles culicifacies (Diptera: Culicidae) species B is a major vector of malaria in Sri Lanka, but a non-vector in India, has been noted for several years. In 1999, a Y chromosome dimorphism associated with Plasmodium vivax infectivity within the Indian A. culicifacies species B suggested that this was itself a complex of two sibling species, B and E. A recent cytogenetic analysis shows the sympatric presence of these sibling species in Sri Lanka, a situation similar to that reported from nearby Rameshwaram Island, India. Species E, with a submetacentric Y chromosome, is a more effective vector of P. vivax than species B with an acrocentric Y chromosome. Larval karyotyping, however, is time-consuming and labour-intensive. Recently, the development of a PCR-RFLP assay distinguishing species B and E of A. culicifacies from India, based on differences in one region of the cytochrome oxidase subunit II (COII) gene, was reported. Here we show that whilst this diagnostic approach reveals polymorphism in Sri Lankan A. culicifacies, this variation is not correlated with Y chromosome karyotype. Hence this assay will not be useful for distinguishing species B and E in Sri Lanka. Further, we found no difference between the sequences of Sri Lankan specimens in any of three other regions (ITS2, D3 region of 28S rDNA, and guanylate cyclase intron) often used for species discrimination.

In central Europe Adalia bipunctata (L.) occurs in two main colour morphs (typical, melanic), and A. decempunctata (L.) occurs in 3 morphs (spotted, chequered, dark). Temporal variation in the relative frequency of morphs was recorded in populations of the Czech Republic where geographic variation in morph frequency is low. Seasonal trends were investigated in samples collected by a light-trap run daily from March to November for 14 years. In A. bipunctata the melanic form was more abundant in autumn than in spring but the difference was not significant. In A. decempunctata morph proportions did not change seasonally. Samples were also collected by sweepnet from stands of many plant species. In both Adalia species the morph proportions did not differ significantly among collections made on different plants. Long-term changes in morph proportions were analysed by pooling annual samples over all host plants. In A. bipunctata, sampled in 15 years between 1971-2004, there was no significant change in proportion of typical (90.1%) and melanic (9.9%) forms. In A. decempunctata, sampled in 12 years between 1976-2004, the proportions of "spotted" (mean over the years 29.4%), "chequered" (42.2%) and "dark" (21.3%) morphs varied between years. There was a trend toward an increasing proportion of the spotted form in the 2000s compared to the 1970s and 1980s.

In this paper a combination of characters by which Poecilimon species (Orthoptera: Tettigonioidea: Phaneropteridae) can be recognised as members of the P. sanctipauli group are described. Most important are the wide fastigium, short ovipositor and song characters. The morphological characters are figured and described (Table 1), and the song patterns illustrated by oscillograms. The proposed phylogenetic relationships of the members of this group are written as [P. mytilenensis (P. pulcher, P. lodosi, P. sanctipauli)]. All species of the group are known from southwest Turkey and some east Aegean islands. The three species P. pulcher, P. lodosi and P. sanctipauli are morphologically and bioacoustically quite similar. P. sanctipauli and P. pulcher are distinct species, P. lodosi, however, possesses a combination of the key characters of the other two species. It may be a relict species or, in our opinion more probably, a species of hybrid origin.

Using an opto-cardiograph combined with an infrared gas analyzer regular bouts of abdominal contractions were recorded from last instar larva of Bombus terrestris. The rate of CO₂ release was about 0.7 ml g^-1 h^-1. The bouts of contractions were of two types: weak extracardiac pulsations and vigorous pumping. The frequencies of pulsations and pumping were 25-35 per min and 8-12 per min, respectively. Bouts of extracardiac pulsations and abdominal pumping were independent of each other and sometimes overlapped. Cardiac contractions (heartbeats) were continuous (57-63 pulses/min). This study suggests that the periodically occurring abdominal contractions play an essential role in respiration and/or in haemolymph circulation in larvae of B. terrestris.

Empirical protocols for assessing the suitability of prey for aphidophagous coccinellids are examined and a modified scheme of categorization is presented. It is argued that prey suitability should be assessed independently for larval development and adult reproduction because of potentially divergent nutritional requirements between these life stages. A scheme is proposed for assessing prey suitability for larval development using conspecific eggs as a reference diet against which diets of various prey types can be compared both within and among coccinellid species. Among suitable prey (those that support ca. 100% survival of larvae to the adult stage), those that promote faster development and yield larger adults relative to a conspecific egg diet are considered "optimal" for larvae. Prey that yield viable adults with similar or reduced adult weight after a similar or extended period of development relative to a diet of conspecific eggs are classified as "adequate". Prey are "marginal" if they support the survival of some larvae, but significantly less than 100%. Supplementary water should be provided with any non-aphid diet (e.g. pollen and alternative sources of animal protein) given the potential for food-specific diet-drought stress interactions. For adults, suitable prey are classified as "adequate" if they support the production of viable eggs when fed as a monotypic diet, or "marginal" if they merely prolong adult life relative to a water source. Prey that comprise an optimal or adequate diet for both larval development and adult reproduction are termed "complete" and these can be indexed for relative suitability according to derived estimates of r_m. Potential sources of error in diet evaluation studies are identified and discussed.

Host-plant mediation in ant-hemipteran mutualisms requires three conditions. First, hemipteran attractiveness to ants should vary with plant quality. Second, ants should preferentially tend those Hemiptera that produce the most nutritious attractant. Third, increased ant attendance based on a richer food reward should have a significant effect on some measure of hemipteran fitness. A field experiment is used to test these conditions. This is the first study to simultaneously test these three conditions, and the first to test the effect of plant flowering status on the ant-derived benefits for a honeydew-producing hemipteran. It is hypothesized that membracids (Guayaquila xiphias) feeding on plants (Didymopanax vinosum) with flowers ingest phloem sap of higher quality (higher sugar concentration), produce a higher-quality honeydew and, as a result, are attended by more ants and are better protected compared to those on plants without flowers. Total nitrogen content of the phloem sap of plants with or without flowers did not differ significantly, whereas the sugar concentration was higher in the sap of plants with flowers. Honeydew sugar concentration, honeydew production, and ant tending levels did not vary significantly with flowering status. Membracid survival increased, and natural enemy abundance decreased when ants were present. Plant flowering status did not affect the ant-derived protection afforded to treehoppers, but plants with flowers accumulated more natural enemies through time than plants without flowers. The results suggest that a trade-off between feeding on a higher-quality food and running increased risk of predation on flowering plants could underlie this ant-hemipteran interaction. Based on the parameters measured in this study it is concluded that host-plant mediation does not occur in the ant-Guayaquila system. The results suggest, however, that the way in which the host-plant could affect ant-Guayaquila interactions is complex and likely to involve other species.

The amount of the trail pheromone substance, 3-ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazine, of the leaf-cutting ant Atta sexdens sexdens (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) increases with increasing size of the ant from 0 to 35 ng per individual. The compounds 2,5-dimethylpyrazine and trimethylpyrazine are also consistently present. Trails of venom gland extracts are followed with unequal fidelity by different castes. Minor workers follow best, mediums least well. Workers walk sinuously on narrow trails and less sinuously on wider trails up to 9 mm. Trails wider than 9 mm are not followed. The optimum concentration of pheromone on synthetic trails lies between 15 and 150 pg cm^-1. Given a choice of concentrations at a trail branch, workers always choose the more concentrated. Workers showed slight preference for a trail made with venom gland secretion from their own, over that from an alien colony, but there is no preference for a trail that contains Dufour gland secretion additionally.

The karyotypes of pseudoscorpions of three families, Geogarypidae, Garypinidae and Olpiidae (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones), were studied for the first time. Three species of the genus Geogarypus from the family Geogarypidae and 10 species belonging to 8 genera from the family Olpiidae were studied. In the genus Geogarypus the diploid chromosome numbers of males range from 15 to 23. In the family Olpiidae the male chromosome numbers vary greatly, from 7 to 23. The male karyotype of single studied member of the family Garypinidae, Garypinus dimidiatus, is composed of 33 chromosomes. It is proposed that the karyotype evolution of the families Geogarypidae and Olpiidae was characterised by a substantial decrease of chromosome numbers. The diploid numbers of some olpiids are the lowest known 2n within pseudoscorpions and even one of the lowest within the class Arachnida. In spite of a considerable reduction of diploid numbers, all species studied possess a X0 sex chromosome system that is widespread and probably ancestral in pseudoscorpions. Moreover, X chromosomes retain conservative metacentric morphology in the majority of species. During the first meiotic division of males, a high number of chiasmata were observed in some species, up to five per bivalent in Indolpium sp. The transient stage between pachytene and diplotene is typically characterised by extensive decondensation of chromatin in males of geogarypids and in Calocheiridius libanoticus, and we interpret this as a diffuse stage. This is recorded in pseudoscorpions for the first time. The relationships between some species belonging to the family Olpiidae are discussed based on the data obtained.

Coptotermes gestroi and Heterotermes tenuis (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) are important pests in southeastern Brazil causing serious economic damage. In this study we determined the demographic patterns and foraging activity of these species using mark-release-recapture and the consumption of wooden stakes. Using both the weighted mean and Lincoln index methods, population estimates ranged from ≈ 0.57 to 1.99 million individuals for C. gestroi and from ≈ 0.20 to 1.37 million for H. tenuis. Territory size of the colonies ranged from 172.5 to 5235 m² for C. gestroi and from 16 to 40 m² for H. tenuis. Our results also indicate that foraging activity was dependent on the minimum temperature; however, the existence of a compensation strategy in the foraging activities may permit foragers to exploit food sources under different environmental conditions.

Seasonal adaptations of green lacewings (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) and their role in the control of aphid populations are discussed. The chrysopids of temperate zones face seasonal changes and must escape cyclic adversity. One way is via the number of broods per year. Most green lacewings are facultatively multivoltine, with the succession of generations most often regulated by photomediated diapause. Others are univoltine and some extend their life-cycle to two years in cold or dry environments. Synchronization is an important feature of seasonality, often starting in spring. In univoltine species, it is sometimes the result of subtle mechanisms, such as double contradictory signals (short plus long day lengths) for reactivation in spring, or a multi-receptivity of the preimaginal instars to photoperiod throughout a year, combined with photo-controlled and synchronized egg laying in late summer. Only one North American species is known to enter a surnumerary food-mediated diapause in summer. Every postembryonic instar may undergo diapause depending on the species. The timing and impact of the spring resumption in aphid consumption depends on their overwintering strategy.
As far is known, chrysopids are intolerant of freezing, but their supercooling points are low enough to enable them to endure hard frost. The numbers of overwintering specimens of green lacewings in the field depend on the structure of the assemblages in the previous growing season. Three examples are used to show that the overwintering populations are different in the different biotopes and dependent on the way the dominant species overwinter. Artificial chambers proposed for overwintering adults of common green lacewings afford them protection during diapause and enhance their predatory efficiency in spring.

The adult sex ratio among the genus Parnassius is usually strongly male biased and close to 2 : 1. This paper presents the results of comparative studies, on the basis of data from wild and captive reared populations of apollo butterfly in the Pieniny National Park (Western Carpathians, Poland). Sex ratio among the wild population is strongly male biased and close to 2 : 1, whereas there was no sex ratio bias among the captive population. However, among the captive individuals caught after releasing into the wild, males significantly outnumbered females. There was a significant, sex-related, difference in activity pattern recorded in the field studies: while the majority of females were observed sitting, males were usually flying. This result suggests that the observed sex ratio shifting is at least partially an artifact caused by the more cryptic behaviour of females. The sex ratio bias was more pronounced in the wild population than in captive individuals caught after releasing into wild, which suggests that difference in detectability between the sexes is not the only reason for males outnumbering females.

Pensoft Publishers, Sofia, xvi + 388 pp. ISBN 954-642-233-9. Price EUR 78.90 (hardcover).

Mechanisms of the suppression of gonadotropic activity of the corpus allatum (CA) in macropterous females were compared with those previously reported for either diapause or starving non-diapause brachypterous females by reciprocal transplantations of the neuroendocrine complexes (comprising the brain-suboesophageal ganglion-corpora cardiaca-CA). The denervated CA stimulated reproduction in most females of all experimental groups suggesting an inhibition of the CA via nervous connections with the brain. The inhibition of the CA within the transplanted neuroendocrine complex was measured by the reproductive performance of feeding recipient females deprived of their own CA. The complex from starving non-diapause brachypterous females stimulated reproduction in 58.3-78.9% of recipients suggesting that the inhibition of the CA was mostly overcome by the stimulating internal milieu of feeding females. In contrast, the "macropterous" complex stimulated reproduction in only 18.8-37.5% of recipients, similar to the "diapause brachypterous" complex (32.0%). The results indicate that the "macropterism", similar to the diapause, is associated with a considerably lower responsiveness of the neuroendocrine complex to humoral stimulation by feeding compared to the responsivenes of the "starving" complex from brachypterous non-diapause females. On the other hand, the CA of macropterous females is of intermediate size between that of the feeding non-diapause and diapause brachypterous females, similar to the CA of the non-diapause brachypterous females deprived of food. Overall, the data suggest that the suppression of the CA activity results from a combination of the diapause-like refractoriness of the neuroendocrine complex with the starvation-like inhibition of the CA growth. Regulation of the CA activity is discussed in relation to the "oogenesis-flight syndrome" recorded for flying wing-polymorphic species of insects.

A new diagnosis of Vibronychiurus Pomorski, 1998 is given. V. archivari (Christiansen, 1956) comb. n. and V. hermonicus (Gruia, Poliakov & Broza, 2000) stat. & comb. n. are redescribed on the basis of the types and new specimens. Two new species are described: V. aestimabilis sp. n. from Khakasiya (Russia) and V. caucasicus sp. n. from Caucasus (Russia). A key to the species Vibronychiurus is provided.