I investigated effects of density-dependent variation in host plant quality on adult feeding and overwintering success of the leaf beetle Chrysomela lapponica L. During pre-overwintering period adult beetles were fed in the laboratory on host plants, Salix borealis, originating from (a) a site with low density population of C. lapponica, (b) a site with peak density of C. lapponica, and (c) a post-outbreak site. Beetles fed on plants from low density and peak density sites demonstrated similar performance, whereas on plants from post-outbreak site beetles fed longer, gained more weight, and experienced greater mortality during overwintering. Higher water content in these beetles suggests that the main reason for increased winter mortality is insufficient dehydration of the beetles' bodies, presumably due to low quality food. The total carbon concentration in host plant foliage explained variation in most beetle performance indices, while total nitrogen did not correlate with beetle performance. Damage-induced decrease in quality of host plants from post-outbreak sites (delayed inducible resistance, DIR), associated with increase in carbon-containing defensive compounds, was earlier found to increase larval mortality and thus contribute to the decline in population density of C. lapponica. Results of the current study suggest that DIR can also disturb pre-overwintering feeding and thus increase winter mortality of adult beetles, enhancing post-outbreak density decline.

Colonies of M. rubra, M. ruginodis and M. scabrinodis were collected in four geographic regions: Kiev, Ukraine (50.5°N, 30.5°E - first two species), Vladimir, Russia (56.2°N, 40.4°E - only last species), St. Petersburg, Russia (59.3°N, 30.3°E - all three species) and Chupa, Murmansk prov., Russia (66.3°N, 33.7°E - last two species). After artificial overwintering experimental cultures consisting of 150 workers and one queen were established and kept at 16, 18, 20, 22, 24 and 26°C under long (22 h) day lengths. The workers reared eggs laid by queens into rapid (non-diapause) brood pupae and diapause larvae, which were removed and counted. The results showed the distinct latitudinal variation in the temperature effects on rapid brood rearing and in the thermal requirements for development. First, the period during which new rapid brood pupae appeared was found to be longer and the total number of pupae produced to be greater in ants from more southern populations. The number of diapause larvae reared by ant cultures was also usually greater, in ants from southern sites. Second, low temperatures reduced the period of rapid brood production and the number of pupae reared to a greater degree in ants from northern populations. It means that northern Myrmica colonies rear rapid brood under lower temperatures evidently worse in comparison with ants from southern regions. Third, eggs and larvae from more northern sites appeared to develop faster than southern brood at temperatures above 16-18°C. This was because brood development in northern populations was more temperature dependent, i.e. characterised by higher slopes of regression lines of development rate on temperature. The sum of effective temperatures decreased with the advance to North. The higher slopes were always associated with higher thermal thresholds for development. We conclude that the reaction norm of Myrmica colonies, in response to temperature, changes according to the local climate in such a way that brood rearing, growth and development of individuals become more temperature dependent in more severe environments with colder and shorter summers. This lead to the increase of the physiological and developmental responses at higher temperatures at the expense of a decrease within lower temperature range. In fact Myrmica colonies from northern populations need on average higher temperatures in their nests for successful production of new adults as compared to southern ants.

Previous work suggests that submergence of Lycaena dispar larvae during overwintering may play a significant role in this butterfly's population dynamics. Since potential re-introduction sites in eastern England are prone to regular seasonal flooding, we further studied the species' submergence tolerance with a view to formulating management protocols conducive to larval survivorship under periodic flood conditions. Simulated flooding regimes using captive-reared larvae showed that enforced submergence has a twofold effect: firstly, a direct increase in mortality after 28 days under water and, secondly, a longer term, post-diapause increase in mortality; manifest either as an inability of larvae to resume feeding, or a failure to complete development. Additionally, there was a marked difference in the response of "early" and "late" diapause larvae; the latter generally succumbing after shorter periods under water, and suffering higher total mortalities. Behavioural investigations suggest that, if afforded the opportunity, diapausing larvae can evade submergence by climbing onto the exposed sections of partially flooded host plants. Significantly, survival on partially flooded plants was found to be comparable to that on unflooded controls. Further re-introductions of L. dispar in the U.K. will probably necessitate a direct translocation of wild Dutch stock. As the flood tolerance of this source population remains largely undetermined, and given that re-introduction site hydrology will be generally unamenable to conservation-oriented manipulation, it is recommended that restoration management be directed towards creating structural diversity in the vegetation of overwintering habitats, thereby providing potential "flood refugia" for hibernating larvae.

Phylogenetic relationships of the braconid wasp genus Yelicones Cameron are studied using the D2-D3 region of the nuclear 28S rRNA gene, both alone and simultaneously with morphology. The results support a morphology-based phylogeny, presented elsewhere, with Yelicones being divided into two major groups corresponding to the New and Old World faunas. The African and Asian species largely form separate clades except for Yelicones wui Chen & He from China which is associated with the Afrotropical species. Potential molecular synapomorphies are illustrated.

Many areas of biology employ standard model organisms on which a majority of research effort is concentrated. However, there is invariably a danger associated with the use of too few or atypical models for studies of particular taxonomic groups, guilds or biological phenomena. Using aphidophagous ladybirds, I show that in this group, in the last ten years, 69% of research has been concentrated on just five species, all generalist ecotypes. Much research is now concentrated on invasive species, originally biocontrol agents, and over half the aphidophagous ladybird work on intraguild interactions is centred on two of the five predominant species, Coccinella septempunctata and Harmonia axyridis. Using examples from differing areas of research, I show that studies of more unusual, non-commercial specialists can enhance our understanding of the commonly studied groups. I suggest further areas where a similar approach may lead to equally illuminating results.

Habitat fragmentation may affect the dispersal behaviour of individuals across the landscape. If there is a high boundary contrast between the remaining fragments and the matrix, individuals should tend to stay inside the fragments, but the configuration of the landscape, i.e. the level of fragmentation and isolation distance between fragments, may modulate this. To test these ideas, we made several mark-recapture experiments with the ladybird Eriopis connexa (Germ.) in manipulated alfalfa model landscapes (30 × 30 m). Specifically we evaluated (i) ladybird movement and permanence in alfalfa and bare ground areas, (ii) how they move across fragment/matrix boundaries, (iii) how their movement between fragments within a landscape is affected by fragmentation level and isolation distance, and (iv) how their permanence in the landscape is affected by fragmentation level and isolation distance. The fragmented alfalfa landscapes had a constant level of habitat loss (84%), but varied in the level of habitat fragmentation (4 or 16 fragments), and isolation distance between fragments (2 or 6 m). We also sampled aphid abundance in the different landscapes through time. We found that ladybirds stay longer and displace less in alfalfa than on bare ground, and that they move less from the alfalfa fragments to the neighbouring bare ground matrix than vice versa. At the landscape level, ladybirds had a higher inter-fragment movement when fragments were closer, they tended to remain in less fragmented landscapes, regardless of their isolation distance. Aphid abundance increased in time, but it was similar in all landscapes. Ladybird movement within fragments, in the matrix and in the boundary between both habitats explains why ladybirds concentrate within alfalfa fragments. However, their dispersal movements at the landscape level do not reflect the higher abundance sometimes found for several species of ladybirds in more fragmented landscapes. At this larger scale, other mechanisms may have a stronger influence in determining the abundance of ladybirds.

We examined the occurrence of carabid beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) at the edges of oak (Quercus pyrenaica) and beech (Fagus sylvatica) forests in León, NW Spain. Pitfall traps were used to collect beetles from April to October 2002, and leaf litter cover and depth were measured. Traps were placed at three distances (0, 50 and 100 m) from the edges of eight forest patches. A total of 5436 carabids belonging to 43 species were collected. We found no statistically significant edge effect at the carabid assemblage level, i.e. the number of species and individuals was not higher at the edge compared to the forest interior. However, individual species were affected by distance from the edge. Five of the 14 species analysed responded predictably to the edge, three of them statistically significantly so. Four species did not respond in the predicted direction, two of them statistically significantly so. We found a considerable difference between forest types in terms of carabid assemblage composition and response to the edge. Oak forests were species richer and beech forests had a higher number of individuals. These differences were probably due to small-scale habitat heterogeneity in the oak forest patches, caused by man, and the homogeneous structure of beech forests. Leaf litter appeared to be one possible factor influencing the distribution of some species from the interior to the edge of forests.

The coexistence of discrete morphs within a species, with one morph more conspicuous than the other(s) is often thought to result from both sexual selection and predation. In many damselflies, sexual dimorphism occurs jointly with multiple female colour morphs. Typically, one morph is coloured like the male (andromorph), while the other(s) is not (gynomorph(s)). The mechanisms contributing to the maintenance of such female polymorphism in damselflies remain poorly understood, especially the role of predation. We tested the detectability of two different female colour morphs of the damselfly, Enallagma cyathigerum, using human observers as model predators; andromorphs were detected more frequently than gynomorphs. Field data on mortality of males and the two different female morphs due to predation or drowning were also collected, and these observations support morph-specific mortality. In natural populations predation risk was higher in males than females; gynomorphs, however, were more prone to predation than andromorphs. Differences in behaviour between morphs, rather than colour, may explain this result.

Our goal has been to determine the effect of the presence of aphids on voracity (measured as number of prey eaten and biomass consumed) of Coccinella septempunctata L. and Harmonia axyridis Pallas (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) feeding upon the oblique-banded leafroller, Choristoneura rosaceana (Harris) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). For each coccinellid predator, treatments using a single prey species, with either 30 first instar C. rosaceana or 100 third instars Aphis pomi DeGeer (Hemiptera: Aphididae), were compared with two-prey treatments in which the two prey species were present simultaneously. For both predators, the total number of prey killed (total prey species pooled) and the total biomass consumed were significantly higher when both prey were present than in single-prey treatments. The voracity of C. septempunctata on C. rosaceana larvae was not affected by adding A. pomi, whereas that of H. axyridis declined; the voracity of both predators on A. pomi increased when C. rosaceana larvae were added. The preference for the aphids over C. rosaceana was confirmed for both coccinellid species.

Markers are essential to study movements of insects in their natural habitat. Among the available techniques, trace elements may be applied to insects as small as parasitoids. Rubidium is the most common element used for marking insects. In this study, we propose a simple marking technique for Aphidius rhopalosiphi De Stefani Perez with Rb, when reared on the grain aphid Sitobion avenae Fabricius (Hemiptera: Aphididae) marked on a RbCl incorporated diet. Our results show that the rubidium in an artificial diet is transferred to the aphid and eventually to the parasitoid. The content in rubidium marking did not differ between genders. The aphids stung by a marked parasitoid could not be distinguished from unmarked aphids on the basis of their rubidium content. There were no effects of rubidium on size, fecundity, longevity and sex ratio of the parasitoid, but the marked individuals emerged significantly later than the unmarked. We did not detect differences concerning host acceptance by marked and unmarked parasitoids. This technique may be applicable to other aphidophagous insects after some preliminary evaluations.

Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) is one of the dominant plants of the Fennoscandian boreal coniferous forest and constitutes a major food source for many insect herbivores. A common ant species in these forests is the wood ant Formica (Formica) aquilonia Yarrow, which preys heavily on other invertebrates within its territories. The aim of this study was to investigate whether aquilonia's predation on the insect herbivores may have indirect positive or negative effects on bilberry. Damage to the bilberry, its vegetative growth and reproduction were quantified in order to contrast localities close to (2 m) and far away from (50 m) ant nests.
Close to ant nests, herbivore damage to the bilberry was significantly lower and reproductive success, i.e. proportion of flowers succeeding to berries, significantly higher. The results of this study therefore suggest that distance to aquilonia nests, and thus predation from ants, can significantly affect herbivore damage to the bilberry and its reproductive success (supporting the hypothesis of a top down effect in this three-trophic-level system). Vegetative growth, i.e., density and biomass of current year shoots, and reproductive investment, i.e., proportion of current year shoots with flower, of the bilberry was, however, not affected by distance to ant nests, indicating that the bilberry can also compensate for losses due to herbivory.

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

This paper presents data on the activity rhythms of the Brazilian cave cricket, Strinatia brevipennis. Recordings were made in the laboratory in a sound-proof constant environment. Recordings were made either under constant darkness or LD cycles, with food provided ad libitum or not, and with crickets isolated or with a conspecific near the cage. Some crickets were tested with pulses of sound. Raw data are presented in the form of single plot actograms and analyzed using the phase weighted stack (PWS) method. These cave crickets showed a somewhat erratic patterns of activity, although a circadian component could be detected. All the environmental variants tested (food availability, presence of conspecific and sound pulses) seemed to mask any activity rhythm indicating they are possibly important in determining the temporal organization of these crickets. Their activity patterns are discussed in terms of the plasticity of a cave animal's circadian system.

One of the factors affecting the effectiveness of predatory coccinellids in an aphid infested crop is the food specificity of the predator. The response towards six species of aphids (Sternorrhyncha: Aphididae) was therefore tested in one of the most abundant aphidophagous coccinellids in Bulgaria - Propylea quatuordecimpunctata (L.) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae). All aphid species studied (Acyrthosiphon pisum Harris, Aphis craccivora Koch, Eucallipterus tiliae (L.), Euceraphis betulae (L.), Phorodon humuli (Schrank) and Myzus persicae (Sulzer) cultured on transgenic Bt and conventional (non-Bt) potatoes were suitable food according to the rate of larval development, larval mortality and adult fresh weight. Females of P. quatuordecimpunctata fed with M. persicae cultured on Bt potato, or on non-Bt potato or on a mixture of M. persicae from Bt potatoes and A. craccivora, laid a little more eggs than those fed only with A. craccivora.

Phylogenetic relationships among 16 genera of the subfamily Aphidiinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) were investigated using sequence data from three genes: the mitochondrial large ribosomal subunit (16S), 18S ribosomal DNA and mitochondrial ATPase 6. All sequences were downloaded from the GenBank database. A total of 2775 base pairs of aligned sequence were obtained per species from these three genes. The results support the existence of three-tribes: Ephedrini, Praini and Aphidiini, with the Ephedrini occupying the basal position; Aphidiini could be further subdivided into three subtribes: Monoctonina, Trioxina and Aphidiina. The genus Aphidius is a paraphyletic group. The taxonomic status of the subfamily Aphidiinae within the Braconidae is probably closer to the non-cyclostome than the cyclostome subfamilies.

Aleurodicus dispersus Russell (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), a highly polyphagous species, has since the 90's been an important pest of ornamentals and tropical crops in the Canary Islands. In this study the RAPD-PCR technique was used to study the genetic structure of this whitefly in this archipelago. A total of 68 different bands were scored in seven populations using six primers for amplification. No differences in RAPD patterns were found among populations from different islands of the Canaries. These findings indicate a very high genetic similarity among populations and low level of genetic variability and support a single colonization event by few A. dispersus whiteflies and recent dispersion throughout the archipelago.

Precocious activity of parasitoids is a key factor for cereal aphid control. We investigated the oviposition, flight and walking capacities at low temperature of four aphid parasitoids (Aphidius rhopalosiphi, A. ervi, Praon volucre, P. gallicum) on one of their aphid hosts (Sitobion avenae). Oviposition behaviour was tested at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 15 and 20°C, under a photoperiod of 12 h light. Some females of A. rhopalosiphi oviposited at 6°C while the percentage of parasitization below 10°C remained low for the other species. The proportion of males decreased with temperature for A. ervi, P. volucre and P. gallicum but not for A. rhopalosiphi. For all species, flight and walking activities increased with temperature, Aphidius species being active at lower temperature than Praon species. Field captures showed that the activity threshold for A. rhopalosiphi is 12°C, 15°C for A. ervi and P. volucre, and 19.5°C for P. gallicum. These results are discussed regarding the potential of these four species for aphid control.

The methylated H3 histone and heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1) are markers of heterochromatin in several eukaryotes possessing monocentric chromosomes. In order to confirm that these epigenetic markers of heterochromatin are evolutionary conserved, the distribution of methylated H3 histones and HP1 homologues on the holocentric chromosomes of the cabbage moth Mamestra brassicae (Lepidoptera) were studied. In particular, PCR experiments with degenerated primers identified a HP1 homologue (called MbHP1) in the M. brassicae genome. Sequencing showed that the MbHP1 gene is 737 bp long including a 102 bp 5'UTR and a 635 bp coding portion (comprising an 80 bp intron). The MbHP1 peptide consisted of 184 amino acids, had a 20 kDa molecular mass and a net negative charge. At the structural level, it showed an N terminal chromo-domain and a chromo-shadow-domain at the C terminus linked by a short hinge region. At the cytogenetic level, MbHP1 was located exclusively in the heterochromatic regions of the chromosomes. The same heterochromatic regions became labelled after immuno-staining with antibodies against H3 histone methylated at lysine 9, reinforcing the hypothesis that this modified histone is essential for HP1 binding. Our data, as a whole, confirm that heterochromatic components and markers are evolutionary conserved both in mono- and holocentric chromosomes despite the difference in the distribution of heterochromatin on chromosomes.

Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht/Boston/London, 2002, viii + 419 pp. ISBN 1-4020-0775-2. Price USD 197.00.

Species diversity and potential impact of cocoon parasitoids on the abundance of the common pine sawfly, Diprion pini L. (Hymenoptera: Diprionidae), were explored in different forest habitats, with endemic sawfly populations, by the regular exposure of laboratory reared sawfly cocoons. Different cocoon spinning sites of the sawfly were simulated by exposing cocoons at several strata (soil, litter, trunk and stem of pine trees) in a forest. In more fertile, mixed spruce/pine-forests, parasitism on exposed cocoons was lower than in typical outbreak stands with a lower vegetational diversity. The parasitoid communities comprised of up to nine parasitoid species, which showed temporal and spatial niche separation. The ichneumonid Pleolophus basizonus Grav. (Hymenoptera: Phygadeuontinae) occured throughout the season at all strata as well as in all forest types. The ichneumonid Gelis cursitans F. (Hymenoptera: Phygadeuontinae) was only found in pine forests with sparsely developed ground vegetation, parasitizing exposed cocoons in the upper story in spring. The torymids Monodontomerus dentipes Dalm. (Hymenoptera: Torymidae) and M. minor Ratz. (Hymenoptera: Torymidae) were present in all forest types, but parasitized commonly only cocoons in the upper story in summer. Apparently, these generalists can quickly respond to increased densities of upper story exposed "summer" cocoons and thus limit the population growth of the pine sawfly due to the development of a second generation.

The suctorial proboscis of adult Lepidoptera represents a key morphological innovation that enabled these insects to gain access to new food sources. In the ancestral condition of the lepidopteran proboscis only extrinsic galeal muscles are present in the basal joint region. The presence of additional muscles (i.e., the intrinsic galeal muscles) is regarded as a morphological novelty of the Myoglossata that evolved after the galeae were modified to form suctorial mouthparts. The present comparative investigation of the galeal anatomy in representatives of all major taxa revealed that the intrinsic galeal muscles are derived from the basal galeal musculature. In the examined Neopseustoidea, Exoporia, Nepticuloidea, Incurvarioidea, and Tischerioidea all galeal muscles have their origin in the stipes-galea joint and/or in the proximal region of the galea. Two muscle units form the basal galeal musculature of the joint region and one to three longitudinal muscles extend into the galea lumen. Multiple intrinsic galeal muscles, of which both the origin and attachment sites are markedly distal from the basal joint region are regarded as a groundplan autapomorphy of the Ditrysia. Some slightly oblique muscles may occur along the lateral wall; these were lost in species with extremely slender galeae. In most investigated Obtectomera two series of intrinsic galeal muscles occur; these are the (1) oblique lateral intrinsic galeal muscles, which are arranged one upon the other along the lateral proboscis wall and (2) the median intrinsic galeal muscles, which run more or less longitudinally along the ventral wall. Oblique muscle arrangement probably evolved in concert with the functional demands of a long lepidopteran proboscis. A likely evolutionary pathway to account for the serial arrangement of galeal muscles is proposed.

We have investigated the relative importance of bark roughness and host tree species in determining the diversity and make-up of coleopteran assemblages on the trunks of trees in sub-tropical rainforest in south-east Queensland, Australia. There are clear, statistically significant, patterns in the composition of the assemblages which reflect bark roughness. Rougher bark had associated greater species and family richness, a higher proportion of "rare" species, a higher value for Shannon diversity and lower values for the Simpson and Berger-Parker Index (measures of dominance within the sample). The data support strongly the idea that there is a bark-specific beetle assemblage. The rougher bark was associated with significantly greater numbers of an anobiid species, Dorcatoma sp., and of the latridiid species Aridius australicus. Rougher bark also harboured significantly larger species. The most likely explanation for this seems to be related to the physical heterogeneity and biological complexity of the habitat, presenting, as it does, greater opportunities for shelter, feeding specialisation and intra-species aggregation. Rougher bark contained a higher proportion of both predatory and xylophagous groups than did smoother categories. No clear influence of tree species could be detected although some trends were evident.

Mating success is linked to reproductive success in males, but parameters influencing it are poorly known. The relationships between lifetime mating success (LMS), fluctuating asymmetry (FA), body size (SIZE), reproductive period (RP) and emergence date (MD) of males of Cercion lindeni were investigated. Males were marked and photographed in their pre-reproductive period, and their matings monitored. RP was assumed to be the period between the MD and the last sighting of each individual. Three different FA measures and the size of each individual were determined. The results showed that the individuals not present at the pond during the reproductive period had a higher FA (but not for meristic characters) than those present. For those individuals actually involved in reproductive activity, LMS was only positively correlated with RP, which was negatively related with MD, and this with SIZE.

Investigations of the interactions between aphids and ants in multispecies ant communities and an experimental investigation of some ethological aspects of ant-aphid interactions were carried out in mixed forests at Novosibirsk Academic Centre, from 1998-2002. The eight species of ants investigated were characterized by different levels of territorial organization and interaction with aphids, which were associated with different degrees of specialization of the worker ants. The most myrmecophilous species of aphids (24 out of 33 species identified) were associated with the red wood ants. By placing Coccinella septempunctata Linnaeus (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) in aphid colonies it was shown that only ants with large protected territories attacked the adults and larvae of the predator. Other species of ants either protected aphids only from adult ladybirds or did not guard them at all. Moreover, only individuals of Formica s. str., which has specialized workers, did not switch to collecting protein food. However, aphids make up a considerable part of the prey of ants, in which non-myrmecophilous aphids predominate (about 60-100% of the aphid prey). Moreover, ants only killed unattended or damaged myrmecophilous aphids. Formica s. str., which has the highest level of social and territorial organization, provides aphids with the most services and is the dominant species forming symbiotic relationships with aphids in the communities studied.

Rhythms in abdominal pumping, heartbeats and discontinuous gas exchange cycles (DGCs) of CFV subtype (closed, flutter and ventilation periods) in adults of pine weevil Hylobius abietis were simultaneously recorded using an electrolytic microrespirometer and an infrared (IR) cardiograph or IR actograph (IRA). The cyclic release of carbon dioxide was associated with active ventilation (V phase) provided by vigorous abdominal pumping movements due to contractions of tonic longitudinal and transversal abdominal muscles, which are visible to the naked eye. On the IRA-recordings, the abdominal pumping signals are superimposed on the heartbeat spikes. The relative amplitude of the abdominal pumping signals on these recordings is more than 10 times greater than that of the heart beats. Visual observations showed that the subelytral cavity appeared to be closed during the release of carbon dioxide and open at other times. The flutter (F) of the CFV cycle is characterised by active miniature inspirations or ventilations before the V period. The miniature ventilation movements were imperceptible to the naked eye, but were recorded on the respirometer-actigraph as clear spikes. In addition, movements of the tip of the abdomen, of between 10-20 mm were seen under a stereomicroscope at a magnification of 40×. Some cycles were categorized as (C)FV cycles, when the C period disappears into the end of the V period. Abdominal pumping and miniature inspirations were clearly synchronized with the CFV cycles. Abdominal pumping movements, miniature inspirations or ventilations and heartbeats in adult H. abietis were distinguishable when recordings of the electrolytic microrespirometer-actograph and IRA were made in parallel. These three events were recognized by their different amplitudes and frequencies. It is presumed that abdominal pumping and miniature inspirations in adult H. abietis are obligatory rhythmic movements of different function and origin.

The complete nucleotide sequence and the exon-intron structure of the luciferase gene of the firefly, Luciola lateralis (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) is described. The luciferase gene of the L. lateralis firefly spans 1,971 bp and consists of six introns and seven exons coding for 548 amino acid residues. From samples collected at Boun and Muju, Korea, three isoforms, with identical exon-intron structure, named BU, MJ1 and MJ2, respectively, were obtained. Although the amino acid sequences of MJ1 and MJ2 were identical to those of known luciferase genes of Korean origin, the BU type was novel, differing from each of the MJ1 and MJ2 types by one amino acid. The luciferase sequences of the Korean samples, including those previously revealed, differed only by one - two amino acid residues, but differed by five - six amino acid residues from that of the luciferase gene recorded from specimens from Japan, which suggest genetic divergence has occurred in this species. Phylogenetic analyses using both amino acid and nucleotide sequences further showed that the luciferase gene of the Japanese L. lateralis firefly is genetically distinguishable from that of Korean L. lateralis, suggesting the presence of a genetic subdivision between the L. lateralis dwelling in the Korean Peninsula and Japanese Islands.

The uzifly, Exorista sorbillans (Diptera: Tachinidae), a parasite of the silkworm, Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae), causes heavy losses to the silk industry. This parasitoid harbours a Wolbachia endosymbiont, which controls the fly's reproduction. In the present study a method for curtailing this notorious pest by administering Wolbachia-targeted tetracycline via its silkworm host's diet is investigated. Tetracycline not only influenced the larval growth of the silkworms' by decreasing larval duration, increased silk production and fecundity, without affecting hatchability, it also decreased the reproductive fitness of the uzifly endoparasite by killing the Wolbachia. The antibiotic exerts a beneficial influence by affecting the intestinal flora of silkworm larvae. On the other hand the reproductive fitness of uzifly was greatly reduced in terms of different reproductive abnormalities. When male and female flies that emerged from treated host silkworms were crossed and males from untreated hosts and females from treated hosts were crossed, approximately 72% and 97% of the eggs failed to hatch, respectively. However, of the eggs from crosses between male and female flies that emerged from untreated hosts and between males from treated hosts with females from untreated hosts, an average of 30% failed to hatch and the Wolbachia infection enhanced the fecundity of uziflies. These results demonstrate that the Wolbachia may be essential for uzifly reproduction and that Wolbachia-targeted antibiotics have a beneficial influence on silkworm growth while decreasing the reproductive fitness of the uzifly, E. sorbillans.

The suitability of Liriomyza sativae Blanchard, L. trifolii (Burgess) and L. bryoniae (Kaltenbach) as hosts of the solitary larval-pupal parasitoid Dacnusa sibirica Telenga was studied. This parasitoid is used as a biological control agent against L. trifolii and L. bryoniae. The parasitoid laid eggs in L. sativae, but no adult parasitoids emerged from the puparia. In contrast, D. sibirica adults emerged from the puparia of L. trifolii and L. bryoniae, and there was no significant difference in emergence rate, female developmental time, or sex ratio when parasitizing these two host species. The parasitoid adults that emerged from the L. bryoniae puparia were significantly larger than those from L. trifolii puparia. In conclusion, D. sibirica, a useful biological control agent of L. trifolii and L. bryoniae, cannot control L. sativae.

Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) is a worldwide pest of vegetable, ornamental and field crops. Biotype B of B. tabaci, which is economically most important of the biotypes, is distinct from all other biotypes (non-B biotypes). Fourteen populations of B. tabaci were collected from different localities and host plants in the Chinese mainland and Taiwan, namely TWYDH (tassel flower, Taiwan), HNYC (tobacco, Hainan), GXNG (pumpkin, Guangxi), GDYPH (poinsettia, Guangdong), GDBSM (croton, Guangdong), GDFS (Chinese hibiscus, Guangdong), SHYPH (poinsettia, Shanghai), FJGS (sweet potato, Fujian), SDFQ (tomato, Shandong), BJXHL (squash, Beijing), XJQZ (eggplant, Xinjiang), XJYPH (poinsettia, Xinjiang), XJJM (abutilon, Xinjiang) and XJMH (cotton, Xinjiang). The internally transcribed spacer 1 sequences (ITS1) of ribosomal DNA of B biotype and other biotypes were sequenced and analyzed. The B biotype-specific primers were then designed for rapid identification of B biotype of B. tabaci. The results show that the diagnostic primer only gave a positive result with the B biotype. This is the first report of a rapid means of identifying B. tabaci B biotype using a diagnostic primer based on ribosomal DNA. This protocol is especially useful for identifying the B biotype in Bemisia populations consisting of several biotypes.

Concordant differences in morphology, phenology and RAMS markers, as well as in sequenced mtDNA (COI, COII, cytb) and nuclear DNA (ITS2) fragments, indicate that Dolerus asper Zaddach, 1859 and Dolerus brevicornis Zaddach, 1859 are valid species. On the basis of morphology, molecular markers, and distributional records, both species are distinct from Dolerus gibbosus Hartig, 1837 (= Dolerus planatus Hartig, 1837). Taxonomy of the species is clarified and the neotypes of Dolerus asper Zaddach, 1859 and Dolerus brevicornis Zaddach, 1859 are designated. The synonymies of Dolerus asper Zaddach, 1859, to Dolerus planatus Hartig, 1837 and Dolerus derzavini Malaise, 1931, spec. rev. to D. asper Zaddach, 1859 are abandoned. Dolerus carbonarius Zaddach, 1859 and Dolerus fumosus Zaddach, 1859 are considered to be species inquirendae. Phylogenetic analyses of the ITS2 fragment and fragments of ITS2 + COI and ITS2 + COII yielded the topology [D. asper, (D. brevicornis, D. gibbosus)], while those of all other markers and their combinations resulted in the topology [D. brevicornis, (D. asper, D. gibbosus)]. In the latter hypothesis the clade asper + gibbosus is also supported by structural synapomorphies.