In the landscape of the Dolomites, within the protected area of the Paneveggio - Pale di S. Martino Park in the Eastern Alps of Italy, a study was conducted to explore the distribution of carabid beetles. To achieve this, pitfall traps were placed along a 1000-m elevation gradient, following the bioclimatic gradient from spruce forests to the resilient pioneer vegetation in the extreme high-altitude environments. The research revealed that both community diversity and biogeographic diversity exhibited a clear correlation with the bioclimatic gradient. As one ascended to higher altitudes, the composition and distribution of carabid beetle communities shifted, reflecting the bioclimatic gradient. The chorological spectrum of the communities showed that Pleistocene paleoclimatic events provided the triggering factors affecting the postglacial recolonization of alpine ecosystems of the Dolomites region. Most of the sampled species displayed specific life strategies that enabled them to thrive in this harsh setting, responding to the selective pressures imposed by ecological factors. An extensive dataset encompassing the diversity of carabid beetles in these high-altitude domains was created. Given that the studied environments are widely distributed along the Italian Eastern Alps, the dataset serves a crucial purpose as it can be used as a reference for other research campaigns conducted in similar environments. Furthermore, it could act as a temporal benchmark for future researches on insects living in extreme environments, e.g. the Dolomites, or for comparing changes in climate that may be detected by future studies in the same geographic area.

The mosquito species Aedes cretinus, which is native to Greece, has become increasingly scarce following the invasion of the highly competitive and widespread Aedes albopictus. The ability of mosquitoes to survive low winter temperatures plays a pivotal role in their population dynamics of the next season. In this study, we investigated the overwintering capacity of Ae. albopictus and Ae. cretinus adults under semi-field, sheltered microclimatic conditions in the northern area of Attica, Greece, during the winter of 2023-2024. Our findings revealed that 11% of Ae. albopictus females and 21.1% of Ae. cretinus females were capable of overwintering, highlighting the importance of sheltered microclimates in enabling overwintering survival under low outdoor temperatures. In contrast, males of both species failed to overwinter. The winter survival ability of adults was significantly greater in Ae. cretinus than in Ae. albopictus, and this may account for the occurrence of Ae. cretinus in the cooler environments of vegetated and wooded locations in northern areas of the Attica region. Nevertheless, the ability of Ae. albopictus females to also overwinter under the same sheltered microclimatic environment may affect the potential of interspecific competition in these areas.

Buffer strips along small waterways that are adjacent to arable land are important for improving water quality and are common measures in agri-environmental schemes. To assess their contribution to arthropod species richness (alpha and gamma diversity) and differences in assemblages (beta diversity) we used pitfall traps to catch arachnids and ground beetles at 40 fields in four regions across Bavaria, Germany, during two or three one-week sampling periods in summer. A permanent vegetated buffer strip was present on 25 of the study fields, 15 were cropped to the field border adjacent to the waterway. Trapping was conducted in the riparian field border, the buffer zone (with or without an established buffer strip), the field edge about 15 m distant to the field border and in the field centre in 80 m distance. Results indicated that alpha and gamma diversity were lowest in the field centre, and the riparian field border had the highest species richness of arachnids. Alpha diversity of ground beetles and spiders was not enhanced in fields with a buffer strip and the buffer strip did not have significantly higher species richness than cropped fields at the same field position. In contrast for ground beetles a higher species richness was observed in the unbuffered field border. An indicator species analysis showed that most of this effect was due to spillover of eurytopic arable species from the neighbouring field. For ground beetle assemblages buffered riparian field borders showed a higher dissimilarity to the other sampled field positions than riparian field borders without an adjacent buffer strip. We conclude that the establishment of buffer strips altered the faunal composition within the buffered riparian field border habitat in summer. We discuss ecological consequences, such as increased beta-diversity and changes in competition, which make buffer strips an important component of the preservation of biodiversity in agricultural landscapes.

Dinocampus coccinellae (Schrank) is a braconid parasitoid of ladybird beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) and has exceptionally wide geographical and host ranges. Based on published and unpublished sources Dinocampus coccinellae probably occurs throughout the temperate, subtropical and tropical climatic zones, but some regions, such as sub-Saharan Africa (except its southernmost part) and the Malay Archipelago, have not so far been surveyed for this wasp. In most of its extensive range D. coccinellae was present before the widespread use of classical biological control. It is likely, however, to have reached some oceanic islands and archipelagos at a later date, along with ladybirds used as biocontrol agents. At least 72 species of Coccinellidae are hosts of D. coccinellae. Three of them, Vibidia duodecimguttata (Poda), Calvia decemguttata (L.) and Coccinella miranda Wollaston, are reported here for the first time as hosts of this parasitoid. The most often reported host of D. coccinellae worldwide is Coccinella septempunctata L. followed by Harmonia axyridis (Pallas), Coleomegilla maculata (De Geer) and Hippodamia convergens Guerin.

Rab proteins are small GTP-binding proteins and are the largest family in the Ras GTPase superfamily and mediate vesicular transport in cells. Diverse insulin-like peptides, such as bombyxin, are synthesized in the brain and secreted into the haemolymph by the corpus allatum (CA). In the brain of Bombyx mori, Rabs are expressed in a specific area; however, which Rabs actually link the secretion of bombyxin remains unknown. A double-staining analysis of nine Rabs (Rab1, 3, 6, 7, 14, 21, 26, 39 and X4) and bombyxin indicated that Rab3-, Rab7-, Rab39- and RabX4-immunohistochemical reactivity (ir) areas overlapped with bombyxin-ir in the brain and CA in B. mori, while Rab6-, Rab14- and Rab21-irs partially overlapped in the CA. Rab1-ir occurred in the other immunopositive areas in CA. Rab26-ir did not occur in the brain. Rab39-ir occurred in UNC104, Rab39- effector, -immunopositive neurons in the brain and CA. Thus, Rab3, 7, 39 and X4 may regulate the exocytosis of bombyxin.

Traps baited with plant volatiles and/or bark beetle pheromones have been used to survey for exotic and potentially invasive bark and wood-boring beetles in North America since the mid-1990s. Recent discoveries of sex and aggregation pheromones in the Cerambycidae offer means of improving detection rates of longhorn beetles, but little is known of their effects on detection of bark and ambrosia beetles in the subfamily Scolytinae. Our objectives were to determine the efficacy of host volatile trap lures for survey and detection of Scolytinae species and whether that efficacy was affected by the addition of longhorn beetle pheromones. More than 12,000 specimens and 36 species of Scolytinae were collected in two field trapping bioassays conducted in the Russian Far East in 2009 and 2010. The lure combination of spruce blend (a blend of racemic α-pinene, (-) β-pinene, (+)-3-carene, (+)-limonene, and α-terpinolene) and ethanol significantly increased detection rates and mean catches of Hylastes brunneus Erichson, Hylastes obscurus Chapuis, Ips typographus (L.), and Dryocoetes striatus Eggers compared with unbaited traps. The addition of the longhorn beetle pheromones, E-fuscumol, or E-fuscumol acetate, to traps baited with spruce blend and ethanol, slightly reduced mean catches of D. striatus but otherwise did not affect catch of any Scolytine species. Baiting traps with ethanol significantly increased mean catches of Anisandrus apicalis (Blandford), Anisandrus dispar (Fabr.), Anisandrus maiche (Kurenzov), Xyleborinus attenuatus (Blandford), Xyleborinus saxesenii (Ratzeburg), Xylosandrus germanus (Blandford), Scolytoplatypus tycon Blandford, and Trypodendron lineatum (Olivier). By themselves, the longhorn beetle pheromones, racemic hydroxyhexan-2-one and racemic hydroxyoctan-2-one, were not attractive to any Scolytine species. However, when added to ethanol-baited traps, hydroxyhexan-2-one lures significantly increased mean catch of S. tycon, hydroxyoctan-2-one lures significantly reduced mean catches of A. maiche and X. attenuatus, and lures of either hydroxyketone significantly reduced mean catch of T. lineatum. The lure treatments that detected the greatest number of species per sampling effort were spruce blend plus ethanol in 2009 (16 Scolytinae species and 13 species of Cerambycidae combined in an eight-trap sample) and hydroxyhexan-2-one plus ethanol in 2010 (20 Scolytinae species and 7 species of Cerambycidae combined in an eight-trap sample). Species accumulation curves did not reach an asymptote for any lure treatment, indicating that many species would go undetected in samples of 8-9 traps per site.

The host recognition and acceptance behaviour of two braconid larval parasitoids (Cotesia sesamiae and C. flavipes) were studied using natural stemborer hosts (i.e., the noctuid Busseola fusca for C. sesamiae, and the crambid Chilo partellus for C. flavipes) and a non-host (the pyralid Eldana saccharina). A single larva was introduced into an arena together with a female parasitoid and the behaviour of the wasp recorded until it either stung the larva or for a maximum of 5 min if it did not sting the larva. There was a clear hierarchy of behavioural steps, which was similar for both parasitoid species. In the presence of suitable host larvae, after a latency period of 16-17 s, the wasp walked rapidly drumming the surface with its antennae until it located the larva. After location and antennal examination of the host, which lasted 60-70 s and 30 s, respectively, the parasitoid inserted its ovipositor. Stinging that resulted in successful oviposition usually lasted 5-6 s. In the presence of non-host larvae, the latency period was between 25-70 s, and parasitoids spent significantly more time walking and antennal drumming on larvae without ovipositing. It is likely that these two parasitoid species use their antennae for host recognition, and both their antennae and tarsi for final acceptance of a host for oviposition. In both C. sesamiae and C. flavipes tactile and contact-chemoreception stimuli from the hosts seemed to play a major role in the decision to oviposit.

We studied the demography, movement, behaviour and choice of nectar plants by adults of Aporia crataegi. This study was done in a dense network of different types of habitats (total size of study area 16.26 ha) from open landscape to shrubland, the latter being a result of abandonment of traditional agricultural practices such as extensive mowing and grazing. Total population size was estimated to be approximately 1700 and 2700 for females and males, respectively. Median and maximum distances moved by males were 134 and 3493 m, and by females 138 and 3165 m, respectively. The average lifespan was ca. 7.1 and 7.5 days, with maximum recorded lifespans of 21 and 17 days for males and females, respectively. The greater capture probability recorded for males indicates their high activity, as they spend most of their time in flight patrolling and searching for mates. A parabolic recruitment curve and protandry were also recorded. Both sexes are highly mobile. The spatial distribution of both sexes was roughly similar. The adult behaviour differed in different habitats, with more time spent feeding and resting when nectar plants were plentiful and more time spent flying when they were rare. Although adults utilized nine nectar sources, only two were recorded in over 80% of all the feeding occasions. In order to re-establish open grassland with some shrubland, traditional and mosaic management of the landscape should be revived at least to some extent.

Among the numerous factors that contribute to the success of social wasps, colony productivity is the most important and depends on ecological and environmental factors, such as the nest site. Consequently, nest-site choice should be determined by nest-site characteristics. The objective of this study was to determine on which species of plants Polistes gallicus wasps build their nests and identify the possible preferred features of plants used during nest-site selection by the foundress. From February to October 2017-2019 we recorded details of the nests in natural areas in south-western Spain (at 38° latitude). Nests of P. gallicus were recorded on 49 species of plants belonging to 23 families, with Scirpoides holoschoenus, Epilobium hirsutum and Foeniculum vulgare the most common. Significantly more wasps built their nests on herbaceous than on shrub and arboreal plants, and on "green" than "brown-grey" plants. Most of the nests were 21 to 189 cm above the ground, with a nest azimuth of about 102°. Nests were located at a mean distance of 43.51 ± 123.79 m from the nearest source of water. The length of the nesting season in the area studied was between 30 and 33 weeks, and more colonies were founded by a single foundress than several foundresses. Furthermore, a greater percentage of the single foundress colonies failed than of the multiple-foundress colonies.

This study of the role the environment in the composition of the communities of carabid beetles was carried out in several types of forests at Obihiro and Furano, Hokkaido, Japan. In addition, we analysed the altitudinal distributions of two forest specialists, Damaster gehinii (Faimaire) and Procrustes kolbei Roeschke, which occur in six mountain forests on Hokkaido. At Obihiro, the forest specialist, P. kolbei was found at only one site in a large area of broadleaf forest. A redundancy analysis indicated that the carabid assemblages were significantly different in the different types of forest, and that two species, Leptocarabus arboreus arboreus (Lewis) and Leptocarabus opaculus opaculus (Putzeys), were associated with broadleaf forests. At Furano, a forest specialist D. gehinii and a forest generalist Cychrus morawitzi Gehin were mainly collected in natural broadleaf and mixed forests, whereas the percentage made up of L. o. opaculus was very high (80.8%) in natural broadleaf forest. Pterostichus thunbergii Morawitz made up the highest percentage of the species in the conifer plantations. In the six mountain forests, D. gehinii was scarce and mainly occurred at low altitudes; however, P. kolbei was relatively abundant and mainly recorded at middle to high altitudes. The management of the forests on Hokkaido needed to maintain the diversity and abundance of carabid beetles is discussed.

The predatory bug, Orius laevigatus (Fieber, 1860) (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae), is an important biological control agent and widely used for augmentative biological control of the western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis Pergande, 1895 (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in greenhouse crops. This bug is generally reared using the Mediterranean flour moth, Ephestia kuehniella Zeller, 1879 (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). The aim of this study was to determine the effects of E. kuehniella eggs produced by adult moths reared on different larval diets on the performance of O. laevigatus. The diets were 95% cornmeal + 5% yeast (CY diet), 53.3% cornmeal + 26.7% wheat bran + 15% Glycerine + 5% yeast (CBGY diet) and 53.3% wheat flour + 26.7% wheat bran + 15% Glycerine + 5% yeast (WBGY diet). Laboratory studies started with newly emerged nymphs of O. laevigatus kept in a climate chamber at 27°C, 60% relative humidity and a 14L :10D photoperiod. Eggs of E. kuheniella adults that were fed on one of the three different larval diets were provided to the nymphs as a source of food and bean pods of water. Following adult emergence, all individuals were sexed, and female and male pairs were put in plastic containers (30 cc) with eggs of E. kuehniella and bean pods. Nymphal development time, fecundity and longevity of O. laevigatus were not differently affected by feeding on the eggs of E. kuehniella reared on the three diets. In addition, the daily and total egg consumption of adults of O. laevigatus were similar. Because the CY diet eggs contain more nutrients, their consumption by nymphs was lower. This study indicates that the CY diet is an adequate diet for rearing E. kuehniella for producing eggs for rearing O. laevigatus.

A revision of the genus Angulaphthona Bechyné, 1960 is provided, with a description of Angulaphthona confusa sp. n. from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and A. rossii sp. n. from Sierra Leone. The following synonymies are proposed: Angulaphthona latipennis (Pic, 1921) = A. latipennis zambeziensis (Bechyné, 1959) syn. n. and Angulaphthona pelengensis Bechyné, 1960 = A. exalta Bechyné, 1960 syn. n. The precedence of the name pelengensis is discussed. Angulaphthona violaceomicans (Chen, 1936) comb. n. (transferred from Aphthona) from Sri Lanka is established, and some hypotheses to explain the presence of the genus outside Africa are put forward. A key to the seven known species is supplied, with microphotographs of diagnostic characters, including male and female genitalia.

Chemical defence in insects is an increasingly popular subject of research and has the potential for providing unexplored compounds with unknown properties for drug and repellent discovery, so the secretions of various species of insects are currently being studied, and new ways of collecting these secretions are being sought. Silica gel and activated carbon were used as absorbents to collect the sprayed defensive secretion of Eurycantha calcarata. Using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry, 49 compounds were identified, including 19 carboxylic acids, nine esters, ten alcohols, five hydrocarbons, and other organic compounds. The most abundant two compounds from each group were: hexadecanoic acid, octadecanoic acid, 9-hexadecenoic acid octadecyl ester, hexadecanoic acid tetradecyl ester, octacosanol, triacontanol, tridecane, and tetradecane. Silica gel turned out to be a better absorbent because it captured more compounds than the activated carbon. The mass of the absorbent did not affect the quality of the analyses. This paper is the first describing the volatile secretions emitted by phasmid representatives that originate from abdominal structures rather than the glands on prothorax. The presented results of the analyses and the known properties of the detected compounds give grounds for the conclusion that these secretions are of importance for defence in this species of phasmid.

Populations of herbivorous insects are considered to be primarily regulated by natural enemies. However, little is known about the ecological role of entomopathogenic fungi. There is very little data on the diversity and prevalence of fungal pathogens in natural insect populations. In this study, the percentage mortality attributable to fungal pathogens for the immature stages of three noctuid moths feeding inside the stems of the herbaceous plant, Typha latifolia, were determined. The average percentage mortality caused by fungal pathogens was around 8%, with the value never exceeding 20% at any of the studied sites. As many as ten species of fungi were identified in the 52 infected larvae/pupae collected, this high diversity is consistent with the results of comparable studies. The prevalence of fungal infections did not correlate with host population density or performance of the host insects. This study contributes to the emerging generalisation that populations of insects commonly harbour diverse assemblages of pathogenic fungi, but with low overall prevalence. A significant contribution of these antagonists to regulating insect populations is unlikely.

Treehoppers are characterized by exaggerated and three-dimensionally modified pronotal structures, known as "helmets". The treehopper pronotum has been studied mainly in terms of taxonomic diagnosis for over a century. It has recently been used as a model for studying the origin of evolutionary innovation and morphological diversification. However, the interspecific correspondence of traits, i.e., homology of pronotal parts, remains ambiguous due to (1) the extreme diversity in pronotal morphology and (2) little comparative study focused on homology. These problems hinder tracing the evolutionary history of treehopper pronotal morphology. Here, we investigate the homological relationships of pronotal structures among treehoppers, especially in the subfamily Smiliinae. We first investigate smiliine species, whose pronotal morphology is relatively simple, then expand to species with a more complex pronotum. Our comparative observations using six smiliine species reveal that four traits share the same positions and structures among these species: (1) the humeral angle, (2) the median carina, (3) the starting point of the median carina, and (4) the posterior apex of the pronotum, indicating that these traits are homologous across these species. Based on this homology hypothesis, we generalize the pronotal morphology and propose landmarks to help interpret the diversified pronotum of a clade including Smiliinae and its relatives. Finally, we confirm that this generalization can be applied to other treehopper subfamilies. Our homology-based approach can provide a strategy to recognize the trajectory of pronotal morphology, which is often difficult to trace.

The current spatial distribution patterns of organisms result from both historical and contemporary environmental factors, which can be challenging to identify. Previous approaches to the distribution of Palearctic and Iberian Notodontidae require revision. This study, based on the presence data of each species within 100 × 100 km UTM grid squares across the Iberian Peninsula, represents a first step in this direction. Of the 38 Notodontidae species reliably recorded from the Iberian Peninsula, 7 exhibit a Cantabrian-Pyrenean distribution pattern, 5 extend beyond this region to cover all of Galicia and northern Portugal, 7 are spread throughout the northern half of the peninsula and 11 are widely distributed. As each of these distribution patterns builds upon the previous one, the area of highest species richness is concentrated in the Cantabrian-Pyrenean zone. The number of species recorded in each grid square is influenced by the sampling effort and, to a lesser extent, by land area. However, regardless of these methodological factors, species richness correlates with two key variables: the geographical distance from the Pyrenees and the average spring-summer temperature. The decreasing gradient of species richness as one moves farther from the Pyrenees may be explained by historical southward expansions and subsequent retractions towards the continent. Additionally, the inverse correlation between species richness and average spring-summer temperature could reflect a progressive decline in species whose populations are phenologically suited to Mediterranean conditions.

The ants of the genus Protalaridris are revised based upon their morphology. Seven species are recognized; the type species (P. armata Brown, 1980) and six species described as new: P. aculeata Lattke & Alpert, sp. n., P. arhuaca Guerrero, Lattke & Alpert, sp. n., P. bordoni Lattke, sp. n., P. leponcei Delsinne & Lattke, sp. n., P. loxanensis Lattke, sp. n., and P. punctata Lattke, sp. n. The genus is patchily distributed in mesic forested areas from western Panama to northern Venezuela and along the Andes to the Amazon watershed of southwestern Peru. The generic description is modified to accommodate a short-mandibulate species. Sporadic biological observations of one long-mandibulate species suggest they are sit-and-wait ambush predators that open their jaws to approximately 180° when stalking. All species are described and imaged, an identification key and a distribution map is provided. Comparing the mandibular morphology of long-mandibulate Protalaridris with other extant and extinct ants bearing elongate, dorsoanterior arching mandibles suggests the supposed mandibular apex in these taxa is actually a hypertrophied, preapical tooth and their supposed basal mandibular tooth is the main mandibular shaft.

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

Non-native species pose a threat to native organisms. When non-native and native species are closely related, the former can often competitively exclude the latter. Many studies have focused on competitive exclusion of native insect species by non-native eusocial hymenopterans, including ants, hornets, paper wasps and bees. Although solitary species of wasps have been introduced in many regions, few studies have investigated the effects of these insects on their native congeners. We investigated competitive interactions between native and non-native solitary wasps belonging to the same genus (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae: Anterhynchium). Specifically, we compared resource use and natural enemies of the native Anterhynchium flavomarginatum and supposedly non-native A. gibbifrons at a forest edge in Takasago, Hyogo, Japan, in June-October 2019, using trap nests (bamboo canes). Of 950 bamboo canes, 70 (7.4%) and 50 (5.3%) were used as nests by A. flavomarginatum and A. gibbifrons, respectively. Anterhynchium flavomarginatum produced two generations over the period studied, whereas A. gibbifrons produced only one. Although A. gibbifrons began nesting two weeks after A. flavomarginatum, the nesting period of A. gibbifrons overlapped that of the first nesting period of A. flavomarginatum. Nest architecture and the inner diameter of the canes used by both species were similar, suggesting potential competition for nesting resources. Anterhynchium flavomarginatum used larvae of 14 species of moths (Lepidoptera: Crambidae, Pyralidae, Tortricidae) as food for their larval offspring, whereas A. gibbifrons used only a single species, Demobotys pervulgalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae). Prey species were exclusive to each wasp species, indicating no competition for this resource. Three parasitoid species, Macrosiagon nasutum (Coleoptera: Ripiphoridae), Amobia distorta (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) and Megaselia sp. (Diptera: Phoridae), attacked both Anterhynchium species. The percentage parasitism by Amobia distorta was higher for the native A. flavomarginatum. Anterhynchium gibbifrons may indirectly affect A. flavomarginatum via shared parasitoids.

Invasive ambrosia beetles, such as the black stem borer (Xylosandrus germanus), pose serious ecological and economic threats to various natural, semi-natural and artificial ecosystems with suitable host plants. This study investigates the temporal and spatial variation in X. germanus abundance within lowland, mostly oak-dominated forests of the West Carpathians, focusing on the influence of tree species diversity, altitude, and forest stand age. Our findings reveal a strong positive correlation between tree diversity and X. germanus abundance, suggesting that diverse forests provide favourable conditions for beetle establishment. Altitude also exhibited a significant positive effect, likely due to increasing humidity and more suitable microclimatic conditions at higher elevations. In contrast, forest age had a small but significant negative effect, potentially due to reduced availability of stressed host trees in older stands. Beetle activity peaked in early to mid-June, in agreement with previous observations of phenology of this species in Central Europe. These findings contribute to our understanding of the ecological factors shaping X. germanus populations and provide valuable insights for forest management strategies aimed at mitigating the spread of invasive ambrosia beetles.

Understanding the relationship between solitary bee flight and flowering phenology is globally relevant for environmental management and habitat restoration. Using Swedish citizen science data over an 11-year period, the flight behaviours of two oligolectic solitary bees (Andrena hattorfiana and Andrena marginata) were compared to the flowering phenology of their hosts (Knautia arvensis and Succisa pratensis) in southern Sweden. There were 2,327 and 4,566 records of flight and flowering, respectively. While associative studies cannot resolve the degree of oligolecty, a strong temporal association of Andrena hattorfiana with Knautia arvensis and Andrena marginata with Succisa pratensis was indicated. Three conclusions emerged when comparing annual data: first, the flight period of both bee species studied overlapped with the flowering period of their corresponding host plants. Second, earlier flowering of Knautia arvensis corresponded with the earlier flight of Andrena hattorfiana. Third, the flight period duration was unaffected by the flowering period duration. For Andrena hattorfiana/Knautia arvensis, climate change may shift the start of flight and flowering periods to earlier dates in the year. A similar response would be expected for Andrena marginata/Knautia arvensis, but not for Andrena marginata/Succisa pratensis where there instead might be an increasing mismatch between the flight and flowering periods.

We describe a new and unusual myrmecophilous behaviour displayed by the darkling beetle, Scaurus uncinus (Forster, 1771) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), accessing nests of the harvester ant, Messor barbarus (Linnaeus, 1767) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), in southeast Spain. The beetles enter the interior of the ant nests using a relatively primitive strategy based only on brute force, which we name "brute force entries". To understand the significance of this behaviour, we have studied the interactions of these two species in the field and in the laboratory during six years. Our observations confirm that specimens of S. uncinus expend a considerable effort to enter the ant nests, despite the ants fiercely attacking them, to the extent that the beetles lose legs and antennae through the process. We describe and discuss this behaviour, and identify hypotheses about its development and significance.

The degeneration in flight ability in beetles has rarely been studied in detail with regard to the polymorphism of flight traits within species. However, intraspecific diversity in flight traits means that the flight ability of species is in the process of degenerating, which could provide important insights into how flight ability in beetles degenerates. In this study, the flight muscle and hind wings of the genus Synuchus in Japan were studied, which revealed the morphological status of flight traits in 21 species of Synuchus. Several species in this genus were found to show intraspecific polymorphisms in the states of the flight muscle and hind wings, and in particular, the very high diversity of different types of hind wings. These results indicate that this genus contains a mixture of species at various stages in the degeneration of the ability to fly.

Like many insects, aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae) can host a wide diversity of symbiotic bacteria that can be important drivers of their evolutionary ecology. In addition to the nutritional obligate symbiont Buchnera aphidicola, these phloem-sap feeding insects can host various facultative symbionts whose functional diversity depends on complex interactions with the host genotype and environmental factors. During sampling in citrus orchards in northern Tunisia, we collected aphids on citrus plants. The specimens belonged either to the cotton-melon aphid Aphis gossypii or the green citrus aphid Aphis spiraecola. We analysed the prevalence of Arsenophonus, Serratia symbiotica, Hamiltonella defensa and Regiella insecticola, four facultative symbionts frequently found in the genus Aphis and potentially associated with phenotypic effects related to nutrition, protection against parasites and tolerance of high temperatures. We found that the diversity and prevalence of facultative symbionts differed between these two aphid species that exploit similar ecological niches. In particular, we found a high prevalence of Arsenophonus in A. gossypii populations and that the defensive symbiont H. defensa was only present in A. spiraecola populations. These results are discussed in light of the ecology and life cycles of each of the species of aphid studied.

We previously demonstrated that two immune signaling pathways, Toll and IMD, were concomitantly activated in the model beetle Tribolium castaneum by challenges to their immune system by several species of microbes, including Gram-positive and -negative bacteria as well as yeast. This contrasts with the Drosophila immune system in which more specific pathway activation depending on the type of microbe is well established. We suggest that the activation of an indiscriminate immune pathway in T. castaneum is due in part to an unselective recognition of pathogen-associated molecular patterns by the extracellular sensing modules of the two pathways. In order to obtain a more detailed understanding of the T. castaneum immune pathway, we investigated whether potential components of the T. castaneum IMD pathway, Caspar, DREDD and FADD, are involved in immune reactions triggered by microbial challenges. A sequence analysis of these three genes with the orthologues of other species, including insects, mouse and human, indicated that T. castaneum Caspar, DREDD and FADD functioned as immune signal transducers, which are usually induced by microbial challenges. However, these genes were not induced by microbial challenges. To establish whether these genes are involved in immune reactions, we used RNA interference-mediated knockdown of these genes to assess the microbial induction levels of the representative read-out antimicrobial peptide genes of the respective classes. The results indicated that these genes encode the canonical constituents of the IMD pathway of this beetle. DREDD and FADD influenced the induction of Toll-dependent antimicrobial peptide genes, providing novel crosstalk points between the two immune pathways, which appears to support indiscriminate pathway activation in T. castaneum. Furthermore, the phenotypes of DREDD or FADD knockdown pupae challenged by the two model bacterial pathogens correlated with AMP gene induction in the respective knockdowns, indicating that these intracellular factors contributed to antibacterial host defenses.

Cuticular lipids are essential for the functioning of all arthropods. They maintain water balance, are involved in intraspecific and interspecific chemical communication and prevent fungal and bacterial infections. Although, the insect's lipid layer is relatively well known, that of spiders is considerably less well known. Only a few species are studied in terms of the identification and composition of cuticular lipids. The results obtained so far are discussed in this article. Spiders are subjected to various forms of extraction and in the majority of cases the subsequent analysis using GC-MS identified hydrocarbons, carboxylic acids, esters, alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, methyl ethers and cholesterol. Among these lipids there are semiochemicals, mainly pheromones and kin recognition cues. Despite the few publications on spider cuticular lipids, this subject is significant in terms of searching for antimicrobial substances such as potential bio fungicides and medicines.

In temperate regions, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster (Meigen, 1830) is subject to seasonal changes in natural conditions. Insects exhibit a wide range of adaptive responses to changes in the seasons. In this study, we focused on polyteny, which plays an important role in fruit fly development. Polytene chromosomes are the result of endocycles, a variant of the cell cycle based on endoreduplication. This phenomenon is the basis of postmitotic growth, which is caused by cell expansion. The purpose of the study was to investigate the seasonal dynamics of the levels of endoreduplication and polyteny in fruit flies obtained from the natural population. Flies caught in the spring and autumn of 2019 and 2020 were used as biological material. Chromosomal differences in polyteny were studied by cytomorphometry. We found that patterns of polyteny in Drosophila salivary glands undergo seasonal changes. To a certain extent, these variations correlate with changes in the direction of natural selection, which undergoes seasonal fluctuations. Indices of endoreduplication and cell ploidy acquire the greatest values after overwintering, during which there is an extreme decline in population size and flies undergo selection for viability and stress resistance. During the growing season, endoreduplication and ploidy indicators are reduced. We believe that this facilitates population growth by resulting in smaller flies with accelerated development and faster change of generations. The seasonal component in the total variation of chromosome polyteny in the salivary glands of Drosophila larvae was 21.9%. No significant sex differences were found for this trait.

Prior familiarity of carabid beetle populations with seeds of a plant species might result in a preference for locally available species, either due to evolutionary adaptation or learning. Rejection of exotic species might favor the survival of the exotic species due to enemy release. In adults of two Carabidae species, Pseudoophonus rufipes (DeGeer) and Harpalus affinis (Schrank), we investigated the consumption of seeds of the local (growing inside the distribution range of experimental carabid individuals) Asteraceae species Taraxacum officinale and Crepis biennis, and the exotic (growing outside this area) Asteraceae species Adenostyles alliariae and Homogyne alpina. We assumed that the seeds of the exotic species would be consumed less than the seeds of the local species because the seeds of exotic species are not typically found within the range of the tested carabid populations and therefore may be preferred less than the seeds of local species. The seeds of both exotic species were consumed less than the seeds of the preferred local species, T. officinale, but were consumed more than the seeds of the rejected local species, C. biennis. Both carabid species preferred A. alliariae seeds over H. alpina seeds. No difference was observed between the preferences of the mobile and well-flying species P. rufipes and the sedentary and rarely flying H. affinis. The study did not demonstrate the hypothesized preference of the two tested beetle species for the seeds of locally available plant species.

The new genus Kevinilla Bartholomay & Cambra includes the following four Neotropical species: Kevinilla ludovica (Cameron, 1895) comb. n. (the type species), K. bicarinata (Cambra & Quintero, 2008) comb. n., K. bimaculata (Cambra & Quintero, 2008) comb. n., and K. hansoni (Cambra & Quintero, 2008) comb. n., all transferred from Pseudomethoca. A neighbour joining tree clustered IST1 sequences of Kevinilla in a subclade of the main clade, which includes species of Pseudomethoca and Dasymutilla. Therefore, here Kevinilla is considered to be a member of the subfamily Sphaeropthalminae, tribe Pseudomethocini. A key for both sexes of the known species of Kevinilla is given, as well as an account of seasonal flight activity of males recorded over six years using Malaise traps on Barro Colorado Island, Panama.

Extrafloral nectaries (EFNs) are nectar-secreting structures found on various plants that attract insects, especially ants, which may in turn provide indirect defense against herbivores. This study investigates the presence, morphology, and ecological role of EFNs in Momordica charantia (bitter gourd) and documents the diversity and spatial behavior of its ant visitors. Field observations and scanning electron microscopy revealed button-shaped EFNs located along the adaxial leaf margin, which first appeared at the flowering stage and peaked during the early fruiting stage before declining. Six facultative ant species - Tapinoma melanocephalum, Crematogaster subnuda, Camponotus compressus, Camponotus sericeus, Tetraponera rufonigra, and Lepto­genys sp. - were recorded visiting the EFNs. All species spent significantly more time on the leaf margins than on other plant parts, with T. melanocephalum being the only species to show a strong preference for flowers. The findings highlight a stage-dependent EFN production in M. charantia and a preferential ant visitation pattern centered around EFNs, suggesting a potential role for these glands in ant-mediated plant defense. This study underscores the need for further experimental research to assess the defensive benefits of EFN-visiting ants in crop protection.