An experiment was conducted to compare the predation efficiency of the coccinellids Harmonia axyridis and Coleomegilla maculata on potato plants, Solanum tuberosum, and on a wild aphid-resistant species, Solanum tarijense. Harmonia axyridis females reduced aphid populations more than C. maculata females. Aphid predation by the predators was reduced on S. tarijense compared to S. tuberosum. Coleomegilla maculata spent less time on S. tarijense than on S. tuberosum. Harmonia axyridis spent the same amount of time on both plant species. The plant species did not affect IGP between larvae. Compared to S. tuberosum, the resistant plant offers M. persicae an enemy-free space against both coccinellid predators.

This study describes the parasitoid species complex associated with seven closely related species of sexual (Siederia rupicollella, S. listerella, Dahlica lazuri, D. charlottae and D. lichenella) and parthenogenetic (Dahlica fennicella and D. triquetrella) Naryciinae (Lepidoptera: Psychidae) in Central Finland. A thorough ecological analysis of all the species of parasitoids recorded was combined with analyses of molecular data. Mitochondrial and nuclear DNA data were obtained from all the species in order to (1) detect cryptic species associated with host specialization, (2) assign undescribed males to females, and (3) verify the morphological identification of closely related species. A DNA barcoding technique was employed to identify host species from parasitized larval remains. By sampling more than 10,000 host larvae, of which 25.7% were parasitized, nine parasitoid species were identified morphologically, including both koinobionts (Ichneumonidae: Diadegma incompletum, Macrus parvulus, Trachyarus borealis, T. solyanikovi, T. fuscipes, T. brevipennis and Braconidae: Meteorus affinis) and idiobionts (Ichneumonidae: Orthizema flavicorne, Gelis fuscicornis). Ecological characteristics such as time and mode of host attack, time of emergence and level of specialization differed widely. The results show that differences in parasitoid biology need to be taken into account when studying differences in percentage parasitism of sexual and parthenogenetic Naryciinae. The molecular data revealed that one parasitoid species M. parvulus may consist of two cryptic forms associated with the sexual and parthenogenetic hosts, respectively. The data further establishes that T. brevipennis and some T. fuscipes are in fact morphotypes of one species. The large variation in mitochondrial DNA within species and its inconsistency with nuclear DNA demonstrate that current species and genus delimitation is inadequate in the Trachyarus species group. Our study shows that it is essential to use DNA barcoding methods when investigating host-parasitoid complexes.

Range shifts are among the most conspicuous effects of global warming. Marked changes in distribution are recorded both for highly mobile species of insects, which are capable of flight, and wing-dimorphic species with predominantly short-winged individuals. One of these species is the bush-cricket Metrioptera roeselii, which occasionally produces long-winged individuals. However, there is little known about the locomotory behaviour of wing-dimorphic insects. Yet to be able to predict potential range shifts it is necessary to know the dispersal potential of macropters. Therefore, an experiment was conducted in which individually marked M. roeselii were released at four sites. Different movement parameters, such as daily movement, activity radius, dispersal range, net displacement and crowding rate, were calculated. The statistical analyses showed that the movement of long-winged and short-winged individuals did not differ, but the percentage of individuals that were not seen again was twice as high for long-winged bush-crickets. These results suggest that most of the long-winged individuals that were seen again did not fly; i.e., they had the same basic mobility as the short-winged individuals. However, the comparatively low number of long-winged individuals that were seen again suggests that at least some macropters are long-distance dispersers, which is relevant for the dispersal process. The comparison of sexes showed that males were significantly more mobile than females. This sex-specific locomotory behaviour in M. roeselii might depend on a complex series of social interactions and physiological conditions.

New aspects of the life-cycle of the flightless wing-polymorphic bug Pyrrhocoris apterus (L.) are described. It was found that 1.1-14.9% of the adult females of P. apterus in 11 samples collected from 4 populations in the South Bohemia had mated prior to entering diapause and their ovaries were in the pre-vitellogenic stage of development with viable sperm in their spermathecae. Some of these females successfully overwintered. The percentage of overwintering females that had been fertilized ranged from 1.1 to 7.2 % and depended on the month and year of collection. The results indicate that pre-diapause mating and overwintering of fertilized females is not unusual in populations of P. apterus in the Czech Republic and and that sperm in overwintering female survives for at least 7-8 months.

Dubas bug, Ommatissus lybicus Bergevin, is an important pest of date palm on the Arab peninsula. This sucking insect causes great damage to the trees and reduces the quantity and quality of the dates. Effect of temperature on the development of the immature stages of O. lybicus was studied in the laboratory by rearing them at nine constant temperatures, ranging from 15 to 35°C. Development was successfully completed at temperatures ranging from 20 to 35°C for eggs and from 20 to 32.5°C for nymphs. The lower thermal thresholds for development of eggs, nymphs and egg-adult were estimated by means of linear regression as 12.9, 12.9 and 13.2°C, respectively. Thermal units required for the development of the same stages were 572.5, 648.2 and 1184.4 degree-days, respectively. The lethal high temperatures were also estimated using a nonlinear model as 34.5, 43.4 and 34.6°C for eggs, nymphs and total immature stages, respectively. The development rate and survival data indicate that the optimum temperature range for O. lybicus is 25-27.5°C.

In summer 2008, the Orthopteran species Chorthippus biguttulus, Myrmeleotettix maculatus (Caelifera), Decticus verrucivorus and Platycleis albopunctata (Ensifera) were sampled in coastal heathland on the German Baltic Sea island of Hiddensee. The aim of this study was to assess differences in abundance of Orthoptera in three different habitats and determine the importance of habitat mosaics. Distribution patterns varied among species and total abundance of Orthoptera differed significantly among the three habitats. Due to species-specific habitat preferences the Caelifera were most abundant in grey dunes and the Ensifera in dwarf-shrub heath adjoining grey dunes. In conclusion, grey dunes are a suitable habitat for the Caelifera studied, while the Ensifera require a heathland mosaic consisting of both grey dunes and dwarf shrub vegetation.

Cuticular parts of the spermatheca and associated vaginal structures (chiefly the ring sclerites of the parietovaginal glands) have been examined and compared in 190 cydnid species representing 65 genera and all five subfamilies currently recognized in the family (Amnestinae, Cephalocteinae, Cydninae, Garsauriinae, Sehirinae). Four species belonging to genera formerly included within the Cydnidae (Dismegistus, Parastrachia, Thaumastella, Thyreocoris) were also examined. Morphology of the three main parts of the spermatheca [seminal receptacle (distal bulb), intermediate part (pump apparatus), spermathecal duct] is described. Four main types of spermathecae can be recognized from the distal receptacle and the intermediate part: the amaurocorine type (in Sehirinae: Amaurocorini), amnestine type (in Amnestinae), garsauriine type (in Garsauriinae), and "cydnoid" type (in Cephalocteinae + Cydninae: Cydnini, Geotomini + Sehirinae: Sehirini). No synapomorphy of these types was found which suggests that the currently conceived Cydnidae are not monophyletic. Moreover, out of these four types only the "cydnoid" is typically pentatomoidean due to the presence of an intermediate part usually well delimited by two flanges and having always an unsclerotized flexible zone as well as two internal cuticular structures (septum and fretum) partly obstructing the lumen. The simple tubular amaurocorine type is unusual and aberrant within all Pentatomoidea. The amnestine and garsauriine types display some similarities with taxa outside the Pentatomoidea, especially with some lygaeoid or coreoid spermathecae, mainly in the structure of the intermediate part not delimited proximally (absence of flanges) and devoid of the flexible zone. Within the "cydnoid" type, six spermathecal facies can be characterized principally according to the shape of both the apical reservoir along with the intermediate part, and the differentiations of the spermathecal duct. It has been impossible to find any synapomorphy for all species and for the six facies belonging to the "cydnoid" type of spermatheca. We suggest that the Cydnidae as defined presently are probably a polyphyletic group; moreover its main "cydnoid" branch, called by us Cydnidae sensu stricto (Cephalocteinae + Cydninae + Sehirinae: Sehirini) seems to be relatively recent among the Pentatomoidea. Nishadana and Nishocoris are transferred from Garsauriinae back to Cydninae: Cydnini and the tribe Amaurocorini (Sehirinae) is upgraded to a separate subfamily Amaurocorinae stat. nov. Moreover, we regard the Geotomini and the Sehirini both as non-monophyletic and we indicate that by appending them sensu lato (Geotomini "s. l.", Sehirini "s. l.")

The size and fecundity of Hemiberlesia lataniae (Signoret) (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) on partially resistant and susceptible kiwifruit (Actinidia spp.) varieties was measured. The size ratio of mature H. lataniae grown on a partially resistant genotype, compared with those on a susceptible genotype, was 0.67-0.51 for 2^nd instar exuviae area, 0.32 for adult body area and 0.18 for estimated body volume. The fertility ratio was 0.1, but the pre-oviposition period and the size of the crawlers were the same. Diaspidid scale insects' unusual ability to continue growing after the final moult appears to be a key feature allowing these insects to show extreme size plasticity while retaining the ability to reproduce even when very small. These observations challenge current theories of insect development that postulate the need to achieve a critical weight threshold before the final moult. We suggest that this strategy may have assisted the evolution of polyphagy within the Diaspididae.

Responses of insects to recent climate change have been well documented in a number of taxa, but not in wasps. This study examined shifts in phenology of the two most important wasp species (Vespa crabro and Vespula germanica) in Poland over the last three decades. Both species showed similar temporal trends, advancing their phenology after the early 1980s, but this pattern was detected only for workers not for the appearance of queens. The appearance times for V. germanica were negatively related to mean April temperature, appearing earlier in years with warmer springs, and positively related to precipitation in April. The studied species advanced aspects of their phenology, but linking this to temperature was not achieved for V. crabro suggesting that we have to pay more attention to the life history traits of the study organisms.

Lady beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) are a classical group for studying the mechanisms that determine local and temporal trends in colour polymorphism. Here we report long term trends in variation in the percentage of different morphs in a population of Hippodamia variegata (Goeze) at Štúrovo, Slovakia (47°48´N, 18°43´E). The morphs differ in the number and location of the spots on their elytra. Beetles were sampled from stands of herbaceous plants using a standard method each year in August over a period of 74 years from 1937 to 2011. Twenty two morphs (out of 74 possible) were recorded in a total sample of 6,984 individuals. Four dominant morphs made up 90% of the total sample and varied in their annual frequency independently of one another. Frequency of "pale" morphs (0-3 spots per elytra), supposedly favoured by a warm climate, increased from 1981 to 2000s' during a period of climate warming, but only after a decrease that took place between 1937 and 1981, which did not parallel a change in climate. Moreover, the differences in the extent of the melanization of the elytral surface are too small to significantly affect thermoregulation in the different morphs. Therefore, the results presented do not provide unequivocal support for climate change determining the long term trends in the variation in the proportions of the different morphs.

Aphids play an important role in the life of many ant species supplying them with energy-rich carbohydrate food and in exchange receiving some degree of protection from natural enemies. This study focused on the degree of protection different ants provide myrmecophilous aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in multispecies ant communities. Field investigations were carried out in steppe and forest plant associations in Siberia. The potential level of aggressiveness of six ant species (Formica rufa Linnaeus, F. pratensis Retzius, Lasius fuliginosus (Latreille), L. niger (Linnaeus), Camponotus saxatilis Ruzsky and Myrmica rubra Linnaeus) towards imagines and larvae of ladybirds and lacewings and larvae of hoverflies was tested in the laboratory. A comparative analysis of the occurrence of aphidophages in colonies of the aphid Chaitophorus populeti Panzer and of all aphid-symbionts tended by different ants in the study area has shown that the degree of protection of myrmecophilous aphids from natural enemies significantly differs among ants and is positively correlated with ant colony size. On the whole, the degree of protection of myrmecophilous aphids from aphidophages depends both on the potential level of aggressiveness of ants and their foraging strategy when collecting honeydew (degree of specialisation among honeydew collectors). As the dominant ants Formica s. str. were the most aggressive and provided aphids with the highest degree of protection, we suppose that these ants have the most important influence on the survival of the symbionts in multispecies ant communities whereas the other ants, which live in small colonies of about 10²-10³ workers, appear at least partially to take advantage of the mutualistic relationships of the dominant ants.

Species assembly in ground beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) communities in local microhabitats was studied in a forest. The following questions were addressed: are there important filters that sort the species in the assemblages? If so, what is the specific nature of these filters? In order to address these questions rarefaction analysis was used to determine whether ground beetle species are distributed non-randomly. Next, the nature of filters was determined by analyzing (1) the community matrix and searching for the consequences of competitive exclusion and (2) species-environmental relations. Rarefaction analysis revealed that the species composition is filtered: species richness was less than expected and there were fewer than expected congeneric species coexisting at high beetle population densities. However, community matrix and body size analyses did not detect significant competition among the beetle species and the matrix was significantly nested. Species-environmental analyses indicated that the ground beetle assembly was strongly linked to ground vegetation. It is concluded that spatial distribution of ground beetles across local communities in this forest habitat is determined more by local environmental conditions than competition, and ground beetles do not interact strongly among themselves so that competitive effects do not play an important role in their distribution except at high beetle population densities.

The relative effects of two components of mountain environmental heterogeneity, altitude (1500, 1700 and 2000 m a.s.l.) and habitat (pastures, coniferous forests, wet meadows, scrub and anthropogenic woods) on the diversity of dung beetles in an Italian alpine valley were determined. The additive gamma diversity analysis indicated that differences among habitats (ß_H) were always smaller than those among altitudes (ß_A), irrespective of the measures used; it also showed that the contribution of ß_A to γ-diversity was higher than expected by chance for all the measures of species diversity used, whereas the contribution of ß_H was significantly higher in the case of one measure only. Generalized linear models confirmed that altitude was the most important factor associated with local diversity, with all the diversity parameters considered progressively and significantly increasing with increasing altitude. Indicator species analyses revealed that dung beetle altitudinal and habitat diversity patterns depended on local choice of species, with preferences for altitudinal levels being more numerous and apparent than those for habitats. Despite the minor effect of habitat differences, comparing a three-habitat with a single-habitat scenario it was possible to demonstrate that greater habitat heterogeneity is associated with a significantly greater diversity of dung beetles. This study suggests that preservation of local environmental heterogeneity by means of traditional pastoral activities should be encouraged as a means of conserving the diversity of dung beetle species in the Alps.

Sycophila pistacina (Rondani), which was previously synonymized with Sycophila biguttata (Swederus), is revalidated. Morphological, morphometric and molecular data confirm its status as a separate species. Diagnostic characters are provided for distinguishing it from S. biguttata. The nomenclature of the S. biguttata complex is updated.

The nymphs of the cixiid planthopper, Reptalus panzeri (Löw, 1883), were found cohabiting with the myrmicine ant Aphaenogaster subterranea (Latreille, 1798) in a sub-Mediterranean oak forest in mid-western Hungary. Except for a few cases, nymphs were recorded only in the nests of A. subterranea, or were recorded with foragers of this ant from neighbouring colonies. Adult planthoppers were also found in nests of A. subterranea in the emergence period. Neither field nor laboratory studies revealed direct or unambiguous interactions between this ant and the planthopper nymphs that would indicate a trophobiotic relationship, however the fact that nymphs do not try to escape from the ants, which do not attack the nymphs, indicates some kind of mutualistic relationship between them. The main food plant of R. panzeri nymphs in this habitat is likely to be the roots of manna ash (Fraxinus ornus).

A laboratory study was conducted to examine tritrophic effects on the suitability of the peach-potato aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer), and tobacco aphid, Myzus persicae nicotianae (Blackman & Eastop), as prey for the two spot ladybird, Adalia bipunctata (L.), when the aphids were reared on either sweet pepper or tobacco. Significant host plant-aphid interactions were evident for every component of development (juvenile survival, developmental time, adult mass at emergence) and reproduction (pre-oviposition period, fecundity, fertility). By almost all measures, the suitability of each aphid species was improved by rearing on its host plant of origin and diminished by rearing on the alternative host plant. The symmetry of the interactions are suggestive of both positive and negative host plant effects on aphid suitability as prey. Whereas M. p. nicotianae may be better able than M. persicae to detoxify the nicotine that is likely responsible for the reduced suitability of M. persicae when reared on tobacco, it appears to have lower nutritive value for A. bipunctata than M. persicae when reared on pepper. Thus, population parameters (R₀, r_m, l and DT) derived from performance data indicated that M. persicae reared on sweet pepper was the most suitable prey and that the same species reared on tobacco was the least suitable, with other host plant-aphid combinations intermediate.

DNA barcoding surveys of small insects usually extract DNA from either a complete insect or a leg. Little is known about how to optimize DNA quantity and quality from different insect parts while preserving a morphological voucher. Here, we quantify DNA yield from different body parts (antenna, hind leg, forewing, hind wing and abdomen) of the micro-moth Cameraria ohridella (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) using fluorescent nucleic acid stain (PicoGreen). Samples were preserved in 100% ethanol or dried for three weeks. Our experiment was designed to encompass practical sampling options during fieldwork. DNA quality was assessed by PCR amplification of the mitochondrial COI barcode fragment. In addition, we compared PCR amplification using Platinum^® Taq and Qiagen DNA Polymerase and quantified sequence success of amplified DNA. We show that overall, dry parts showed higher eluted DNA yields. PCR and sequencing success rate were slightly higher for dry tissue than ethanol-preserved parts. We also show that Platinum^® Taq yielded the highest PCR success rate and that all dry tissues are sequenceable. The optimal strategy for DNA barcoding surveys is therefore to mount micro-Lepidoptera specimens in the field for morphological analysis and sample tissues (hind legs are favoured) from dried samples at a later time (several weeks) in the lab for DNA barcoding using preferentially Platinum^® Taq. If larger amounts of DNA are required (i.e. for nuclear gene sequencing), several legs from one side of the specimen or the abdomen should be preserved in pure ethanol.

One of the best documented effects of climate change on biodiversity are shifts in phenology. However, long-term data quantifying and projecting the expected changes in phenology associated with climate warming are limited to a few well-recorded areas in the world. In the absence of temporal recording, an alternative approach is to determine the phenological response of species along marked gradients in climate or along latitudinal or altitudinal transects (space-for-time substitution). We studied the phenology (timing and duration of the flight period) of butterflies in 2006 along an altitudinal gradient (900-1680 m; estimated temperature lapse rate = -6.6°C/km) in the Serranía de Cuenca (central Spain) at the assemblage and individual species levels. Timing of the flight period was later for assemblages at high than at low altitudes. A similar trend of an increasing delay in the flight period with altitude was recorded for some individual species. However, there were also some exceptions to this pattern regardless of the number of sites and the altitudinal ranges of the species, suggesting possible local adaptation to regional climate. The duration of the flight period was shorter at high altitudes for assemblages, but this trend was not mirrored in the response of individual species. The results partly support substituting space-for-time when assessing the potential effect of climate change on phenophases such as the timing of the flight period, but we recommend extreme caution in extrapolating the results in the absence of information on how the responses of populations differ.

A review of West Palaearctic species of the genus Eloeophila Rondani, 1856 is presented. Three species are redescribed, viz. E. czernyi (Strobl in Czerny & Strobl, 1909), E. laciniata (Edwards, 1928), and E. pusilla (Kuntze, 1920). A lectotype of the latter is designated. Eloeophila albofascia (Alexander, 1975) is established as a new junior synonym of E. apicata (Loew, 1871). Descriptions are provided of E. bipartita sp. n. (North Italy), E. delmastroi sp. n. (North Italy), E. lucasi sp. n. (South Italy and Sicily), E. maroccana sp. n. (Morocco, Spain), E. martinovskyi sp. n. (South Italy), E. minor sp. n. (Czech Republic, Slovakia), E. pectinistylus sp. n. (Spain), E. punctulata sp. n. [Cyprus, Greece (Crete)], E. sparsipunctum sp. n. (Bulgaria), and E. tigricosta sp. n. (Spain). A key to males of all West Palaearctic species is presented.

Béthoux recently identified the species †Adiphlebia lacoana Scudder from the Carboniferous of Mazon Creek, Ill., USA as the oldest beetle. The fossils bear coriaceous tegmina with pseudo-veins allegedly aligned with "rows of cells" as they occur in Permian beetles and extant Archostemata. The examination of four new specimens of †Adiphlebia lacoana from the same locality revealed that the "cells" are in fact clumps of clay inside a delicate meshwork, and no derived features shared with Coleoptera or Coleopterida (= Coleoptera + Strepsiptera) were found. Instead, †Adiphlebia lacoana bears veinal fusions and braces similar to extant Neuroptera. These features support a placement in †Strephocladidae, and are also similar to conditions found in †Tococladidae. These unplaced basal holometabolan families were erroneously re-analyzed as ancestral Mantodea and Orthoptera. Homologization of the wing pairs in neopteran lineages is updated and identification errors are corrected. A new Permian beetle family †Moravocoleidae [†Protocoleoptera (= Permian Coleoptera with pointed unpaired ovipositor; e.g., †Tshekardocoleidae)] is described.

An Erratum has been published for this article: https://doi.org/10.14411/eje.2013.027

Fourteen predatory species of ladybirds (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) were collected from May to October 2008 from mountain ash (Sorbus aucuparia) infested with the scale insect Chionaspis salicis at 31 localities in the Ore Mountains, northern Bohemia, Czech Republic. Chilocorus renipustulatus, usually a rare species, made up 85% of the individuals collected (1690). Other abundant species were Coccinella septempunctata, Calvia quatuordecimguttata, Adalia bipunctata and Adalia decempunctata. The invasive alien Harmonia axyridis was present but made up less than one per cent of the individuals collected. Niche overlap between pairs of ladybird species measured in terms of the coefficient of community, Morisita's index and cluster analysis showed that microhabitat preferences were similar and hence the possibility of competition was high in two pairs of congeneric species (Chilocorus and Calvia). Larvae of Ch. renipustulatus were abundant from mid-June through August and were still present in October.

The morphology of the male salivary glands of eighteen species of Panorpidae from China was studied using light microscopy. The results show that the male salivary glands differ markedly both at generic and specific levels. In Neopanorpa, the salivary glands consist of only two simple long secretory tubes extending to the fifth or sixth abdominal segment, whereas in Sinopanorpa, the salivary glands are composed of six extremely elongated secretory tubes. In Panorpa, the salivary glands are quite diverse, comprising two simple short secretory tubes only extending to the prothorax in the P. amurensis group (P. liui and P. jilinensis), six long tubes in the P. centralis group, eight to twelve in the P. diceras group and of a very variable number in the P. davidi group (especially in P. bifasciata and P. subambra). Morphology of the male salivary glands should be included in future studies on the systematics and phylogeny of the Panorpidae.

Seven polymorphic microsatellite loci were developed for the planthopper Hyalesthes obsoletus, vector of stolbur 16SrXII-A phytoplasma. The loci have di- or trinucleotide repeat motifs and are highly variable with 10 to 22 alleles per locus. Observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.278 to 0.950 for the 78 individuals genotyped. One locus is sex-linked. No linkage between loci was found. All loci amplified consistently among phylogeographic as well as host-plant related samples and proved highly informative for population genetic studies.

The use of light traps for controlling insect pests is restricted since they kill both pests and beneficial insects. It may be a possible to reduce the numbers of beneficial insects trapped by adjusting nightly trapping time based on differences recorded in the timing of the nocturnal flight peaks of target pests and beneficials. To test this, insects were collected hourly over night using black light traps at three locations in China from 2003 to 2005. Groups of lepidopteran and coleopteran pests were selected as the target pests that we would control by trapping and groups of beneficial predatory insects the catches of which needed to be reduced. The highest numbers of Coleoptera were caught between 20:00 and 22:00 h and of most Lepidoptera between 02:00 and 04:00 h. The hourly numbers of predatory insects caught by light traps were evenly distributed throughout the night. A model was developed to describe the relationships between the cumulative proportions of insects caught and time of night. The model accurately describes the flight activity of insects that were mainly caught before midnight, after midnight and evenly throughout a night by using different parameters for the three different insect groups. A beneficial-friendly trapping strategy was developed to reduce the numbers of beneficial insects trapped, which was based on differences in the nocturnal flight activity of pests and beneficial insects and validated by a field study in Shandong province. Results show that this trapping strategy reduced the number of beneficial insects caught by 46% and the electricity consumption by 50% compared to the traditional strategy. Thus this strategy is more beneficial-friendly than the traditional trapping strategy for controlling pests.

Ant assemblages were studied in Warsaw in the context of the effects of urban pressure. Four types of urban greenery were selected: (1) green areas bordering streets, (2) in housing estates, and (3) in parks, and (4) patches of urban woodland. In total, there were 27 species of ants. In terms of the total ant activity density, Lasius niger predominated in all the the lawn biotopes (1-3) and Myrmica rubra in the wooded areas. Ant species diversity was highest in parks and wooded areas and lowest in green areas bordering streets. In contrast, activity density was highest in green areas bordering streets and lowest in wooded areas. Some species are found only in a few habitats. Stenamma debile, Lasius brunneus, L. fuliginosus and Temnothorax crassispinus almost exclusively occurred in wooded areas, whereas L. niger was most often found in lawn biotopes. Myrmica rugulosa and Tetramorium caespitum were most abundant in green areas bordering streets, while in parks Lasius flavus, Formica cunicularia and Solenopsis fugax were most abundant. In general, the ant assemblages recorded showed a significantly nested pattern, with biotope type being a significant determinant of nestedness. The assemblages found in green areas in housing estates and bordering streets constituted a subsample of the assemblages in parks and wooded areas. Ant species were non-randomly distributed in this urbanized landscape and the species recorded in the most transformed biotopes constitute subsamples of those inhabiting less transformed biotopes. This finding emphasizes the importance of wooded areas for the maintenance of biodiversity in urban areas.

Accurate Batesian mimicry is known to impose constraints on some traits of the mimic, such as foraging or reproductive behaviour. It is not known whether life-history traits of inaccurate Batesian mimics are constrained as well. We studied selected life-history traits of three spider species, Liophrurillus flavitarsis, Phrurolithus festivus (both Corinnidae), and Micaria sociabilis (Gnaphosidae), that are inaccurate mimics of ants. Namely, we were interested in how myrmecomorphy (ant-like resemblance) constrains their circadian activity, trophic niche and reproductive behaviour. The spiders were found to have diurnal activity like their models, whereas their close relatives have nocturnal activity. The three mimics do not catch ants, nor do they use food resources of ants, but catch various tiny invertebrates that occur in the vicinity of their models. Their trophic niche seems to be constrained by occurrence among ants. Absence of courtship and long lasting copulation, in a position that does not provide protective resemblance, do not seem to be constrained by mimicry in the three species. Comparative analysis of fecundity in mimetic and non-mimetic spiders showed that clutch size is also not constrained. Unlike in accurate mimics, life-history traits of inaccurate myrmecomorphs appear not to be constrained.

Intraguild predation (IGP) and cannibalism occur in the field and could affect the dominance structure of guilds of coccinellid species. The exotic biological control agent Harmonia axyridis (Pallas) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) is now well established in most areas of Northern and Central Italy, but it is unclear what effect this species could have on native dominant and non-dominant coccinellids with which it co-occurs. In order to predict the trophic interactions in coccinellid guilds and the likely effect of H. axyridis, the incidence of IGP and cannibalism among the following six species were evaluated under laboratory conditions: H. axyridis, three native dominant species, Adalia bipunctata (L.), Oenopia conglobata (L.) and Coccinella septempunctata L. and two native non-dominant species, Platynaspis luteorubra (Goeze) and Scymnus apetzi (Mulsant). Unfed and fed fourth instar larvae of the above species were paired in an experimental arena and the incidence of predation recorded over a period of 24 h. In absence of aphids, the survival probabilities (SP) of A. bipunctata and O. conglobata were lowest when paired with either C. septempunctata or H. axyridis (< 0.20 SP after 24 h). The SP of C. septempunctata was similar if paired with either a conspecific larva or H. axyridis (< 0.34 SP after 24 h) and that of H. axyridis was reduced similarly if paired with either a conspecific larva or C. septempunctata (> 0.71 SP after 24 h). The SP of P. luteorubra was lower when paired with A. bipunctata and C. septempunctata (< 0.07 SP after 24 h) than with other species and that of S. apetzi was greatly reduced when paired with all the dominant and exotic species (< 0.27 SP after 24h). In presence of aphids no predatory events occurred in most combinations. H. axyridis acted as a strong predator of native dominant and non-dominant coccinellids when the aphids are scarce. We did not find any evidence, however, that the incidence of IGP among exotic and native species is higher than either IGP or cannibalism in native species. The likelihood of IGP occurring in the field is discussed.

Progeny of the flesh fly Sarcophaga bullata exposed to short day length show a maternal effect that prevents the expression of pupal diapause. Although ecological aspects of this effect are well studied, not enough is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying this maternal effect. In this study, two-dimensional electrophoresis was performed to detect differences of the abundance of certain proteins in the ovaries of this fly kept under long day and short day conditions for 2 days after eclosion. Eleven proteins that were abundant and showed significant changes were selected for mass spectrometric identification. Ovary proteins that increased in abundance under short-day conditions were similar to twinstar CG4254-PA, muscle protein 20-like protein, GA13413-PA, gene analogous to small peritrophins (Gasp CG10287-PA) and Ribosomal protein LP1 CG4087-PA. Ovary proteins that decreased in abundance under short-day conditions were similar to the ATP synthase beta subunit, fk506-binding protein and storage protein-binding protein. The 2-D proteome maps included 2 additional unknown proteins that were more abundant and 1 that was less abundant in the ovaries of 2-day old short-day females. Twinstar CG4254-PA, muscle protein 20-like protein and GA13413-PA harbour an actin-binding domain. That the 3 actin-binding proteins increase in abundance suggests that it is likely that an alteration in the actin cytoskeleton is involved in this maternal effect in the flesh fly.

The genetic structure and phenotypic diversity of two populations of Cheilosia aff. longula (Diptera: Syrphidae) in Lapland, Finland, were examined using DNA sequencing, protein electrophoresis, and geometric morphometrics. The morphological identification of the species were verified using partial sequences of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI mtDNA), and the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed region 2 (ITS2 rDNA), and comparing the corresponding sequences of Cheilosia aff. longula and the closely related C. longula. Two and three haplotypes of the genes COI mtDNA and ITS2 rDNA were identified in the two populations. Analysis of 12 isozyme loci showed an extremely low genetic variability in the populations originating from Utsjoki and Kevo. Discriminant analysis combined with canonical variate analysis revealed inter-population divergence in wing shape. Variation among genetically diverse individuals, both within- and among studied populations was studied, and directional (DA) and fluctuating asymmetry (FA) estimated using landmarks in the framework of geometric morphometrics. It is likely that the documented DA and FA asymmetry in both wing shape and size reflects the developmental instability of the individuals studied. By using Procrustes ANOVA the locations of particular landmarks responsible for the variation in shape were determined. The decomposition of the components of variance accorded to each landmark showed that the landmarks differed in the percentage of variation they accounted for (DA, FA and variation among individuals). In the discussion the implications of the reduced genetic diversity and asymmetry in wing traits for conservation is considered.

The aim of this review is to explain the functional significance of mantis peering behaviour from an entomological perspective. First the morphological and optical features of the mantis compound eye that are important for spatial vision are described. The possibility that praying-mantises use binocular retinal disparity (stereopsis) and other alternative visual cues for determining distance in prey capture, are discussed. The primary focus of the review is the importance of peering movements for estimating the distance to stationary objects. Here the following aspects are examined: (1) Direct evidence via object manipulation experiments of absolute distance estimation with the aid of self-induced retinal image motion; (2) the mechanism of absolute distance estimation (with the interaction of visual and proprioceptive information); (3) the range of absolute and relative distance estimation; (4) the influence of target object features on distance estimation; and (5) the relationship between peering behaviour and habitat structures, based on results of studies on three species of mantis.