The oviposition sites of the xerophilous ecotype of M. alcon (= "Maculinea rebeli") were surveyed in the managed (transitional) zone of the Aggtelek National Park and Biosphere Reserve in Northern Hungary. The M. alcon population is distributed over a territory of about 3 ha. In 2001, habitat reconstruction with selective cutting of shrubs and mowing, was started in this area. The number of stems of Gentiana cruciata (the food plant for the young larvae) and M. alcon eggs layed on them were counted in a selected area within this 3 ha: before (in 1992, 1993 and 1998) and after habitat reconstruction (in 2003, 2004 and 2005). In 2004 and 2005, a detailed study was carried out in order to detect potentially significant factors influencing the egg laying behaviour of females. The average number of intact flowering stems per quadrate was 2.68 and was clearly decreasing before management started. In contrast, there were five times higher (15.06) and increasing numbers of stems per quadrate right after habitat reconstruction. The two periods also differed in the percentage of flowering stems, which was very low before habitat reconstruction. The average number of eggs per square was low (6.8) and fluctuated considerably before management started. In contrast, the egg count was high (160.3) and increased consistently after the site was managed. The short grass sward created in the area proved to be advantageous both for the growth of the host plant and for the Maculinea population. The egg laying preference of the females was positively affected by the number of stems per clump, the height of the stems, the number of whorls with flowers and the difference between the height of the stems of the host plant and the surrounding vegetation. Significantly more eggs were found on large clumps of stems than expected on the basis of their availability for egg-laying. Egg counts were strongly correlated with all the measured characteristics of the food plant, which significantly correlated with each other. The interaction term indicated that the number of whorls with flowers is slightly more influential for egg laying than the other characteristics. There were significantly more eggs on the adaxial surface of the leaves and flower buds than on other parts of the food plant.

The incidence of sibling cannibalism in clutches of Harmonia axyridis infected by the male-killing Spiroplasma was compared with that in uninfected clutches, and the way in which fitness compensation was realized by sibling cannibalism was investigated. Primarily the rate of sibling cannibalism was determined by the hatching rate as all unviable eggs were consumed both in infected and uninfected clutches. Per capita consumption of roughly 0.1 individuals was estimated for uninfected clutches in the present study, as compared to 0.3 individuals in previous studies. The per capita consumption in infected clutches was 1.4, showing that the male-killing behavior of the Spiroplasma provides an approximately 4-14 fold increase in the chance of sibling cannibalism. Both in infected and uninfected clutches, the median of the starting time of sibling cannibalism was soon after that of the completion of hatching. Larvae started to disperse from their egg clutches only about 7.5-8.5 h after the initiation of hatching. These time sequences indicate that sibling cannibalism occurs at the earlier stage of the hatching process and the density of aphids in the area has little or no influence on incidence of the sibling cannibalism. During the maintenance of the infected line for five generations, exclusively females were produced and the median of the hatching rate was 0.395, suggesting a very high rate of vertical transmission of the Spiroplasma infection. Although the measurement of other parameters, such as the effect of Spiroplasma infection on fecundity or longevity, are necessary, the high compensation rate shown in the present study, together with the very high vertical transmission, may explain the prevalence of the present male-killing agent in the local populations of the ladybird beetle.

Both Scymnus syriacus Mars. and Scymnus levaillanti Muls. are aphidophagous coccinellids. In the laboratory they consumed and successfully reproduced on several species of aphids. Larvae suck the prey contents from aphid appendages, while adults consume the whole aphid, except for parts of the appendages. Extra-oral digestion is practiced during feeding. The mean number of aphids consumed by the larval stage of S. syriacus when reared at 25°C was 95, and 130 aphids at 30°C. For S. levaillanti it was 125 and 139 aphids at 25°C and 30°C, respectively. The mean number of eggs deposited daily by S. syriacus for the first three weeks of adult life was 19.5, with a range of 3-30 eggs at 25°C. Longevity of adults ranged from 3 to 4 months at 25°C and 2.5-3 months at 30°C.

Insects experience important selection pressures from their parasitoids, which affect both their population dynamics and their evolutionary responses. The interaction between the egg parasitoid Oomyzus galerucivorus Graham (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) and its chrysomelid host Galeruca tanaceti L. (Coleoptera: Galerucinae) was investigated with the particular aim determining whether the chrysomelid host can escape its parasitoid by ovipositing late in the year as early as September. Although the leaf beetle and its parasitoid emerge in April, G. tanaceti starts to oviposit after spending the summer in reproductive diapause. The objective was to determine, whether the small parasitic wasp can parasitise its host's eggs even at the end of its host's reproductive season in December, when temperatures are low. Beetle oviposition, parasitism rates and temperatures were measured on three comparable mesoxerophytic grassland sites over the coarse of a season. Beetle oviposition, but not parasitism, was significantly positively dependent on temperature. Rate of oviposition decreased over the oviposition period with decrease in temperature. In contrast, after a lag phase of 1-2 weeks at the beginning of the oviposition period in September beetle egg clutches were parasitised at a constant rate until the end of the season in December. Host eggs were parasitised even at mean daily temperatures of 0-6°C. Thus the tansy leaf beetle does not escape from egg parasitism by ovipositing late in the season in central Germany.

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

The intra- and interspecific variability in the West Palaearctic tibialis-group species of the subgenus Pandasyopthalmus (Diptera: Syrphidae: Paragus) was analysed. Novel immature and molecular characters were studied and the traditionally used adult characters reviewed with the aim of establishing the status of the most widespread taxa of the tibialis-group in the Palaearctic region. Moreover, a review of the morphology of the larvae of the subgenus Pandasyopthalmus is also presented and includes the first description of the chaetotaxy of the larval head of Syrphidae. The larval morphology showed a continuum between two extremes. There is intraspecific variability in the male genitalia characters typically used for diagnostic species identification in this group. Molecular characters of the mitochondrial cytochrome c-oxidase subunit I (COI) was invariant for the West Palaearctic Pandasyopthalmus taxa analysed. Despite the fact that no great differences were found when compared with Afrotropical tibialis-group individuals (uncorrected pairwise divergence 0.17-0.35%), the divergences of the West Palaearctic vs. Nearctic and Austral-Oriental tibialis-group taxa varied between 1.15-2.75% (uncorrected pairwise divergence). Molecular characters of the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region (ITS2) revealed several molecular haplotypes of a dinucleotide repeat that was not constrained to morphospecies or to populations of the same geographic origin. The closely related and morphologically similar species of the tibialis-group known from the West Palaearctic region are separable in most cases only by the shape and size of male postgonites. The results of this study support the presence of a single polymorphic taxon in the West Palaearctic region (or a very recent origin of the taxa studied). Moreover larval morphology and the lack of a clear relation between ITS2 haplotypes and the geographic distribution or adult morphology, support the taxonomic implications of barcode taxonomy based on mitochondrial DNA for this species-group of Syrphidae.

Adult head structures of Lepicerus inaequalis were examined in detail and interpreted functionally and phylogenetically. The monogeneric family clearly belongs to Myxophaga. A moveable process on the left mandible is an autapomorphy of the suborder. Even though Lepiceridae is the "basal" sistergroup of the remaining three myxophagan families, it is likely the group which has accumulated most autapomorphic features, e.g. tuberculate surface structure, internalised antennal insertion, and a specific entognathous condition. Adults of Lepiceridae and other myxophagan groups possess several features which are also present in larvae (e.g., premental papillae, semimembranous mandibular lobe). This is probably related to a very similar life style and has nothing to do with "desembryonisation". Lepiceridae and other myxophagans share a complex and, likely, derived character of the feeding apparatus with many polyphagan groups (e.g., Staphyliniformia). The mandibles are equipped with large molae and setal brushes. The latter interact with hairy processes or lobes of the epi- and hypopharynx. This supports a sistergroup relationship between both suborders.

Larvae of three genera representing the staphylinid subfamily Pseudopsinae are described for the first time and illustrated with 33 morphological drawings: Pseudopsis Newman, Zalobius LeConte and Nanobius Herman. Thirty-six characters (mainly of larval morphology) were scored for representatives of six staphylinid subfamilies and a phylogenetic analysis was carried out. The monophyly of the subfamily Pseudopsinae is supported by the presence of a short oblique ridge on ventral side of larval head capsule laterad of maxillary foramina. The monophyly of each of the subfamilies Paederinae and Staphylininae is discussed based on the characters of the immature stages. The subfamily Pseudopsinae is confirmed to be a sister-group of the subfamilies Paederinae + Staphylininae on the basis of six larval synapomorphies. The latter clade is confirmed to be monophyletic on the basis of five larval synapomorphies. A larval identification key to the studied Pseudopsinae genera is provided.

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.

Fruit of two almond, Prunus amygdalus Linnaeus, cultivars (Retsou and Truoito) containing diapausing larvae of Eurytoma amygdali Enderlein, were collected in early August from coastal areas in northern Greece. Some larvae were removed from the fruit and maintained singly in open plastic vials and others left in the fruit until the end of the low-temperature period. They were kept at a low temperature of 10°C from the beginning, or after 8 weeks at 20°C. The larvae were subsequently maintained at 20°C and whether they completed the two diapause stages was recorded for 60 more weeks. When the larvae in vials, were kept initially for 8 weeks at 20°C, most of those from Retsou and all of those Truoito almonds completed the first stage of diapause. Of the larvae in the fruits, most of those in Truoito but less than 50% of those in Retsou almonds completed the first stage of diapause after 8 weeks at 20°C. Larvae from different orchards and different almond cultivars differed in diapause intensity. When the larvae were kept at a low temperature of 10°C from the beginning for 4, 8 or 16 weeks and then at 20°C they completed the second diapause stage synchronously, but the time of completion was delayed, and depended on the duration of the low temperature treatment. In several cases the time to diapause completion was bimodally distributed and the relative size of peak depended on the duration of the early exposure to low temperature.

Temporary malnutrition during juvenile development often negatively influences the life-history decisions of adults. Hence, individuals should avoid this effect by compensatory feeding on the limited resource when the food situation improves. In a feeding experiment, bush-crickets (Pholidoptera griseoaptera) responded to nine days depression of animal food supply by increasing their feeding activities on insect carcasses when a full-nutritional diet was available. As a short-term reaction, treated individuals of both sexes took 3.4 times more food from carcasses (0.084 g / 9 h) than control individuals. The increased carcass intake levelled off at 0.025 g / 9 h after an interval of nine hours, indicating that bush-crickets can rapidly compensate for an experimentally increased demand for animal diet. The general daily carcass intake of male and female bush-crickets was 0.07 g fresh weight, corresponding to 16.4% of the bush-cricket's body mass. Carcass intake and body mass development was correlated over the complete period (7 d), but no correlation was found for the time of short-term reaction. We conclude that animal diet is essential for the growth of dark bush-crickets. They were able to compensate for short depressions in animal food supply by increasing feeding frequencies and feeding rates of the limited resource. Hence, bush-crickets can cope with short periods of limited animal food supply, e.g. periods of rainfall, which regularly occur in their natural habitat.

The hypothesis that small body size is correlated with preference for young leaves was tested in a community of leaf-chewing insect herbivores feeding on Ficus wassa in a humid tropical forest in Papua New Guinea. Feeding experiments on 48 species of herbivorous insects revealed a negative correlation between body size and a preference for feeding on young leaves. While small species preferred young leaves, large species showed no preferences, or preferred young leaves only slightly. This relationship was found for the entire leaf-chewing community, as well as for many of the constituent taxa on several taxonomic levels, from orders to genera. Taxonomic position of a species played little role in determining its preferences. It is proposed that higher toughness and lower nutrient content may act as complementary defences, which prevent small insects from feeding on mature foliage. While the low nutrient content of mature leaves may affect smaller herbivores due to their relatively higher metabolic rate and lower digestion efficiency, their toughness complicates feeding mechanically and may prevent the compensatory feeding necessary to offset the low nutritive value of mature leaves.

Meaningful ecological studies on insect communities require sampling protocols that take into consideration temporal fluctuations in abundance and species composition. Bees with their specific requirements for nutrition and nesting are good indicators of landscape structure and overall biodiversity, provided the ecological and seasonal patterns they show are taken into consideration. The present two year study traced the ecological and seasonal patterns on 2 km² of a southern slope in the Swiss Alps, ranging from 1150 to 1550 m above sea level. The study area consisted mainly of grassland under different regimes, mostly hay meadows and pastures. By direct netting at five monthly intervals in each year a total of 247 bee species were recorded. This comprehensive sampling scheme identified one of the most diverse bee faunas in Central and Northern Europe, consisting of a statistically estimated 280 species. Most species were rare with 14.6% represented by a single individual. Ecological analysis of the bee community showed that the primitively eusocial species were over represented among the abundant species and the parasitic species among the rarest.
Both abundance and species richness were subject to marked seasonal variations. A substantial turnover in species composition as well as changes in ecological patterns were observed. More than 25% of all species were recorded in only one of the two years, in particular many of the parasitic species. Singletons accounted for a higher proportion when individual years rather than the pooled data were analysed. All these findings underline the importance of season-long sampling and sampling over more than one year if bees are to be used as indicators in ecological and studies on bee communities.

Two principal pheromones are essential in all cockroach sexual behavioral sequences: the volatile sex attractant pheromone released by one partner for long distance attraction and an aphrodisiac sex pheromone produced exclusively by male tergal glands for female mounting and feeding behavior. In the Blaberinae subfamily, the female produces volatile sex attractant pheromones and the male, aphrodisiacs. A close relationship is known to exist between the release of these pheromonal signals from specific glands and the corresponding behaviors (female calling posture and male wing raising). However, in this cockroach group, no data on the glands secreting sex attractant pheromones and aphrodisiacs have been available until now. In seven species of the Blaberinae subfamily: Blaberus colosseus, B. craniifer, B. discoidalis, Blaptica interior, Byrsotria fumigata, Eublaberus distanti and E. posticus; one species of the Zetoborinae subfamily: Schultesia lampyridiformis; one species of the Epilamprinae subfamily: Epilampra maya and one species of the Panesthiinae subfamily, Panesthia sp., the females possess all pygidial glands on the 10 ^th tergite and the males have tergal glands situated anteriorly, generally on tergites T1 and T2. These glands are formed of type 3 glandular units with two cells, i.e. glandular and canal cells. The uniform presence of female pygidial glands and male tergal glands explains their relationship with their corresponding sexual behaviors.

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

A laboratory study was carried out to determine the effects and interactions of temperature, host deprivation and adult feeding on the longevity of the parasitoid Venturia canescens (Gravenhorst) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae). The effect of body size was also examined. Large wasps (hind tibia length > 1.96 mm) lived significantly longer than smaller conspecifics (hind tibia length < 1.89 mm). Adults reared at 15°C lived longer regardless of whether supplied with hosts or food. Correspondingly, adults had a shorter life at 30°C. Honey-fed adults lived significantly longer than starved adults at all temperatures and irrespective of host presence, while access to hosts resulted in a decrease in longevity at all temperatures, regardless of food supply. The Weibull distribution was used to describe the age specific survival, which in V. canescens is of "Type I", as the risk of death increases with age. Despite the significant effect of host presence on survival it was less than either temperature or feeding. The interactions between feeding, host presence and temperature proved to be significant. The objective of the study was to improve the effectiveness of V. canescens as a biological control agent of stored product pests.

Two species of the Chrysoperla carnea complex: Ch. carnea sensu Henry and Ch. lucasina, occur in the crop environment in western France. Within the framework of a conservation biological control program for protected seed crops, the pollen consumption of these common green lacewings was investigated. The diverticulum contents of collected specimens were analysed to determine their food preference. Ch. carnea sensu Henry and Ch. lucasina are opportunistic feeders, which are attracted to large patches of flowering plants. The establishment of monitoring an attractive environment for these predators is discussed.

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

The corpora cardiaca (CC) of the two grasshopper species Zonocerus elegans (Pyrgomorphidae) and Lamarckiana sparrmani (Pamphagidae) contain (a) substance(s) that cause(s) hyperlipaemia in the migratory locust and hypertrehalosaemia in the American cockroach. Isolation of neuropeptides belonging to the adipokinetic hormone (AKH) family was achieved by single-step reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography of CC extracts from both species and monitoring tryptophan fluorescence. The material of both species showed three distinct fluorescence peaks with adipokinetic activity in the migratory locust. The peptides were identifid by at least two of the following methods: (1) sequencing by Edman degradation, (2) sequencing by tandem fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry, (3) mass determination by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry and (4) co-elution of the native and synthetic peptides. Both species were found to have three AKH peptides stored in the CC, but unlike in other grasshoppers, none of those peptides were decapeptides. In Z. elegans the following three octapeptides occur: Schgr-AKH-II (pELNFSTGWamide), Peram-CAH-II (pELTFTPNWamide) and Phymo-AKH-III (pEINFTPWWamide), whereas L. sparrmani contains the octapeptides Grybi-AKH (pEVNFSTGWamide), Pyrap-AKH (pELNFTPNWamide) and also Phymo-AKH-III. Conspecific bioassays show no adipokinetic and only a weak (not significant) hypertrehalosaemic effect (in the pamphagid grasshopper). Some explanations are offered on the possible role of these peptides in the species investigated by interpreting their life style.

Structures that assist in spreading secretions produced by the metathoracic glands were examined in Reduviidae and Pachynomidae (Heteroptera). The systematic distribution of a row of long and stout setae on the metacoxa, the metacoxal comb, was reinvestigated in a representative sample in both taxa. Observations on living Dipetalogaster maximus (Reduviidae: Triatominae) corroborated the interpretation of this metacoxal comb as an evaporatory device, which assists in atomizing the gland secretions. In addition to the metacoxal comb, a row of stout setae on the metacetabulum - a metacetabular comb - was found in several Reduviidae, which interacts with the metacoxal comb during rotation of the metacoxa. In addition to those atomizing devices, cuticular modifications surrounding the opening of the metathoracic gland, which presumably form evaporatoria, were discovered in Ectrichodiinae. The meshwork-like structure of this cuticle resembles the cuticular modifications found associated with the opening of the Brindley's gland in Reduviidae, but differs from the mushroom-like evaporatoria around the metathoracic glands in most Cimicomorpha and Pentatomomorpha. Thus, two fundamentally different mechanisms to spread secretions of the metathoracic gland - atomization and evaporation - are present in Reduviidae.

Species of the Agrilus viridis-complex and the genus Trachys are morphologically difficult to identify or even indistinguishable. However, all of them are ecologically clearly separated because their larvae develop in different host plants. Hitherto, it was unclear whether they represent varieties, ecological races or true species. In this paper the genetic variation and phylogenetic relationships within these groups are analysed using partial sequence data from mitochondrial genes (12S rDNA, and a fragment containing regions of ND1 and 16S rDNA). The phylogenetic analyses yielded largely congruent tree topologies and indicate that all species and varieties of the Agrilus viridis-complex belong to a monophyletic group, which is closely related to A. cuprescens. Compared to all other Agrilus-species tested, the genetic distances within the A. viridis-complex are very small. However, all varieties and species are clearly separated. Thus, our data support the view that both the members of the Agrilus viridis-complex and the species of the Trachys-group represent genetically separated taxa.

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

Control of seasonal wing dimorphism in the oriental mole cricket Gryllotalpa orientalis Brumeister (1839) from a wetland habitat in western Japan is described. The long-winged (LW) morph appeared from mid-June to September, whereas the short-winged (SW) morph appeared from September to mid-June. Individuals overwintered in either the adult or juvenile stage. The seasonal shift in wing morphology was linked to the overwintering stage. Individuals that hatched in May became SW adults in September-October and then overwintered, whereas those that hatched in June and July overwintered as juveniles and became LW adults in June of the following year. The life cycle of both morphs was univoltine. Reproductive benefits and constraints of each wing morph of G. orientalis are compared.

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

Verlag des Naturhistorischen Museums Wien, 2001, 239 pp. ISBN 3-900-275-86-6. Price EUR 53.00.

Three secondary compounds, pyrocatechol, gramine and ferulic acid from wheat were separately incorporated into artificial diets and fed to cotton bollworm Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) larvae to determine their effects on larval and pupal weights and the nutritional indices of the larvae. The results show that these three secondary compounds can decrease the mean larval and pupal weights of cotton bollworm, with the mean larvae weights differing significantly between treatments. Mean pupal weight was only significantly reduced by ferulic acid and gramine, but not pyrocatechol. There were significant correlations between mean larval weight and concentration of the three secondary compounds tested, and between mean pupal weight and concentration of ferulic acid and gramine. The three secondary compounds tested affected the nutritional indices of cotton bollworm larvae differently. Compared with the control, ferulic acid and gramine significantly decreased RGR (the relative growth rate), AD (approximate digestibility) and ECD (conversion efficiency) of cotton bollworm larvae, and pyrocatechol only reduced ECD. All three indices were the lowest for cotton bollworm larvae fed on the diet with gramine (0.0984 ± 0.0114 g/g/day, 14.2670 ± 1.1541% and 31.1337 ± 1.1213%).

The genus Platesthes Waterhouse, 1845 (Pimeliinae: Praocini), distributed in the Patagonian steppes in southern Argentina and Chile, is revised. A phylogeny of its 13 species is proposed, based on 48 morphological characters. The cladistic analysis provides one most parsimonious cladogram showing that three unambiguous synapomorphic characters of external morphology and male genitalia support the monophyly of Platesthes. This article includes a redescription of the genus, redescriptions of its species, an identification key, habitus photographs of the most representative species, illustrations of external morphology, genital features and metendosternites, a cladogram and distribution maps. A discussion of the biogeography and status of conservation of Platesthes in the Patagonian steppes and in Central Chile is presented. A new Platesthes species is described: P. neuquensis sp. n. and P. hirtipes Kulzer, 1962 stat. n. is elevated to species status. Other valid species of the genus are: P. depressa (Guérin-Ménéville, 1841), P. similis Kulzer, 1956, P. unicosta Kulzer, 1956, P. nigra Kulzer, 1956, P. pilosa Kulzer, 1956, P. vidali Peña, 1986, P. burmeisteri Haag-Rutenberg, 1877, P. granulipennis Kulzer, 1956, P. kuscheli Kulzer, 1958, P. humeralis Kulzer, 1958 and P. silphoides Waterhouse, 1845 (type species), for which a lectotype is designated.

The diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.), is a notorious insect pest of cruciferous plants. To examine the pattern and magnitude of genetic variation in this species in China a portion of the mitochondrial (mt) COI gene of P. xylostella, collected at six Chinese and two Korean localities, which cover ~2,151,600 km², was sequenced. Sequence analysis of the 681-bp mt COI gene from 80 individuals resulted in 16 haplotypes, ranging in sequence divergence from 0.1% (one nucleotide) to 0.9% (six nucleotides). One nucleotide position among 16 variable sites was a transversional substitution and the remaining positions were transitional substitutions. No position resulted in amino acid substitution. Phylogenetic analysis showed that all haplotypes were highly interrelated and no discernable haplotype group was found. From a geographical perspective, most haplotypes were found singly at one or two localities, with three haplotypes widely distributed. Little genetic differentiation (F_ST = -0.038-0.309) and a high rate of female migration (Nm = 1.117 - infinite) between Chinese populations suggests that dispersal over long distances is a major factor in the demography of this species.

Field studies were conducted, in order to assess the seasonal occurrence and the spatial distribution of Aphidius colemani Viereck, Aphidius matricariae Haliday, Diaeretiella rapae (M'Intosh), Praon staryi Kavallieratos & Lykouressis and Praon volucre (Haliday), all parasitoids of Myzus persicae (Sulzer) on tobacco. The experiments took place in western Greece (Agrinion, Aitoloakarnania), during the 1996 and 1997 growing seasons, in an area of approximately 2.5 ha, where tobacco was the main crop. The experimental field was insecticide-free and tobacco leaf samples (from the upper and lower half of plants) were taken from June until September, in both years. The distribution of the species found was also represented and discussed. Generally, high M. persicae densities were recorded in August (mid-season) of both seasons. The mummification rate showed a specific increasing trend late in the season (August-September). In 1996, the percentage of mummification reached almost 61% at the end of the period, whereas in 1997 it remained at very low levels (<2%). The density of M. persicae was higher on the leaves collected from the upper part of the plants than on those from the lower part, but without significant difference. In contrast, the numbers of mummified M. persicae individuals were significantly higher on leaves collected from the lower part of the plants than on those from the upper part in both years. The relative abundance of the aphidiine parasitoid species differed between the two years.

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