In the High Plains of western Kansas, USA, the convergent lady beetle Hippodamia convergens Guérin completes a spring generation feeding on cereal aphids in winter wheat before leaving fields in large numbers around the time of harvest. In late May, large aggregations of coccinellids form on wild sunflowers, Helianthus annuus, and certain other weeds, that appear to serve as important sources of water absorption for the beetles, and other beneficial insects, during the dry prairie summer. Adult beetles were collected from sunflower plants and held in four treatments: (1) access to water only, (2) access to sunflower stalks only, (3) eggs of Ephestia kuehniella provided ad libitum + water and, (4) greenbug, Schizaphis graminum Rondani provided ad libitum. Most females fed greenbug matured eggs in less than a week and only a few entered reproductive diapause. In contrast, more than half of the females fed Ephestia eggs, an inferior diet, entered reproductive diapause, and those that matured eggs required an average of almost three weeks to do so. Time to 50% mortality was 7 days for beetles receiving only water, and 12 days for those receiving only sunflower stalks, whereupon all survivors were fed greenbug. Even after feeding on greenbugs for a month, less than half of the surviving females in these two treatments produced eggs. We conclude that reproductive diapause is an important adaptation for improving H. convergens survival during summer when aphids are scarce, although females will forgo diapause if they have continuous access to high quality prey.

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

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

Data on pupation and emergence dates for the nymphalid Purple Emperor butterfly Apatura iris have been collected at Basel, Switzerland, between 1982 and 2002. The butterfly has been shown to emerge on average 9 (males) to 12 (females) days earlier per decade, 19 and 24 days earlier respectively over the study period. Emergence dates relate strongly to spring temperatures, particularly with daily maximum temperatures for the months March to May. Temperatures for these months have increased significantly during this period (0.7°C to 1.8°C per decade). Three factors suggest that the strongest influence of the rise in spring temperatures has been on late larval instar growth and development: (i) May temperatures dominate emergence date models and larvae are feeding faster and for longer periods during this month, (ii) Salix caprea flowering date, a surrogate for bud burst, is excluded in stepwise regression models with temperatures and years suggesting that tree phenology may be less important than temperature effects on later development, and (iii) convergence of female and male emergence dates over time points to limits on earlier feeding in protandrous males. A negative consequence observed with earlier emergence dates is lethal extra broods.

Cold tolerance of the eggs of the grasshopper, Chorthippus fallax (Zubovsky), was examined in the laboratory. Egg supercooling points varied from -6°C to -32.4°C and could be divided into two groups. The supercooling points of the higher SCP group ranged from -6°C to -14°C and those of lower SCP group from -21.8°C to -32.4°C. Although low temperature acclimation could slightly decrease the supercooling points of eggs, the effect was not significant for all embryonic developmental stages or acclimation periods. The supercooling capacity was obviously different between pre-diapause, diapause and post-diapause embryonic stages. The mean supercooling points of pre-diapause and diapause eggs were similar; -28.8 ± 1.6°C and -30.7 ± 1.0°C for non-acclimated eggs and -29.5 ± 1.3°C and -31.18 ± 0.8°C for acclimated eggs respectively. However, the mean supercooling points of post-diapause eggs were significantly higher; -12.9 ± 5.6°C for non-acclimated and -13.5 ± 4.5°C for acclimated eggs respectively. The survival rates of diapause eggs at > -25°C were not significantly different from that at 25°C, but survival rates at < -30°C decreased significantly. The lethal temperature (Ltemp₅₀) for a 12 hrs exposure was -30.1°C, and the lethal time (Ltime₅₀) at -25°C was 44 days. Since the SCPs of diapause eggs was similar to their Ltemp₅₀, we may consider the supercooling capacity of such eggs is a good indicator of their cold hardiness and the species is a true freeze avoiding insect. Based on the analysis of local winter temperature data, pre-diapause and diapause, low SCP eggs can safely survive severe winters, but not the post-diapause, high SCP eggs. The importance of the overwintering strategy and the relationship between diapause and cold hardiness of this species is discussed.

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

A tobacco field in Greece was sampled during the 2001 and 2002 growing seasons to assess the seasonal trends in densities and spatial distributions of the aphid Myzus persicae (Sulzer) and its predatory mirid Macrolophus costalis (Fieber). On repeated occasions between June (just after the transplantation) and September (just before harvest), 20 tobacco leaves (10 from the upper and 10 from the lower plant part) were taken from randomly chosen plants. These leaves were sampled for aphids and mirids. In both years, the highest aphid densities were recorded during July and August, while aphid numbers were low in September. In contrast, the majority of M. costalis individuals were found during September when aphid numbers were low. Significantly more M. persicae individuals were found in the upper part of the plants, whereas significantly more M. costalis individuals were found in the lower part of the plants. As indicated by Taylor's Power Law estimates, both species were aggregated in their spatial distributions among sampling units (leaves). Wilson and Room's model, based on the Taylor's estimates, was used to calculate the mean number of aphids and mirids, from the proportion of sampling units (leaves) that had > 0 individuals of each species. This model provided a satisfactory fit of the data for both the aphid and the mirid. In addition, Wilson and Room's model was successfully used to predict the mean number of aphids and mirids in a series of samples that were carried out in the same area between June and September 2003 for model validation. Finally, equations are given for the calculation of precision in estimating the mean number of aphids or mirids per sampling unit, and the required sample size for a given level of precision.

Both sexes of Achalcus bicolor sp.n., Achalcus longicercus sp.n., and Australachalcus latipennis sp.n. are described as additions to the Nearctic achalcine fauna. Diagnoses of five unnamed Achalcus species represented only by females are given. A key to Nearctic males and females including 10 unnamed species is provided. The new Achalcus records considerably extend the known distribution of the genus in North America, especially in the central and eastern states. Australachalcus latipennis sp.n. is the first known Nearctic species of this predominantly Neotropical and New Zealand genus. Achalcus bicolor sp.n. from Montana, Manitoba and Ontario clearly belongs to the Achalcus flavicollis species group. The eastern Achalcus longicercus sp.n. is not included in the latter species group due to the lack of a dorsal bristle on tibia I and the absence of a preapical anterodorsal bristle on femur III in both sexes. It features postgonites with strong hook-like apical processes possibly unique to this species. The presence and number of dorsal bristles on tibia I seem to be of both diagnostic and phylogenetic relevance. All northern achalcine species were collected between June and September, whereas some Californian species were taken in May and Australachalcus latipennis sp.n. from Arizona in October - November.

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

Some behavioural aspects of the reproductive biology of Megaselia andrenae Disney, a kleptoparasite of the communal bee Andrena agilissima (Scopoli), were investigated at the nesting site of its host at Isola d'Elba (Italy). The scuttle fly mates more often in the early afternoon, which coincides with the period when the provisioning flights of its host are more frequent. The presence of the flies at the host nesting site, either in copula or single, is lower in the morning. In general only the females enter the host nests immediately after a mate, in a few cases closely followed by the males. When leaving the nest, females refuse to mate again with the males waiting outside. Observations on the ovaries of the females revealed no differences, either in the number of eggs or in the length of the most mature egg, between the individuals collected in copula or when flying alone. The species is sexually dimorphic, the females being larger than males. Male size does not seem to influence the females choice for mating.

The external morphology and chaetotaxy of the larvae of Heterogynidae (Lepidoptera) are described in order to provide information of potential phylogenetic value for the reconstruction of the systematic relationships within the Zygaenoidea. The most outstanding characteristics of heterogynid larvae are their modified habitus during diapause, the presence of an epipharyngeal lamella, the shape of the prothoracic shield, the presence in the first instar of an organ of unknown function on the middorsum of the mesothorax ("Chapman's organ"), the absence of V2, V3 and Va on the head, the absence of V1 on the prothorax and the presence of two primary setae on the inner side of the proleg, the last trait representing an autapomorphy of the family. A number of possible synapomorphies with the Zygaenidae (e.g. presence of cuticular cavities) suggest a close relationship between these two families, but other larval and adult traits are shared only with the "Phaudinae" and limacodid-group families of the Zygaenoidea (viz. absence of V1 on the prothorax with the "Phaudinae", reduced proboscis and absence of ocelli with them all). Nevertheless, a lack of knowledge of the preimaginal instars of species from some zygaenoid families, and of the homology and polarity of given characters of groups within and outside the Zygaenoidea, hamper a thorough comparison of larvae.

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

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

1. In Great Britain the distribution of the riverine damselfly Calopteryx splendens is predominantly southern. However, the last decade has seen records of the species in previously unoccupied areas in the northeast of England, prompting speculation regarding northward range expansion. The current study is the first to quantify the physical features of the habitat that influence the presence of C. splendens.
2. A field survey was carried out on the physical characteristics of habitat supporting C. splendens along a section of the River Wharfe, West Yorkshire, U.K. Adult C. splendens were marked uniquely for individual identification in order to assess the occurrence of the species within different habitat patches of the study area.
3. A multiple logistic regression was used to identify the significant habitat variables in explaining the occurrence of adult C. splendens.
4. The most important habitat factor in determining the presence of C. splendens was the height of the vegetation at the edge of the river. Significant negative relationships were found between the presence of C. splendens and tree coverage along the bank, and between its presence and increased bank height.
5. The distribution of C. splendens is affected by the natural physical features of the habitat, anthropogenic disturbance and the behaviour of the species itself.
6. The importance of quantitative habitat data in species conservation, particularly with regard to range expansion, is discussed.

Beetle luciferase, a mono-oxygenase within the AMP-binding superfamily, is synthesized by bioluminescent beetles in concentrated levels within specialised cells clustering in the abdominal light organs. In vivo expression of luciferase has been rarely investigated and little is known about the role of enhancers and promoters in the expression of this gene. In order to investigate the gene structure and potential control of gene expression the luciferase gene along with 6 kb of upstream genomic sequence was characterised from the European glow-worm Lampyris noctiluca. Three TATA box motifs and a CAAT repeat were identified, two of these were found to be conserved in two other species of bioluminescent beetle. Although no enhancer regions were identified in the upstream sequence a region coding for a putative transposase DDE domain was identified 686 bp from the start codon of the luciferase gene. Although disrupted, the open reading frame also shared extensive identity to an mRNA transcript from the mosquito Anopheles gambiae. The remnants of an ancient transposase provide support for an ancestral luciferase transposition/insertion event that may have occurred within the genome of bioluminescent beetles.

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

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

A cDNA encoding aminopeptidase N3 was cloned by degenerated PCR and RACE techniques. The full-length of APN3harm is 3486bp. Open reading frame is 3042bp in length, encoding 1014 amino acid residues. Its predicted molecular weight and isoelectric point are 117.04 kDa and 5.14, respectively. This deduced amino acid sequence shares some common structural features with aminopeptidase N from Lepidoptera, including the consensus zinc-binding motif HEXXHX₁₈E and the GAMEN motif common to gluzincin aminopeptidases. The full-length of the APN3harm gene from three susceptible and three resistant strains were cloned and sequenced. Comparison analysis revealed fourteen amino acid differences in the APN3harm gene from resistant and susceptible strains and six mutations of amino acids exist in all resistant strains. It is possible that these mutations are related to the resistance of Helicoverpa armigera to Cry1Ac toxin. The results of semi-quantitative RT-PCR showed that the resistance of H. armigera to Cry1Ac is unrelated to the amount of APN3harm mRNA in midgut tissue. In susceptible strains, APN3harm is highly expressed in mid-gut, foregut and hindgut but not in other tissues. To determine if the APN3harm is the receptor of Cry1Ac, recombinant APN3harm protein was successfully expressed in E. coli. A ligand binding experiment showed purified product could bind Cry1Ac toxin. So it is proposed that APN3harm is a putative receptor of Cry1Ac in H. armigera. The sequence of APN3harm was deposited in GenBank with the accession number AY052651.

The genus Zabrus Clairville, 1806 is a Holomediterranean taxon that radiated into about a hundred species most likely during the Cenozoic. There are four endemic subgenera on the Iberian Peninsula, which include 28 species, Epomidozabrus (3 spp.), Euryzabrus (1 sp.), Platyzabrus (2 spp.) and Iberozabrus (22 spp.). A mitochondrial fragment comprising part of the cytochrome-oxidase-I, tRNAleu, and part of the cytochrome-oxidase-II genes was sequenced of most of these species. Taxa of other subgenera of Zabrus (Macarozabrus, Polysitus, Zabrus, and Pelor), six species of Amara (the putative sister taxon of Zabrus), and representatives of tribes related to Zabrini were also sequenced. The results show that the genus Zabrus is a monophyletic taxon well separated from Amara. The four subgenera endemic to the Iberian Peninsula also make up a monophyletic clade, which stresses the association between the geographic distribution and the monophyly of many supraspecific taxa within this genus. The species-rich subgenus Iberozabrus seems to be the sister taxon of the clade made up of the three other subgenera endemic to the Iberian Peninsula. The Iberozabrus species-groups proposed by Andújar & Serrano in 2001, based on morphological and geographical grounds, are only partly corroborated by the molecular phylogeny. The lack of congruence between these data sets is mainly between those species-groups with large numbers of species and more complex geographic patterns. Some cases of incongruence are possibly due to homoplasic external characters appeared by convergent evolution.

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

Fifteen years after the publication of the first genomic sequence of a phytophagous beetle, we review here the wealth of genetic and genomic information generated so far for the species-rich beetle superfamilies Chrysomeloidea (longhorn, seed and leaf beetles) and Curculionoidea (weevils and bark beetles). In this review we briefly describe the most common methods used to investigate the beetle genomes and also compile the nucleotide sequence information stored in public gene databases until December 2004. The motivations and relevance of these research initiatives are described in certain detail, distinguishing among structural and population studies, phylogenetic research, the study of genes involved in development and diapause, energetic metabolism, vegetal tissue digestion, and genes for insect resistance and defence.

Interactions between syrphid predators and their prey are poorly known. The adaptations of syrphids to aphid defences and the consequences for the evolution of life history traits in these predators especially are mostly unstudied. This is the first of two papers investigating the evolution of prey specialization in aphidophagous hoverflies. The study focuses on two questions: (1) Are differences in the body size of syrphid predators reflected in differences in the size of their prey? (2) Are differences in body size, body mass and development time of the syrphid predators correlated with the defence strategies of their aphid prey (e.g. mobility, toxicity)? Platycheirus clypeatus (Meigen, 1822), Platycheirus fulviventris (Macquart, 1829), Melanostoma mellinum (Linnaeus, 1758), and Melanostoma scalare (Fabricius, 1794), which differ considerably in their prey specialization, but are closely related, were chosen as model species. Life history data for these syrphids came from a laboratory study, and that for the aphids from a literature survey. These syrphid species can be arranged on a gradient of increasing prey specialization, from 32 prey species for the generalist M. mellinum and only 3 for the specialist P. fulviventris. Differences in prey specialization were even more evident when the defence ability of the various species of aphid prey was considered. For instance, the specialization on ant-attended aphids in M. scalare. Larvae exhibited a one or two weeks diapause which made the determination of developmental time imprecise. Body size of the predators was not reflected in that of their aphid prey. The postulated relationship between body size of the predator and the defence strategies of their prey was not supported by our data. A comparison of a wider range of syrphid species from different taxonomic groupings together with a phylogenetic correction procedure might reveal clearer trends. The second part of this paper (Dziock, in prep.) will investigate the correlation between prey specialization and reproductive strategies (i.e. clutch size, egg size and number) and will put the results into a broader framework.

Winglessness in the two-spot ladybird beetle Adalia bipunctata (L.) is determined by a single locus with the wingless allele recessive to the winged wildtype allele. The expression of the wingless trait is highly variable, with individuals missing a variable part of elytra and flight wings; the elytra and wings appear to be truncated rather than miniature in form. The degree of winglessness is partly determined genetically. Here we report on the phenotypic plasticity of the degree of winglessness. The environmental effect on elytron length relative to maximal elytron length in wingless phenotypes was studied by rearing offspring of single pair crosses of this form at a low (19°C) or high (29°C) temperature. Offspring reared at 19°C showed relatively longer elytra than those reared at 29°C.

The first and third larval stages of Nearctic Anisotoma blanchardi (Horn, 1880) are described in detail and figured for the first time; measurements and chaetotaxy of head, mouthparts, thorax, abdomen, leg and urogomphi are given. Larval morphology of the blanchardi group is discussed. The blanchardi species group, proposed after a study of adult characters, is very important phylogenetically because it is a basal group in the genus and sister group to all the remaining groups. Larval characters confirm the monophyly of the group. The common larval characters of the blanchardi species group are: (i) presence of primary setae below the posterior row of terga, (ii) secondary microsculpture on the head, dense, present from the base of the head to the anterolateral arms of the epicranial suture and fronto-clypeal furrow, (iii) sclerotization around sockets of primary posterior setae of thorax of instar III, (iv) presence of clypeal furrow in the third stage, (v) presence of setae Dc1, Dd1, Dc2, Dd2a on head in instar III, (vi) urogomphomere 1 and 2 similar in length and proportion.

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

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

The first part of a revision of the European species of the genus Rhabdomastix Skuse, 1890 is presented. The history of taxonomic research on Rhabdomastix is reviewed, relationships of the genus are discussed, and the subgeneric classification outlined and re-assessed. A new subgenus, Lurdia subgen. n., is established for species centred around R. lurida (Loew, 1873), and Palaeogonomyia Meunier, 1899 and Sacandaga Alexander, 1911, previously considered subgenera, are synonymized with Rhabdomastix. A revision of the European species of Lurdia subgen. n. is presented. Two species are redescribed, Rhabdomastix (Lurdia) lurida (Loew, 1873) and R. (L.) inclinata Edwards, 1938, and the lectotype of the former is designated. Descriptions are provided of seven species, viz. R. (L.) mendli sp. n. (Switzerland, Germany, Italy), R. (L.) sublurida sp. n. (Czech Republic, Slovakia), R. (L.) furva sp. n. (Slovakia), R. (L.) loewi sp. n. (Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Italy), R. (L.) robusta sp. n. (Czech Republic, Slovakia), R. (L.) falcata sp. n. (Switzerland, Germany, Bulgaria) and R. (L.) tatrica sp. n. (Slovakia). Male and female terminalia are illustrated for all the species (except female falcata), and a key to species is appended.

Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht/Boston/London, 2003, viii + 329 pp. ISBN 1-4020-1520-8. Price USD 197.00.

The aestivo-hibernation in central Greece of the aphidophagous ladybeetle Hippodamia (Semiadalia) undecimnotata (Schneider) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) was studied. H. undecimnotata is a multivoltine species in Greece. In the lowlands, all instars are abundant in spring, becoming scarce from July until the end of October and they are absent in winter. In June, most H. undecimnotata adults migrate to mountainous aestivo-hibernation sites. The duration of pre-oviposition period in females sampled monthly from the summits of the mountains Chlomo and Kitheron in central Greece and transferred to laboratory conditions of high temperature (25°C), long day (16L : 8D), and abundance of aphids (Aphis fabae), indicated that the H. undecimnotata females were in diapause during July and August. The diapause gradually terminated from late August to late October and was followed by a period of quiescence extending from November to March of the following year. During the summer diapause, arrested ovarian development was indicated by the undifferentiated state of the ovaries in all females. Males and females had enlarged fat bodies, and the median preoviposition period after the transfer to the laboratory was 92 days in early July and 64 days in early August. During the winter quiescence, arrested ovarian development was characterized by immature ovaries in females and, in some samples, by vitellogenic resorption in a few females. In winter, adults contained varying amounts of fat body reserves, and the median preoviposition period of females transferred to breeding conditions was 30 days in early November and 16 days in mid January.

1. A study was made by knockdown sampling and branch clipping of the arthropod fauna of two native oaks (Quercus petraea and Q. robur) and of two introduced species (Q. cerris and Q. ilex) in woods near Oxford, U.K., and of two native species (Q. ilex and Q. pubescens) in southern France. Sampling was undertaken for five years in England and four years in France. All the phytophagous species except Acarina and Cecidomyidae from the Oxford samples were identified to species.
2. In England a marked seasonal pattern was observed in all years: chewing insects peaked in May, followed sequentially by sucking species, leaf miners and gall formers. The May peak on the native trees is much larger in terms of individuals, and especially in biomass, than on the introduced species. This peak is well known to provide an important food source for several species of woodland bird.
3. Most phytophages were much less abundant on the introduced oaks than on the native species. This is probably due more to the features of the leaves, than to the introduced status per se.
4. The species richness of the fauna was estimated by three methods on the basis of the total projected number of species (S_max), and its specificity to oak by reference to the known host range as recorded in the standard reference works.
5. The species richness of Heteroptera and Coleoptera on the deciduous oaks in their natural habitats (Q. petraea and Q. robur in England, Q. pubescens in France) are similar.
6. The fauna of the evergreen Q. ilex has a similar species richness both in France, where it is native, and in England, where it is introduced and where its phytophage guild is smaller than that of the deciduous species. In England the extent of oak specificity on Q. ilex is less than that of the deciduous species.
7. In England the phytophage fauna of the deciduous and introduced Q. cerris has a species richness considerably greater than that found on Q. ilex, but somewhat less than that of the deciduous and native oaks. However, the specificity of this fauna to oaks was not significantly different to that of the fauna on the native oaks.