The rose aphid, Macrosiphum rosae, living on rose var. Black Magic, was reared in the laboratory at four constant temperatures 15, 18, 22 and 25 ± 1°C, 75 ± 5% R.H. and 14L : 10D. Parameters investigated included developmental rate, survival, pre-reproductive delay and fecundity. The rate of nymphal development (0.17) was greatest at 22°C. The longest developmental time (12.33 days) was recorded at 15°C. The generation time was longest and shortest at 15°C and 22°C respectively. The lower developmental threshold was calculated to be 9.05°C. Based on this, the degree-day requirement from birth to adulthood was found to be 77.5 dd. The pre-reproductive delay also decreased markedly with increase in temperature from 15°C to 22°C. The longest lifespan of apterous females (12.38 d) was observed at 15°C, whereas the shortest (8.06 d) was at 25°C. The mean adult longevity declined with increase in temperature from 15°C to 25°C. The fecundity of females (progeny/female) increased from 11.38 to 28.88 with increase in temperature from 15°C to 22°C but then decreased to 8.38 as the temperature increased from 22°C to 25°C. The largest (0.311) and smallest (0.113) r_m occurred at 22°C and 15°C respectively. All of the parameters of the M. rosae life cycle at the four temperatures tested were optimum at 22°C. This Iranian population of M. rosae can develop at lower temperatures than an Australian population.

The genus Phaeochiton Kerzhner, 1964 is revised and P. alenae sp. n. from Mongolia is described. Differential diagnoses are provided for the genus and its three species. Illustrations of male and female genitalia, tarsus and pretarsus, photographs of the dorsal habitus, hosts, and distributional records of the species discussed are given.

In the sorghum/aphid/ladybeetle ecosystem found in the Texas High Plains Region of the United States, we found that the corn leaf aphid, Rhopalosiphum maidis (Fitch), is a key aphid species that provides a critical early-season food source for native coccinellids. From 1988 to 2000 data on the seasonal abundance of sorghum-infesting aphids and ladybeetles were collected from a total of 21 irrigated and 12 rain-fed grain sorghum fields. The data indicated that successful biological control of the greenbug by coccinellids is normally dependent on early-season colonization of the sorghum field by corn leaf aphids. When corn leaf aphids exceeded 100/plant before sorghum boot stage greenbugs never exceeded 125 aphids/plant. In all cases where greenbugs were found in densities that would cause economic damage to sorghum (>250/plant), corn leaf aphids reached a density of 100 or more per plant after sorghum reached the boot stage. In irrigated fields, the first record of coccinellid eggs and peak coccinellid abundance were positively and significantly (p = 0.05) correlated to the day of the year when corn leaf aphids reached or exceeded a minimum of 100/plant and corn leaf aphid peak abundance in both irrigated and rainfed fields. On the other hand, greenbug peak abundance was significantly correlated only to coccinellid peak abundance in irrigated fields. Regression analyses indicated that in paired analyses of irrigated and rain-fed sorghum fields, an increase of one aphid at time t, resulted in an increase in coccinellid peak abundance from 0.024 to 0.025 per 15 m of row at time t + 2 depending on aphid species, if corn leaf aphids reached a level of 100 or more per plant by sorghum boot stage and irrigation parameters. We concluded that corn leaf aphids are an important early-season food source for predaceous coccinellids, drawing these predators into the fields where they feed on the aphids and deposit eggs, engendering a captive larval population that is present when greenbug first begin to enter the field later in the season.

Flight is important for insects but also incurs costs in terms of reduced reproductive reserves. Recent studies on butterflies have shown that thorax mass and nitrogen content decrease over the adult lifespan, suggesting that flight muscle breakdown may also occur in butterflies. However, unlike other insects known to resorb flight muscles, butterflies will continue to fly throughout the reproductive period. Nonetheless, use of nutrients from flight muscles for reproduction has the potential to improve the reproductive output considerably. In this study we have tested to what extent female Pieris napi L. (Pieridae) butterflies actually do breakdown flight muscles. By comparing muscle mass in recently emerged and older free-flying females we show that mass and nitrogen content of the two most important groups of flight muscles each decrease by more than 50% over the adult lifespan. The significance of this finding is discussed in relation to reproduction and flight in butterflies.

Centra Suisse de Cartographie de la Faune (CSCF/SZKF), Schweizerische Entomologische Gesselschaft (SES/SEG), Neuchatel, 2008, 86 pp., 95 drawings, 24 photographs, 27 distribution maps. ISBN 978-2-88414-035-5, ISSN 1422-6367. Price CHF 30.00.

There are several evolutionary grades of wing reduction in female bagworm moths of the family Psychidae. In this family, female adults of Taleporia trichopterella, Bacotia sakabei and Proutia sp. have vestigial wings, although as pupae they have small wings. Consequently, these species (usually called wingless-legged bagworm moths), are intermediate between the two extremes of females with normal wings and those with no wings. Using light and electron microscopy, the processes of wing development during the last-larval instar and wing degeneration during the pupal stage was investigated in these species. Female wing imaginal discs proliferated during the last-larval instar, but diminished due to apoptosis in the prepupal stage of the last instar. In the pupal stage, degenerate cells were observed between the epithelia of the degenerating wing discs of the female. The presence of these cells is associated with apoptotic cell death. These observations suggest that female-specific wing degeneration caused by apoptosis occurs in two steps in these bagworm moths, i.e. in the larval and pupal stages. Such a process of wing reduction has not been previously reported in holometabolous insects, and is reported here for the first time in bagworm moths.

One of the most important services provided by biodiversity is thought to be the biological control of pests in agricultural landscapes, including aphids on cereals. The food webs potentially contributing to biological control of aphids primarily consist of polyphagous predators, parasitoids and pathogens. The problems of aphid pests have increased greatly since the 1970-ies, possibly as an effect of agricultural intensification, which is thought to have reduced diversity and abundance of these predators and parasites and consequently their biocontrol potential. The main objective of this study was to test this by measuring this potential for biological control of aphids, and relate it to agricultural intensification and predator abundance. We selected 30 farms distributed along agricultural intensification gradients, based on the amount of fertilizers applied per hectare. Estimates of ground-living predator density were obtained using pitfall trapping over a one-week period. Traps were placed inside the cereal fields, 10 m from the margin, in 2 replicates per field. Predation risk due to ground-living predators (biocontrol potential) was estimated by monitoring removal of aphids glued to labels. This was done in the same fields, in the immediate vicinity of the traps, over a period of 2 days. The proportion of aphids eaten per unit time was the response variable. We present the correlations between intensity of agricultural exploitation, predator abundance and biocontrol potential. The outcomes are not straightforward in that intensification begets a reduction in predator density and biocontrol potential. We discuss the potential confounding issues that might have affected our results.

We have studied the effect of different light gradient regimes on host-plant selection of the carrot psyllid, Trioza apicalis Förster. In both a strong and a weak light gradient, carrot psyllids preferred a carrot leaf placed in higher light intensity. When the choice was between the host (carrot Daucus carota L.) and a non-host (barley Hordeum vulgare L.) virgin adults settled significantly more often on non-host in higher light intensity than on carrot in lower light intensity. In a weak light gradient, none of the gravid females settled on a non-host. In an experiment without light gradient, gravid females showed a preference for carrot, whereas virgin females settled approximately equally on Norway spruce Picea abies Karst. (winter shelter plant) and carrot. Our results show that virgin and gravid individuals have different host-plant selection behaviour, and that they are sensitive to small differences in light intensity. Both factors can create a source of variation in behavioural assays, and should be taken into consideration in future experiments with this and probably also related species. Our results suggest that carrot psyllids can utilize visual cues (light intensity or wavelength) in host-plant selection, and the role of visual cues should be more thoroughly studied.

Five flightless species of Micromus are known from the Hawaiian Archipelago; only one, the rare Micromus usingeri, is reported from the Island of Hawai'i. Herein, we report the natural occurrence of intermediates between this brachypterous species and its near relative, the macropterous Micromus longispinosus. We compare some morphological and life-history characteristics of the two species and the intermediates. Our study shows that: (1) The two closely related species are broadly distributed on Hawai'i, but they appear to be allopatric altitudinally. (2) M. usingeri is associated with a cool, misty, high-altitude environment, M. longispinosus with warmer, rainy conditions at lower elevations. The intermediates occur in both types of situations and generally at intermediate elevations. (3) The macropterous M. longispinosus has large, oblong, flexible, membranous forewings and hind wings. In contrast, the brachypterous M. usingeri has convex, shortened, elytra-like forewings with reticulate venation, and very small, thick, triangular, stub-like hind wings with greatly reduced venation. The wings of intermediate specimens exhibit a broad range of variation between the two species. (4) Several characteristics of wing venation are highly correlated with reduced wing size; others are not. (5) Aside from the wings, adults of M. usingeri and M. longispinosus differ in relatively few morphological features, most notably the antennal and metatibial length, prothoracic length, mesothoracic length and width, and the length of the spine-covered process on the posteroventral margin of the male T9+ectoproct. The intermediate specimens are variable in adult characteristics, but they generally fall between the two species. (6) Egg size and larval characteristics (except the body length of the fully-fed first and third instars) do not differ between the two species. (7) The evolution of the wing variation is discussed.

Since the publication of papers by Polis et al. (1989, 1992), intraguild predation (IGP) has been considered in numerous systems and a growing number of papers have been published, demonstrating the ubiquity and the importance of this interaction. It appears that aphidophagous guilds constitute especially favourable systems for IGP. Temporal and spatial distributions of aphids promote interactions, such as IGP, among natural enemies. However, despite extensive laboratory and field studies, several questions remain to be answered: Which traits of the different protagonists of the system may promote or hamper the occurrence of IGP? How do ants tending aphids modulate the interaction? How should one consider the "sub-lethal" effects (and the defensive mechanisms) associated with the risk of IGP? May IGP disrupt or enhance aphid control? These different issues are discussed by focusing on the predatory species in the complex system of aphidophagous guilds. It appears that, first, IGP may constitute one of the main forces influencing the structure and dynamics of aphidophagous guilds, and therefore it has to be taken into account in research studies, and second, because of the ephemeral nature of aphid colonies and the great number of species belonging to aphidophagous guilds, understanding all the implications of the interaction, both direct and indirect, constitutes a very complex task.

A provisional larval groundplan of the family Hygrobiidae is provided through descriptions of internal and external features of three of six extant species, Hygrobia hermanni (Fabricius, 1775), H. wattsi Hendrich 2001 and H. australasiae (Clark, 1862) and phylogenetic interpretations. Hygrobiidae larvae are morphologically differing dramatically from all other known Adephaga by 20 autapomorphies. Structures involved with feeding, i.e., mouthparts, prepharynx and foregut are highly modified as a result of a specialisation on small tubificid worms and chironomid larvae. A placement of Hygrobiidae within Dytiscoidea is well supported by the reduced condition of the terminal abdominal segments, and the presence of 10 ancestral setae on femur and a clade comprising Hygrobiidae, Amphizoidae, and Dytiscidae by the presence of thin and elongate caudal tentorial arms, a very strong musculus verticopharyngalis and a longitudinally divided adductor tendon of the mandible. A highly modified foregut, reduced terminal spiracles VIII and the presence of tubular gills are features which distinguish hygrobiid larvae from those of other groups of Dytiscoidea (i.e, Amphizoidae, Noteridae, Dytiscidae). A sister-group relationship between Hygrobiidae and Dytiscidae is indicated by a distinctly shortened and transverse prepharynx and a cerebrum and suboesophaeal ganglion shifted to the anterior third of the head. Larvae of the Australian species H. wattsi and H. australasiae share the presence of a bluntly rounded mandible and an apical position of the primary pore MNd in instar I as potential synapomorphies.

The hypothesis that small species of aphidophagous coccinellids need lower aphid population densities for reproduction than large species (Dixon, 2007) was tested in the field. In 2006 we compared seasonal changes in the oviposition behaviour of two coccinellid species regularly found in cereal stands in central Europe, the large Coccinella septempunctata L. and the small Propylea quatuordecimpunctata (L.). Adults of both species were collected at 2-3 day intervals from stands of winter wheat and spring barley, females were allowed to deposit eggs for 24 h following collection and the percentage that laid eggs and the number of eggs were recorded. Both species colonized the cereal crop simultaneously in the middle of May. After colonization of the crop, while the aphid density was still low, few females of C. septempunctata oviposited and laid only a few eggs. Oviposition increased up to a maximum c. 1 month later and was closely associated with prey abundance. Of the females of P. quatuordecimpunctata, whose mass is about one quarter of that of the former species, the percentage ovipositing and number of eggs laid varied less in time and was less associated with prey abundance than in C. septempunctata. As predicted by theory, the small P. quatuordecimpunctata was more effective at exploiting the lower prey densities as it produced proportionally more of its eggs during the early stages of the aphid infestation than the larger C. septempunctata.

Factors were examined that could be responsible for the predominance of Coccinella septempunctata (C7) in most habitats of the Palaearctic and for its successful invasion of the Nearctic Region. C7 is euryphagous, but less polyphagous than Harmonia axyridis or Coleomegilla maculata in that it cannot develop or reproduce on non-aphid food. The intraguild status of C7 is intermediate. Although adult size is large, preimaginal stages are palatable to those of H. axyridis and Adalia bipunctata, whereas it is not an intraguild predator of these species. Although these traits appear to be neutral or negative, many aspects of population plasticity are advantageous for C7, often acting in concert with a bet-hedging strategy. Given its high mobility and eurytopy, the inhibition of oviposition in the presence of conspecific larval trails represents an adaptive advantage that favors increased egg dispersal and lowers the risk of offspring mortality due to cannibalism. The ability to temporarily suspend oviposition, combined with heterogenous voltinism and diapause tendencies, enable a portion of C7 populations to feed and reproduce on unpredictably occurring aphid populations. An absence of reproductive diapause in males and pre-hibernation mating are other significant adaptations, along with the tendency to produce offspring in excess of the carrying capacity of local food resources. We suggest that one explanation for the broad geographic success of C7 resides in an ecological plasticity that is based on both genetic and phenotypic polymorphisms.

While the study of colour patterns is a traditional subject of evolutionary ecology, there are various hypotheses which suffer from a lack of experimental evidence. One intriguing possibility is a trade-off between warning efficiency and detectability. After a certain size threshold, the detrimental effect of increased detectability can outweigh the benefits of warning colouration. One may thus expect corresponding patterns at the level of ontogenetic development: as juveniles grow, they should first acquire warning colouration, and then lose it again. We analysed this possibility in Orgyia antiqua, a moth species with hairy larvae which are polyphenic with respect to the intensity of warning colouration. We detected a regular change in colour patterns through larval life. Indeed, the larvae tend to display warning colouration at intermediate sizes while dull colours dominate in fully grown larvae. In aviary experiments, we confirmed that the colourful phenotype is the one that causes the strongest aversion in birds. Nevertheless, the effect was rather weak and most of the larvae were still eventually consumed when found. Unexpectedly, for human subjects, the warningly coloured larvae were harder, and not easier to find among natural vegetation, most likely due to the disruptive effect of the aposematic colour pattern. Importantly, the trend was reversed in the largest size class, suggesting that the disruptive colouration loses its advantage as the larva grows. This is consistent with the actual patterns of size-dependence of colouration. We present evidence against an alternative explanation which relates size-related change in colouration to behavioural changes prior to pupation. We conclude that even if the efficiency of the warning effect plays a role in determining the size-dependence of colouration, the pattern may be largely explained by the effects of size-dependent detectability alone.

The species Beludzhia phylloteliptera Rohdendorf is redescribed from adult males and females as well as all larval instars collected in the United Arab Emirates. The morphology of the first instar larva is strikingly similar to that of Dolichotachina marginella (Wiedemann) and Phylloteles pictipennis Loew, all of which are here documented for the first time. These three generic representatives share several character states, which are probably plesiomorphic relative to the condition observed in other miltogrammine larvae, but the uniquely shaped, slender mouthhook, a cushion- or pad-like lobe behind the maxillary palpus (cheek organ), the antero-ventral segmental prolegs of the first instar larva, and the integumental warts of the third instar larvae, are shared character states not known from any other species of Sarcophagidae. Beludzhia Rohdendorf is therefore placed with Dolichotachina Villeneuve and Phylloteles Loew in the tribe Phyllotelini.

Many aphidophagous coccinellids harbour male-killing bacteria. These maternally inherited bacteria kill males early in embryogenesis, female offspring of infected mothers gaining a large resource advantage from the consumption of their dead brothers. In this paper, the diversity of male-killing bacteria and their coccinellid hosts will be briefly reviewed. Thereafter, the impact that invasion by male-killers has on coccinellid hosts will be addressed in two ways. First, the selective effects due to the loss of male progeny, and the intra-genomic conflict resulting from the cytoplasmic inheritance of the bacteria will be considered. Reductions in mitochondrial diversity, effects on clutch sizes and the evolution of male-killer suppresser systems will be discussed. Second, the impact of female biased population sex ratios on the evolution of reproductive strategies and the primary sex ratio will be investigated. Preliminary results suggesting changes in male investment per copulation, reductions in female testing behaviour of males, and male biases in the progenic sex ratios of some uninfected male lines will be presented. Avenues for future work will be outlined.

Effect of pre-diapause temperature on summer and winter diapause intensity was examined under both laboratory and field conditions. Under short photoperiods of 8L : 16D and 10L : 14D, all pupae entered diapause at 15, 18 and 20°C and the incidence of diapause dropped to 82.3% and 85.5% at 22°C, respectively. Under long photoperiods of 14L : 10D and 16L : 8D, the incidence of diapause decreased with increasing temperature and there were significant differences among temperatures. The incidence of diapause at 16L : 8D was significantly lower than that under14L : 10D at 20 and 22°C. By transferring diapause pupae induced under various temperatures (18, 20 and 22°C) at a short day of 10L : 14D or a long day of 14L : 10D, to 12.5L : 11.5D, 20°C, the duration of summer diapause induced under 22°C (mean 76.1 days) was significantly shorter than those under 20°C (mean 85.9 days) and 18°C (mean 90.9 days), showing that the incidence of summer diapause was positively linked to the intensity of summer diapause; whereas the duration of winter diapause induced under 10L : 14D was similar at 18°C (89.2 days), 20°C (88.7 days) and 22°C (89.2 days) and there were no significant differences. Field experiments also showed that the high rearing temperatures significantly decreased the incidence and intensity of summer diapause, but had no significant affect on the intensity of winter diapause. When the naturally aestivating pupae from the first spring generation (formed on 24 April) and second spring generation (formed on 15 May) were kept under summer conditions, the diapause duration of the first generation lasted for 107-166 days (mean 146 days), about twenty days longer than that of the second generation [lasted for 92-151 days (mean 126 days)]. All results reveal that the sensitivity to temperature prior to aestivation and hibernation was quite different.

Zygokaratawia reni, a new campterophlebiid genus and species is described from the Middle Jurassic of China. This fossil has a wing shape unique for this clade, i.e. a fore- and hind wing of the same width and very shortly petiolated, and hind wing cubito-anal area nearly as narrow as that of the forewing. This wing shape is convergently similar to that of recent Zygoptera: Calopterygidae, as well as to several other Cenozoic zygopteran clades, suggesting similar styles of flight and habits, i.e. predation on small insects and flight along trees of river banks.

The recently described and originally monotypic genus Discheramocephalus Johnson, 2007 from the Solomon Islands is revised. Six new species are described, illustrated and keyed: Discheramocephalus brucei sp. n. (Cameroon), D. elisabethae sp. n. (Cameroon), D. mikaeli sp. n. (Tanzania), D. stewarti sp. n. (Bolivia), D. jarmilae sp. n. (Bolivia), D. minutissimus sp. n. (Indonesia). Adults of D. minutissimus have a body length of about 400-426 µm, which is at the lower limit among non-egg-parasitoid insects. Evidence is provided that an egg size large enough to produce a viable larva is the main factor limiting miniaturisation of female insects. Females and males of egg-parasitoids are able to overcome the 400 µm threshold and reach limits of 180 µm and 130 µm, respectively. Brain size is likely the second most important factor limiting miniaturisation in insects.

The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that short-winged (brachypterous) and long-winged (macropterous) adult males of a flightless bug Pyrrhocoris apterus differ in fertilization success. For this purpose, 5, 10 and 28 days old brachypterous and macropterous males were mated for the same period of time with reproductively active 5 days old brachypterous females. The average hatchability of five egg batches of these females was used as a measure of the fertilization success of the males. The results revealed significantly higher hatchability of the eggs laid by females that copulated with 5 or 10 days old brachypterous males than with same-aged macropterous males. In contrast, the average hatchability of eggs of females that copulated with 28 days old brachypterous males was significantly lower than of those mated with same-aged macropterous males. It is the first report of wing morph- and age-related differences in fertilization success of males in insects with a non-functional wing-polymorphism. The possible relationship between wing- and age-related differential fertilization and the mating success of P. apterus males, and differences in the amount of secretion transferred from their accessory glands into the reproductive tract of females during copulation, is discussed.

The effect of photoperiod on parasitization of the eggs of the Angoumois grain moth, Sitotroga cerealella (Olivier, 1789) by Trichogramma principium Sugonyaev & Sorokina, 1976 was investigated under several photoperiodic regimes of L : D = 3 : 21, 6 : 18, 9 : 15, 12 : 12, 15 : 9, 18 : 6 and 21 : 3. In all regimes, certain wasps delayed ovipositing in this non-preferred host. Potential fecundity of T. principium females (the number of mature ovarial eggs at emergence) and subsequent oogenesis (estimated by the number of mature ovarial eggs in non-ovipositing females) was independent of photoperiod. However, the percentage of females that oviposited was higher for females that developed and were kept under 6-12 h long photophase than for those that developed and were kept under ultra short (3L : 21D) and under long (18L : 6D and 21L : 3D) photophases. The average duration of the pre-oviposition (egg retention) period showed the opposite pattern to the photoperiodic response. A possible explanation of this reaction is that the delay in oviposition is adaptive if the probability of finding a better host is high. In autumn, when the last Trichogramma females are still active but their lepidopteran hosts are already much less abundant, then parasitization of any suitable host is the best strategy.

A sequence analysis of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit II (COII) gene in Russian and Turkish maize-associated populations of Ostrinia nubilalis and a Slovenian population of O. nubilalis probably infesting maize revealed little diversity. This lack of diversity may have resulted from bottleneck event(s) when the maize-associated population of O. nubilalis expanded from small population(s) in association with the cultivation of maize in Europe ca. 500 years ago. In the genealogy of COII genes obtained in the present and previous studies, Eurasian samples were substantially differentiated from North American samples. Since the North American population of O. nubilalis came from Europe, our finding suggests that there is geographical differentiation in European maize-associated O. nubilalis, and that maize-associated populations of O. nubilalis expanded multiple times in Europe. Finally, a phylogenetic analysis of the COII gene did not support that O. nubilalis and O. furnacalis are the closest relatives within the O. furnacalis species group.

Emerging parasitoids of aphids encounter secondary plant chemistry from cues left by the mother parasitoid at oviposition and from the plant-feeding of the host aphid. In practice, however, it is secondary plant chemistry on the surface of the aphid mummy which influences parasitoid olfactory behaviour. Offspring of Aphidius colemani reared on Myzus persicae on artificial diet did not distinguish between the odours of bean and cabbage, but showed a clear preference for cabbage odour if sinigrin had been painted on the back of the mummy. Similarly Aphidius rhopalosiphi reared on Metopolophium dirhodum on wheat preferred the odour of wheat plants grown near tomato plants to odour of wheat alone if the wheat plants on which they had been reared had been exposed to the volatiles of nearby tomato plants. Aphidius rhopalosiphi reared on M. dirhodum, and removed from the mummy before emergence, showed a preference for the odour of a different wheat cultivar if they had contacted a mummy from that cultivar, and similar results were obtained with A. colemani naturally emerged from M. persicae mummies. Aphidius colemani emerged from mummies on one crucifer were allowed to contact in sequence (for 45 min each) mummies from two different crucifers. The number of attacks made in 10 min on M. persicae was always significantly higher when aphids were feeding on the same plant as the origin of the last mummy offered, or on the second plant if aphids feeding on the third plant were not included. Chilling emerged A. colemani for 24 h at 5°C appeared to erase the imprint of secondary plant chemistry, and they no longer showed host plant odour preferences in the olfactometer. When the parasitoids were chilled after three successive mummy experiences, memory of the last experience appeared at least temporarily erased and preference was then shown for the chemistry of the second experience.

Leafrollers can experience high levels of indigenous parasitism in organically managed apple orchards and the augmentative release of specific parasitoid species to suppress these secondary pests may be advantageous in orchards converting to non-chemical pest management. Caged and uncaged releases of two ichneumonid [Apophua simplicipes (Cresson) and Glypta variegata Dasch] and two braconid (Macrocentrus linearis Nees and Apanteles polychrosidis Viereck) koinobiont endoparasitoids of the obliquebanded leafroller, Choristoneura rosaceana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) on host-infested potted apple trees were conducted to assess the parasitoids' abilities to find and successfully parasitize sentinel hosts under orchard conditions. Seasonal timing of the trials varied for each parasitoid species, based on their relative performance under simulated summer/fall conditions in laboratory trials. After the release of five or fifty parasitoid females, the mean percent parasitism of leafroller larvae collected from infested trees ranged from 0 to 75% depending on the parasitoid species involved. Although caged releases tended to increase the percentage of live parasitized hosts in release treatments, uncaged releases provided a more realistic assessment of the parasitoid's ability to seek and find hosts within an infested area over a longer period. Release of the large, solitary A. simplicipes, had the most significant impact on the host population density.

The life tables of the aphid predators Coccinella septempunctata L., Ceratomegilla undecimnotata (Schneider) and Propylea quatuordecimpunctata (L.) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), fed on Aphis fabae Scopoli (Hemiptera: Aphididae), were constructed at constant conditions (25 ± 1°C, 65 ± 2% RH; 16L : 8D). The average total fecundities of C. septempunctata, C. undecimnotata and P. quatuordecimpunctata were 1996.8, 1160.5, and 724.6 eggs / female, and the average longevities were 94.9, 88.3, and 68.9 days, respectively. The net reproductive rates (R_o) were 1004.1, 544.3, and 375.1 females/female, and the intrinsic rates of increase (r_m) 0.118, 0.142 and 0.166 females/female/day, respectively.

The activities of three enzymes involved in polyol biosynthesis (aldose reductase, AR; ketose reductase, KR; and polyol dehydrogenase, PDH) were studied in adult females of the linden bug, Pyrrhocoris apterus, collected from the field during 2005/2006. While the activities of three enzymes were low in reproductive females, activities greater by one or two orders were seen in reproductively arrested females. AR and KR showed similar seasonal trends in activity. Activities were low during diapause initation and later increased and stabilized during autumnal diapause development. Further increases of AR and KR activities were seen during low temperature quiescence and finally the activities sharply decreased during vernal resumption of direct development. The activity of PDH was relatively high (but fluctuating) during diapause, then decreased in quiescent insects and almost disapeared in reproductively active females. Insects collected in February were subjected to laboratory de-acclimation (exposure to high temperatures) followed by re-acclimation (exposure to low temperatures) which resulted in loss of activity in all three enzymes and no regain. High activities of AR, KR and PDH in reproductively arrested females thus conform well with their previously observed high capacity to synthesize and accumulate polyol cryoprotectants.

The New World species of Loxocera Meigen are revised including two new species, L. (Imantimyia) ignyodactyla Buck sp. n. from Costa Rica (first record of the genus from the Neotropical region) and L. (Imantimyia) ojibwayensis Buck sp. n. from Ontario, Canada. Loxocera californica Capelle is synonymized with L. collaris Loew and lectotypes are designated for L. pleuritica Loew and L. cylindrica var. obsoleta Johnson (both synonyms of L. cylindrica Say). The New World species are diagnosed and a key to species is provided. The male and female terminalia of Loxocera are described in detail for the first time, and their functional morphology is discussed. Eggs of most species are described and a key to the known eggs of Loxocera is provided. A phylogenetic framework for the Holarctic subgenera and species groups of Loxocera is developed based on morphological characters of the adult flies. The Old World subgenus Platystyla Macquart is synonymized with Loxocera s. str., and Imantimyia Frey is reinstated as a valid subgenus including all Holarctic species previously placed in Loxocera s. str. except the L. aristata species group. This leads to the following new subgeneric combinations: L. (L.) malaisei Frey comb. n., L. (L.) matsumurai Iwasa comb. n., L. (L.) monstrata Iwasa, comb. n., and L. (L.) omei Shatalkin comb. n. The species groups of Imantimyia are redefined, i.e. the L. achaeta-group (7 spp.), the L. fulviventris-group (4 spp.), and the L. albiseta-group (1 sp.). The Oriental subgenus Asiopsila Shatalkin is referred to Psila Meigen s. l. as a subgenus based on characters of the egg, resulting in fourteen new generic combinations: Psila (Asiopsila) brevibuccata (Shatalkin) comb. n., P. (A.) burmanica (Frey) comb. n., P. (A.) decorata (de Meijere) comb. n., P. (A.) derivata (Shatalkin) comb. n., P. (A.) formosana (Hennig) comb. n., P. (A.) freidbergi (Shatalkin) comb. n., P. (A.) humeralis (de Meijere) comb. n., P. (A.) kambaitensis (Frey) comb. n., P. (A.) limpida (Shatalkin) comb. n., P. (A.) maculipennis (Hendel) comb. n., P. (A.) michelseni (Shatalkin) comb. n., P. (A.) pleuralis (Frey) comb. n., P. (A.) primigena (Shatalkin) comb. n., and P. (A.) vittipleura (Shatalkin) comb. n.

In many species sperm competition selects for large ejaculates while females eliminate or disable a high percentage of the spermatozoa in their storage organs in order to control paternity. Therefore, sperm viability is an excellent measure of the reproductive success of both males and females. Here we assess the viability of spermatozoa in males, freshly mated queens and old queens at the end of a colony cycle of the monandrous bumblebee Bombus terrestris. We found that the accessory testes of males contained a significantly lower percentage of dead sperm (i.e. higher average viability) than the spermathecae of both freshly mated and old queens. In each case, however, the percentage of dead spermatozoa was very small. No differences could be detected between sperm viability in freshly mated and old queens. To test for the possible incompatibility of the sperm and the environment provided by female spermathecae males and females either from different geographic regions (north and south of the Alps) or the same region were mated. We did not find any differences between matings of individuals from within or between regions. The mechanism that causes the lower sperm viability in females remains unknown.

Volatiles and contact pheromones involved in the mating behaviour of the Painted bug, Bagrada hilaris Burmeister (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae), were investigated in behavioural and chemical experiments. Vertical open Y-shaped olfactometer bioassays showed that odour from males attract females but not males, while that from females did not attract either gender. Adult females were also attracted by hexane extracts of volatile compounds collected from males. In open arena bioassays, males displayed the characteristic steps of courtship behaviour in the presence of virgin females. Such courtship behaviour was displayed in the presence of females killed by freezing, but not in the presence of freeze-killed females washed with hexane. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of volatile compounds produced by cohorts of 20 B. hilaris adults and collected over 48 h showed that both males and females produce the compounds nonanal, decanal and (E)-2-octenyl acetate. Of these compounds males produce significantly more (E)-2-o-octenyl acetate, i.e. 186.74 ng and 67.53 ng for males and females respectively. These findings indicate this compound is possibly a long range volatile pheromone, and a complex lipophilic fraction of the adult cuticle possible contact pheromone involved in short range courtship behaviour.

One of the most compelling challenges for conservation biologists is the preservation of species with restricted ranges. Carabus olympiae Sella, 1855, a ground beetle species inhabiting two small areas in the western Italian Alps, is an example of a steno-endemic and endangered insect species. Despite the fact that this species is historically well known to professional and amateur entomologists, its autecology is virtually unknown. In the present study we used pitfall traps to study habitat selection and phenology, and radiotelemetry to measure differences in movement parameters between sexes, habitats and periods. Data from pitfall trapping suggested that C. olympiae actively selects both shrubberies (alpen rose Rhododendron ferrugineum and bilberry Vaccinium myrtillus) and beech forests and avoids pastures, and that population size peaks in July. All radio-tagged individuals (n = 21) moved without a preferred direction, and were more active at night than by day. Males covered greater distances and had more tortuous trajectories than females. Distances covered in forests and alpen rose shrubberies were not significantly different, but paths in beech forests were more convoluted than in shrubberies. The movement pattern observed fits the requirements of a typical "olfactory-tactile" insect predator that looks for prey by systematically exploring its territory. Movement parameters suggested that both beech forests and alpen rose shrubberies are suitable for this species and indicated that the spatial distribution of shrubs in shrubberies can constrain trajectories. The implications for conservation are: (i) any human intervention which results in enlargement of the present coverage of pastures should be controlled; (ii) forest management may be tolerated, with the condition that alpen rose shrubberies remain or develop after tree-cutting; (iii) once a shrubbery has established, it should be preserved through appropriate management.