A new species of the genus Dryinus Latreille from Madagascar is described: D. inexpectatus, new species, from Antsiranana Province, Sakalava Beach. A key is provided for the determination of the species along with an illustration of the female chela, head and prothorax.

Feeding bioassays were conducted to evaluate relative palatability of three different components of eastern redcedar (ERC) wood to the subterranean termite, Reticulitermes flavipes Kollar. Sections of fresh-cut ERC trunk were separated into three component groups: heartwood, sapwood, and ‘transition wood’ (sapwood-heartwood interface). Wooden blocks cut from these groups, as well as pine sapwood (control), were used in ‘choice’ and ‘no-choice’ bioassays. Half of each group was oven-dried while the other half was air-dried. In choice bioassays, pine sustained significantly greater weight loss compared with the air-dried ERC groups. Weight loss for air-dried ERC sapwood was significantly greater compared with both air-dried heartwood and transition wood. In no-choice bioassays, air-dried sapwood and pine sustained the greatest weight losses. Termite worker survival on pine (86.6 ± 2.6%) was significantly greater compared with both oven-dried sapwood (73.2 ± 4.2%) and air-dried sapwood (70.9 ± 3.2%), which were significantly greater than oven-dried transition wood (53.3 ± 4.2) and oven-dried heartwood (38.6 ± 6.5%). Overall, both oven-dried and air-dried heartwood were least palatable to termites.

The oleander aphid, Aphis nerii Boyer de Fonscolombe, feeds on members of the Apocynaceae family, including several Asclepias species and Cynanchum laeve. Milkweeds alongside and within agricultural crops provide opportunities for natural enemies to encounter and feed upon A. nerii. The predator fauna associated with natural populations of A. nerii on four milkweed species was determined. The development and fecundity of two Coccinellidae species, Harmonia axyridis (Pallas) and Cycloneda munda (Say), were investigated in a laboratory. The development of fourth instar Coccinellidae when fed diets containing A. nerii from host plants having a low or high concentration of cardenolides was investigated. Immature beetle survival was generally poor and longevity was not significantly different when fed A. nerii from different host plant species, with similar survival patterns observed for first and fourth instar Coccinellidae larvae. Both H. axyridis and C. munda exhibited a reduced fecundity when fed A. nerii regardless of milkweed host species compared to beetle fecundity when fed a diet of Acyrthosiphon pisum. When provided with mixed diets, larvae consumed significantly more A. pisum than A. nerii. Larvae continued to accept A. nerii even after feeding on the aphid provoked emesis. Observations revealed that a fluid leaked from within wounded aphids temporarily or permanently immobilized lady beetle larvae. The unsuitability of A. nerii for lady beetles and the common association of milkweeds with agroecosystems raises concerns about the possible effects of feeding on this aphid by biological control agents.

Phytolelma are pools of water impounded by living terrestrial plants or fallen leaves and seeds, supporting a mini-ecosystem dominated by insects. We surveyed insect communities of floral and leaf phytotelmata of two Zingiberales plants, Heliconia stricta Huber (Heliconiaceae) and Calathea lutea Schult (Marantaceae), in lowland Amazonian rainforest, Peru. We provide a pictorial guide to the adults of 29 morphospecies in 5 orders of insects we found in these phytotelma. Our findings suggest that leaf rolls in Zingiberales plants satisfy the definition of phytotelmata because they retain rainwater and debris and support a community with aquatic, subaquatic and terrestrial insects. The leaf roll community is dominated by chrysomelid and ptiliid beetles; some taxa (weevils) appear to prefer one host plant. The floral fauna is dominated by immature insects and exhibited less taxonomic diversity. Differences in these communities may be due to water quantity, quality (debris), chemistry (from plant secretions and microbes), and seasonality.

New country records are provided for three species of halictid bees in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Lipotriches (Rhopalomelissa) parca (Kohl) (Nomiinae) is newly documented from central Saudi Arabia, representing the first formal record for the genus in the country. The rare halictine bees Lasioglossum (Evylaeus) leptorhynchum (Blüthgen) and Halictus (Argalictus) humkalensis Blüthgen are both recorded from northern Saudi Arabia.