Global change affects species in many ways. To understand spatio-temporal changes in population dynamics, monitoring data are needed. Social wasps (Vespidae) are ubiquitous in many environments. Using beer traps, we studied annual and seasonal population dynamics of workers of two social wasp species, Vespula vulgaris and Dolichovespula media, in south-central Finland over six years. The abundance of both species fluctuated annually. That of Vespula vulgaris displayed some cyclicity, unlike that of D. media; fluctuations were not fully synchronous among locations. Also, seasonal fluctuations were spatially and temporally variable. Vespula vulgaris was active later in the season, had longer flight period, and more abundance peaks than D. media, which generally had one short abundance peak. Our study suggests great spatio-temporal variation and species-specificity in the population dynamics of social wasps, which should be considered in designing monitoring protocols.

Two new species, Imera setauropsis from the Jawadhu Hills and Orsophagous indicus from the Vellimalai, Nuchikutti and Kalrayan hills of the Tamil Nadu, India, are described and illustrated. These genera are reported for the first time from India.

Two new species, Stenochironomus (Petalopholeus) inpa and S. (P.) emilianoi (Diptera, Chironomidae), from Brazil are described and illustrated based on adult, pupal, and larval stages. These species can be distinguished from their congeners primarily by characteristics of the male hypopygium. The larvae were collected from lotic environments. Both species were found in the Amazon region, with the former also recorded from the Cerrado biome.

Wild ungulates are the main prey of wolves in Finland. In theory, abundant wild ungulate populations could reduce the need for wolves (Canis lupus) to prey on livestock, as well as attract predators to the area. We tested the prey scarcity hypothesis by examining whether the number of sheep depredation cases in Finnish wolf territories was related to the population densities of moose (Alces alces), white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), or to the combined density of these ungulates. The absolute number of sheep depredation cases increased with the number of sheep farms, but was independent of the size of the wolf territories. Our statistical models suggested that the number of wolf attacks on sheep was negatively correlated with moose density, and also to some degree with roe deer density. White-tailed deer density and ungulate biomass did not explain numbers of wolf predatory attacks. The observed patterns could be explained by differences in the use of space by wild ungulates in relation to human settlements and sheep farms associated with those settlements; as in Finland, moose is the only ungulate that has been found to avoid human settlements.

Tree cavity-nesting birds depend on suitable nest sites for successful reproduction. For effective conservation, it is hence crucial to understand species-specific breeding needs and species interdependencies. In the Philippines, cavity-nesting birds and their underlying nest web interactions are poorly known. We determined tree and cavity characteristics utilized by sympatric tree cavity-nesters in the lowland tropical forest of Subic Watershed Forest Reserve, Luzon, Philippines. Cavity nests of 10 bird species were found in live and dead trees belonging mostly to Parkia timoriana and Shorea contorta. Using stratified bootstrapped multinomial logistic regression modeling, we found support that cavity depth, volume and entrance area best explained the differences in realized nest niches among cavity-nesting birds. Dependence on woodpecker cavities was also high (63%) among secondary cavity nesters, underscoring the importance of woodpeckers within our study site. We recommend conserving both live and dead trees, with or without cavities, to support the nesting opportunities of all cavity-nesting species.

Kieffer (1913) erected the genus Brillia, with Metriocnemus bifidus Kieffer, 1909 as the type species by original designation. To date, the genus comprises 15 valid species worldwide, including four species described from China. In this study, Brillia litangensis Liu, sp. nov., is described and illustrated as a male imago from Sichuan Province within the Oriental region of China. The new species inhabits high-altitude areas and shows strong cold tolerance. A key to the adult males of Brillia known from China is presented.