The prominent moth fauna (Lepidoptera: Notodontidae) of Yanayacu Biological Station (Napo Province) in northeastern Ecuador was surveyed to assess which species at the site had been previously described and which were new to science. Taxonomic studies based on comparisons with type material revealed that, of the 67 Notodontidae recorded at Yanayacu, 54% were undescribed before 2009. In this article, 27 species belonging to 12 different genera in four subfamilies are newly described. These findings emphasize the remarkable levels of undocumented insect diversity found in Andean cloud forests, adding further strength to the argument that conservation efforts should focus on preserving such habitats.

This study encompasses three trophic levels, including description and observations of a butterfly caterpillar, its host plant, and two parasitoids, one of which is described here as a new species. We describe the immature stages and larval and adult behaviors of the butterfly Eryphanis greeneyi Penz & DeVries, 2008 (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) from the east Andean slopes of Ecuador. We identify Chusquea cf. scandens (Poaceae: Bambusoideae) as the larval food plant and review host associations in the genus Eryphanis and related taxa. We compare the morphology of E. greeneyi caterpillars to related taxa feeding on Chusquea and discuss the function of anal combs and associated frass throwing behavior. We describe a new species of braconid wasp Protapanteles eryphanidis sp. n. Whitfield and a tachinid fly, Winthemia sp. nr. analis, reared from field-collected larvae of E. greeneyi and evaluate their taxonomic position and association with E. greeneyi.

The moth genus Eois Hübner (Lepidoptera: Geometridae: Larentiinae) comprises 254 validly described species, 211 of them (83%) occurring in the Neotropical region, 12% in the Asian-Australian region, and 5% in Africa. A checklist of Neotropical Eois is provided and some taxonomic changes are made. Aplogompha noctilaria (Schaus) is excluded from the genus, and Eois bermellada (Dognin) and Eois fragilis (Warren) are transferred to the genus. Further changes include Eois cellulata (Prout) stat. rev., Eois ambarilla (Dognin) stat. rev., and Eois telegraphica Prout stat. rev. By far, the majority of Eois species (82%) were described between 1891 and 1920; approximately half of all species by just two authors. Within the Neotropical region, the majority of species (55%) were described from the tropical Andes (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia), followed by Central America and the Caribbean (28%), and the rest of South America (17%). Large regions such as the Amazon basin, eastern South America, but also northern Peru are heavily underrepresented. Regional diversity studies provide evidence that the wet tropical Andes are the diversity hotspot of Eois. From a forested elevational gradient (1,020–2,670 m above sea level) in southeastern Ecuador, 154 morphospecies are currently known, with only ≈12% of them described. Regional species richness in Central America is lower (Costa Rica, 66 observed morphospecies along a gradient from 40 to 2,730 m; ≈29% described). Total richness of the genus is estimated to be >1,000 species in the Neotropical region. R the low proportions of described species only partly recur in other groups of Neotropical geometrid moths, their number may exceed 19,000 species. A taxonomic revision of Eois will be a prerequisite for comparison of ecological data from different regions.

Caterpillar mimicry is surprisingly scarce, despite many examples of apparently defended, aposematic species. Here, we describe two possible examples of caterpillar mimicry in two tribes of the Neotropical Danainae: Danaini and Ithomiini. The first example, from the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, includes two subtribes of Danaini: Danaus plexippus (L.), Danaus gilippus (Cramer), Danaus cleophile (Godart) (Danaina), Anetia briarea (Godart), and Anetia jaegeri (Ménétriés) (Itunina). The first two widespread Danaus species have unusually dark phenotypes on Hispaniola, which we suggest are the result of mimicry with endemic Caribbean danaines. The second example, from the upper Amazon of eastern Ecuador, involves four subtribes of Ithomiini: Forbestra olivencia (Bates) (Mechanitina), Hypothyris fluonia (Hewitson), Hypothyris semifulva (Salvin) (Napeogenina), Ithomia amarilla Haensch (Ithomiina), Hyposcada anchiala (Hewitson), Oleria sexmaculata (Haensch) (Oleriina), and Pseudoscada florula (Hewitson) (Godyridina). Hyposcada illinissa (Hewitson) (Oleriina) is a possible additional member. This mimicry ring shows a color pattern known only from the upper Amazon, with the caterpillar having a yellow body and bright blue anterior and posterior segments, and this pattern has clearly evolved at least four times in the Ithomiini. We suggest that precise mimicry among caterpillars may be rarer than among adult butterflies because of a lack of sexual selection to drive the initial evolution of bright colors in larvae. We also suggest that the evolution of warning colors in protected caterpillars is more difficult than in butterflies, because a novel, conspicuous caterpillar is less able to avoid capture than the more agile adult.

The New World microgastrine braconid wasp genus Venanus is reviewed, and a new illustrated key to species is provided. Three new species are described and illustrated: Venanus kusikuyllurae Rasmussen & Whitfield, n. sp., reared from the gelechiid pests of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willdenow), Eurysacca quinoae Povolný, and Eurysacca melanocampta (Meyrick) in Peru; Venanus greeneyi Whitfield & Arias-Penna n. sp., reared from pyralid caterpillars feeding on Phenax rugosus (Poir.) and Boehmeria spp. (both Urticaceae) in Ecuador; and Venanus yanayacuensis Arias-Penna & Whitfield, n. sp., reared from pyralid caterpillars feeding on several species of Asteraceae in Ecuador. In addition, the female of Venanus helavai Mason, previously known only from males, is diagnosed and illustrated, and we provide the first known host record for this species: pyralid caterpillars on Myrsine coriacea (Sw.) (Myrsinaceae).

We describe the immature stages and shelter building behavior of the skipper butterfly Dion carmenta (Hewitson) from eastern Ecuador. Adults infrequently are encountered and feed on a variety of flowers, generally at forest edges and clearings. Chusquea c.f. scandens Kunth (Poaceae: Bambusoidea) is the larval food plant. Young larvae have black heads with white, unadorned bodies, changing little as they grow, with the exception of developing a reddish tinge to thoracic segments. Larvae of all stadia construct and dwell in shelters built on the food plant and forcibly eject frass with the aid of an anal comb. Pupation occurs on the food plant in a final structure formed by joining together multiple leaves with silk. Development, from oviposition to eclosion, lasts 128–147 d.

Adults and larvae in the subfamily Arctiinae (family Erebidae), along with their host plants and the parasitic wasps and flies that attack them, are important components of most terrestrial food webs, but basic taxonomic and life-history knowledge for the arctiines of the Neotropics is still poorly known. This is true for most groups of Lepidoptera in hyperdiverse countries such as Ecuador. To examine host affiliations and natural enemies in diverse ecosystems, we collected 6,243 arctiine caterpillars (representing 821 larval morphospecies) at elevations ranging from 400 to 3,500 m as part of a larger ecological and taxonomic survey of trophic associations centered at the Yanayacu Biological Station in Napo province, eastern Ecuador. Here, we provide a brief review of the systematics of Neotropical Arctiinae, provide basic information on host affiliations and parasitism rates of arctiines reared from Napo province in Ecuador and describe the immature stages of 16 species encountered in the region.

A phylogenetic analysis of 31 Oriental and Palaearctic genera of the tribe Halyini of South and Central Asia is presented here, concentrating upon the 22 genera for which complete data were available. Sixty-one morphological characters were analyzed using parsimony, including characters of the scent-gland apparatus and internal and external male and female genitalia. Using Phricodus as an outgroup, a single most-parsimonious tree resulted, following character reweighting according to their fit to the 52 multiple shortest trees initially found. Carenoplistus was always basal, and Jugalpada and Mustha were plesiomorphic in most bootstrapped trees. Two relatively plesiomorphic clades were identified, the Halys group (Salixocoris, Halys, and Neohalys) and the Paranevisanus group (Erthesina, Apodiphus, and Paranevisanus). Although strong bootstrap support existed for a clade of 12 genera (Tipulparra, Sarju, Izharocoris, Dalpada, Tachengia, Meridindia, Cahara, Ameridalpa, Eupaleopada, Meridalpa, Lodosocoris, and Neolodosocoris), the only consistent clades within it were a Dalpada group (Sarju, Izharocoris, Tachengia, and Dalpada) and a Lodosocoris group (Lodosocoris and Neolodosocoris). Tentative placements of the other nine genera are made, and a generic key is provided.

A taxonomic review of the New Zealand genus Exeirarthra Broun is presented. Six species are documented, and three new species are described and illustrated: Exeirarthra maclennanensis Park & Carlton, sp. nov.; Exeirarthra mccollae Park & Carlton, sp. nov.; and Exeirarthra nunni Park & Carlton, sp. nov. Two species, Exeirarthra angustula Broun and Exeirarthra pallida Broun, are synonymized under Exeirarthra enigma Broun. A key, habitus illustrations, and photos and line drawings of diagnostic characters for all Exeirarthra species are provided.

The Phytomyza ilicis species group is the only taxon in the phytophagous family Agromyzidae (Diptera: Schizophora) known to feed on hollies (Aquifoliaceae: Ilex L.) in North America, mining within the living leaves as larvae. The clade is represented here by 11 species native to eastern North America, although P. vomitoriae has been introduced into California. The sole European holly leafminer, Phytomyza ilicis Curtis, is also present in western North America following introduction. The North American fauna is revised, following a molecular treatment of the group by Scheffer and Wiegmann (Mol. Phylog. Evol. 17: 244–255; 2000), who discovered several previously undescribed species. These new species, Phytomyza ambigua spec, nov., Phytomyza leslieae spec, nov., Phytomyza lineata spec. nov., and Phytomyza wiggii spec, nov., are formally named, and all adults and puparia of North American species are described, illustrated, and included in an updated identification key. A lectotype is designated for P. ilicis.

Dioryctria (Zeller 1846) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae: Phycitinae) moths, commonly known as coneworms, are a group of important coniferous pests. Interspecific overlap of molecular, morphological, and behavioral traits has made identification and delimitation of these species problematic, impeding their management and control. In particular, delimitation of members of the Dioryctria zimmermani species group, a diverse group of Nearctic species, is notoriously difficult. To clarify the species boundaries in this species group we examined two independent molecular markers (cytochrome c oxidase I and II and elongation factor 1α), larval host plant association, geographic distribution, and pheromone attraction in an integrated taxonomic framework. Congruence between these diagnostic traits and established species limits in the zimmermani group was variable. Some species showed well-supported congruence between established taxonomic limits and mitochondrial DNA gene tree topology, whereas other species showed little phylogenetic resolution, little correspondence with diagnostic traits, and incongruence with previously described species limits. Gene tree-species tree discordance may be caused by several evolutionary processes, such as imperfect taxonomy, incomplete lineage sorting, or introgression. Additional information, such as highly variable molecular markers, morphometrics, and larval host information, is needed to effectively evaluate and differentiate among these alternative hypotheses and fully resolve the species limits among D. zimmermani species group members.

In this study, the relationships among and the taxonomic status of three closely related parasitic wasps that are widely used as biological control agents of cereal aphids, Aphidius uzbekistanicus Luzhetzki, Aphidius rhopalosiphi De Stefani Perez, and Aphidius avenaphis (Fitch), were examined. Genetic divergence at an average of 6% was recorded between A. uzbekistanicus and A. rhopalosiphi by using the mitochondrial (mt) gene cytochrome oxidase I (COI) barcoding region. Identical mtCOI gene sequences were observed in A. uzbekistanicus specimens that originated from Eurasia and in the North American species A. avenaphis. The haplotype fluctuation in A. rhopalosiphi specimens that originated from the west Palaearctic was an average of 1.5% (maximum, 2.4%). In contrast, specimens of A. uzbekistanicus from central and western parts of Eurasia were largely homogenous, with only a single mutation recorded in a specimen from eastern Europe (Serbia). The morphological and genetic diversity found in A. rhopalosiphi may suggest the existence of cryptic species, especially for lineages that have a large degree of mtCOI diversity and sympatric occurrence. The geometric morphometric analysis of stigma shape presented in this study demonstrated that members of A. uzbekistanicus have a shorter forewing r vein and a more elongated stigma, relative to those of A. avenaphis. Our research validates the use of stigma shape and flagellomere 1 color for morphological discrimination between wasp species.

Several morphological features and markings differentiate the larvae (three instars) of four Leucochrysa (Nodita) species (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae: Leucochrysini) that commonly occur in agricultural areas along the Atlantic Coast of Brazil. Descriptions and keys to species are provided. Based on the characteristics of the four species studied here and four previously described species, we propose a suite of diagnostic characteristics for Leucochrysa (Nodita) larvae.

We compared morphology of internal reproductive anatomy and genitalia among 10 species of North American Anthocoris (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Anthocoridae). Reproductive structures of males, including internal reproductive organs (testes, seminal vesicles, ejaculatory bulb, phallus), the paramere, and the endosoma, were found to vary in size, shape, and appearance among the 10 species, although with similarities among species within some groupings. All species except Anthocoris bakeri Poppius have two testicular follicles per testis; A. bakeri has five to seven follicles per testis. In seven of the 10 species, a longitudinal groove was found to be present on the paramere; we believe this groove functions to guide the male's intromittent organ as it enters the female during copulation. Variation among species in morphology of the male's inflated endosoma included differences in length, presence or absence of looping, and in presence of spinulate, dentate, or tuberculate projections. The summary presented here is the first description of the endosoma for any species of Anthocoris. We observed substantial variation among species in length of the female's copulatory tube (i.e., the organ which receives the male's intromittent organ), although again with some similarities among certain groupings of species. Variation in length of the female's copulatory tube parallels variation in length of the male's endosoma, which suggests that morphology of genitalia within this genus has coevolved between sexes.

A new species of Ctenocerinae, Abernessia prima sp. nov., is described for Brazil based on the male sex only. This is the first male to be described for the subfamily in the Neotropics. A brief discussion of the current status of Ctenocerinae is provided. Distribution records and illustrations for another Neotropical Ctenocerinae species, Lepidocnemis antiquus, also are provided.

We here erect a new genus, Parasinea, to accommodate the type species, P. colombiensis, n. sp. and P. coronata (Stål), currently placed in Sinea. This genus is closely related to Sinea but can be distinguished easily by the spoon-shaped pygophore and the highly reduced parameres. Males of P. colombiensis can be distinguished from those of P. coronata by differences in the abdominal shape and genitalia (the female of P. colombiensis is unknown). Illustrations of the male genitalia, photographs of the dorsal habitus of both species, and distributional records of the two species are provided.

The last instar of Copitarsia incommoda (Walker) is described for the first time. Specimens in this study were reared from quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd., Chenopodiaceae), Bolivia, La Paz, 4 km S Viacha, Quipaquipani, 3,880 m. The larva of Copitarsia incommoda is compared with larvae of Copitarsia decolora (Guenée) and Copitarsia corruda Pogue and Simmons.

Feeding male Rhyzopertha dominica (F.) (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae) produces two pheromones Dominicalure-1 (DL-1) and Dominicalure-2 (DL-2), which attracts adults of both sexes. In field experiments conducted in Oklahoma, R. dominica captures in multiple funnel traps deployed with its pheromones, ethanol, or both, green-leaf volatiles (GLV), plant essential oils, or synthetic pheromones for Ips spp., Dendroctonus spp., or Scolytus multistriatus (Marsham) (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) were examined. The bark beetle lures were evaluated at the release rate recommended for the respective insects. The number of insects trapped increased when R. dominica lure was combined with ethanol, whereas beetle captures neither were enhanced nor inhibited when the lure was combined with GLV, 3-methylcyclohex-2-en-l-one (MCH), or plant essential oil mixtures turpentine, from Pinus spp., and cedar wood oil, from Juniperus spp. (Coniferales: Pinaceae and Cupressaceae). Similarly, the numbers of captured R. dominica did not significantly differ when R. dominica lures were supplemented with ipsdienol, ipsenol, cis-verbenol, or pityol. Conversely, the combination of R. dominica lures with exo-brevicomin, frontalin, and commercial lure for S. multistriatus, containing the bicyclic ketal multistriatin, resulted in significantly fewer captures of R. dominica. The presence of live males of the closely related species Prostephanus truncatus (Horn) decreased the number of captured R. dominica by >70% compared with captures in traps baited with R. dominica's natural pheromone alone. Results support the hypothesis that grain-infesting R. dominica evolved from forest-inhabiting ancestors and retained behavioral traits for semiochemical interactions with other wood-boring beetle species. Such interspecific interactions have potential for exploitation in pest management programs against R. dominica.

Crepis tectorum L., narrow leaf hawksbeard, first was collected in Alaska in 1974 and by 2004 was a common weed in agricultural fields. Introduction and establishment of a new plant species in a region represents a potential new resource for herbivores, as well as a new competitor for plant species already present. Objectives of this study were to determine the preference for C. tectorum, relative to other common plant species, by Melanoplus borealis (Fieber), a generalist herbivore grasshopper common in Alaska, and to determine the potential impact of grasshoppers on this weed. In choice tests, M. borealis preferred C. tectorum over two native forbs, and a grass species, but dandelion, Taraxacum officinale G. H. Weber ex Wiggers, was preferred over C. tectorum. In field cages, in each of 3 yr, grasshoppers reduced biomass of mature plants, flowers, and seedlings of C. tectorum, but not other forbs. We conclude that this weed is a readily accepted new food resource for generalist-feeding grasshoppers, and although grasshoppers could potentially limit seed production of C. tectorum, generally grasshopper densities are not high enough to have significant impact on the weed populations.

Climate differences across latitude can result in seasonal constraints and selection on life-history characters. Because Aedes albopictus (Skuse) invaded North America in the mid-1980s, it has spread across a range of ≈14° latitude and populations in the north experience complete adult mortality because of cold winter temperatures that are absent in the south. Life-table experiments were conducted to test for differences in the adult survival and reproductive schedules of Ae. albopictus females from three populations from the northern (Salem, NJ; Springfield, IL; Eureka, MO; ≈39° N) and southern (Palm Beach, Palmetto, Tampa, FL; ≈27–28° N) extremes of the species distribution in North America. There were consistent differences between northern and southern populations in incidence of photoperiodically-induced egg diapause. Under short daylength, diapause eggs constituted twice the proportion of total viable eggs from northern females (81.9–92.1%) than southern females (35.9–42.7%). There were no consistent differences between northern and southern populations in resource allocation between reproduction and maintenance, reproduction over time, and reproductive investment among offspring, and no apparent trade-offs between diapause incidence with reproduction or longevity. Our results suggest that the main response of North American Ae. albopictus to unfavorable winter climates is via the life history strategy of producing diapausing eggs, rather than quantitative variation in reproduction, and that there are no detectable costs to adult survival. Inherent geographic variation in the expression of diapause, consistent with the latitudinal extremes of A. albopictus, indicates evolutionary loss of diapause response in southern populations because of the invasion of A. albopictus in North America.

The South American leaf-feeding beetle Gratiana boliviana Spaeth (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) has been released since 2003 in the southeastern United States to control the invasive weed tropical soda apple, Solanum viarum Dunal (Solanaceae). Successful establishment of a biological control agent in temperate and subtropical regions depends on several life-history adaptations, including winter diapause. The timing of diapause allows the syncronization of insect herbivores with the phenology of plants, and field observations in Florida suggested that G. boliviana overwinters as an adult in diapause. The objectives of this study were to describe the diapause of G. boliviana and determine the effect of temperature and photoperiod on diapause induction. Compared with nondiapause adults, diapausing adults were yellow rather than green, had hypertrophied fat bodies, contained little food in the digestive tract, showed negligible ovarian development, and minimal movement of the hind wings when the beetles were placed on their dorsal sides. Although all nondiapause females laid eggs during a 30-d period, only five of 76 diapausing females laid eggs and this occurred only during the first 15 d of the treatment period. Consistent with morphological indicators of diapause, the respiration rate was 2.3 times lower and fat content was 2–3 times greater in diapausing adults compared with nondiapause adults. In a laboratory study, the critical daylength for diapause induction was found to be 12 h:28 min.

The biology of Leptoypha hospita Drake et Poor (Hemiptera: Tingidae), a potential biological control agent from China for Chinese privet, Ligustrum sinense Lour., was studied in quarantine in the United States. Both nymphs and adults feed on Chinese privet mesophyll cells that lead to a bleached appearance of leaves and dieback of branch tips. L. hospita has five nymphal instars with the mean duration of the life cycle from egg to new adult being 25 d. Females laid an average of 240 eggs per female and continued laying until death. Adults lived ≈75 d on average. Because it feeds on Chinese privet, has multiple generations per year and a high reproductive rate, L. hospita may be a good biological control agent for this invasive plant.

One new genus with a new species assigned to the subfamily Mesohelorinae in the Heloridae, Archaeohelorus hoi, gen. et sp. nov., and two new genera with four new species assigned to the subfamily Mesoserphinae in the Mesoserphidae—Sinoserphus wui gen. et sp. nov.; Sinoserphus shihae, sp. nov.; Sinoserphus lillianae, sp. nov.; and Yanliaoserphus jurassicus, gen. et sp. nov.—are described from the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation of Inner Mongolia, China. Here, we document the earliest fossil records hitherto of helorid and mesoserphid wasps, extending their existence to the Middle Jurassic. It is proposed that Heloridae and Mesoserphidae might have originated from northeastern China. Morphological changes of their antennae, wing venation, and metasoma based on current knowledge are discussed.

A concurrent study of the nesting biology of the solitary bee Osmia (Helicosmia) chalybea Smith (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae: Osmiini) and its cleptoparasite Stelis (Stelis) ater Mitchell (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae: Anthidiini) proposes that their larval cocoons allow gas exchange between ambient air and internal cocoon air and provide a water-vapor barrier, thus enabling the immature bees to avoid desiccation and simultaneously protecting them from invading parasites and predators. The anterior pole of the cocoon of each species has a nipple-like feature that, although structurally different in each case, seems to allow gas exchange while filtering out predators and parasites. The purpose of the current study was to test whether the anterior ends of the two cocoons allow gas exchange whereas the posterior ends are indeed essentially air- and water-vaportight. Results clearly support the assumption that cocoons of both species function as predicted and raise the interesting speculation that cocoons of other bee taxa may serve the same functions.

Although koinobiont parasitoids depend on their hosts for nutrition, they often exploit them in other ways during pupation. The solitary endoparasitoid Toxoneuron nigriceps Viereck (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) spins its cocoon in a chamber formed by its host Heliothis virescens (F.) (Lepidoptera: Noctudidae). The parasitoid prepupae depend on this host-formed pupation chamber; if left on an open surface, T. nigriceps larvae are unable to form a cocoon. To determine whether T. nigriceps larvae can form cocoons in artificial pupation chambers, common laboratory materials were tested for suitability. Test chambers included cotton balls, upright test tubes, gelatin capsules, and the wells of microtube racks. The proportion of parasitoids that formed cocoons in each chamber, as well as the proportion that survived to adulthood, were recorded and compared with each other and to those placed in host-formed chambers, as well as to those placed in petri dishes, a flat surface. Parasitoid larvae were able to spin cocoons in all artificial chambers that provided a small, partially enclosed space. The proportion of parasitoids that formed cocoons was largest in cotton balls, but no chambers (other than petri dishes) were significantly different from the host formed control. The proportion of parasitoids that survived to adulthood was significantly smaller in the petri dish and test tube treatments than in the control. Due to the high success rate for cocoon formation and survival, as well as practicality in a mass-rearing situation, gelatin capsules and microtube rack wells were considered the best choices for use as artificial pupation chambers among those tested.

Natural history studies serve as important foundations for future investigations of behavioral ecology and provide biologists with critical information needed for the development of empirical research programs. Relatively little is known about the biology of most species of Neotropical harvestmen in Central America. In this field study, we investigated the activity patterns of two common species Cynorta marginalis (Cosmetidae) and Prionostemma sp. (Sclerosomatidae) in a wet tropical forest in Costa Rica. We used visual encounter surveys along randomly selected transects to compare the relative abundance of these species during morning, afternoon, evening, and late night sampling periods. To generate ethograms, we observed up to three individuals of each species for 10 min along each transect, generating 69 behavioral observations for C. marginalis and 51 for Prionostemma. Both species occupy perches on vegetation and are generally nocturnal with respect to activity. After dusk, individuals of C. marginalis actively climb, interact with conspecifics, and forage on the surfaces of small and large trees. During the day, adult Prionostemma form relatively inactive clusters of up to 40 individuals on arboreal perches and descend to the leaf litter after dusk to forage.

When holometabolous insect larvae are exposed to a radiation treatment, morbidity or mortality are typically manifested during a major developmental transition, usually a transition involving ecdysis. Thus, early instars fail to develop into later instars or the later instars fail to pupate or pupariate. Over a range of sublethal doses of gamma radiation (increments of 0, 15, 20, 25, and 30 Gy) applied to third-instar Mexican fruit flies, Anastrepha ludens (Loew) (Diptera: Tephritidae), infesting or implanted in grapefruits, Citrus paradisi Macfayden, survival decreased with increasing dose. At all radiation doses, the majority of treated larvae arrested development at pupal ecdysis, the transformation from a cryptocephalic to a phanerocephalic pupa. More than 96% of treated larvae died at, or before, reaching this transition at the highest dose tested (30 Gy). Contrary to expectations, the radiation treatment did not cause atrophy of the imaginai tissues, a result that we attribute to apoptosis.

Selenophosphate synthetase (Sps), the product of the SelD gene, produces a biologically active selenium donor compound from ATP and selenide. We have isolated and characterized the Sps gene from Antheraea pernyi (Guérin-Méneville) (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae), an economically important insect. The resulting 1601 bp cDNA sequence contains an open reading frame of 1209 bp encoding a polypeptide of 402 amino acids, with 87% sequence identity to that from Drosophila melanogaster (Meigen). Semiquantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis showed that the Sps gene was transcribed during four developmental stages (egg, larva, pupa, and adult) and in all the tissues tested (blood, fat body, midgut, silk glands, body wall, spermaries and ovaries), suggesting that ApSps plays an important role in the development of A. pernyi. From a database search, Sps protein homologs were found in prokaryotes and eukaryotes, including bacteria, fungi, invertebrates and vertebrates, with 47–98% amino acid sequence identities between eukaryotes, suggesting that they were highly conserved during the evolution of eukaryotes. Phylogenetic analysis, based on Sps protein homolog sequences, clearly separated the known bacterial, fungal, invertebrate and vertebrate Sps proteins, consistent with the topology tree of classical systematics, suggesting the potential value of the Sps protein sequence in phylogenetic inference.

Diabrotica barberi Smith & Lawrence and Diabrotica longicornis (Say) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) are considered to be sister species, and it has been proposed that the two species may hybridize under field conditions. The objective of this study was to examine genetic and morphological characters of D. barberi and D. longicornis for evidence of field introgression. Both species were collected from sympatric and allopatric areas. Amplified fragment length polymorphisms and morphological characters (color and head capsule width) were used to examine variation within and among populations of D. barberi and D. longicornis. Relatively little of the overall genetic variation was explained by the putative species designation, and most of the genetic variation, both between and within species, was found within populations. In addition, genetic differences were not correlated with geographic location. Beetle color did differ significantly between putative species, with the darkest individuals occurring at the most distal portions of the ranges. Head capsule width varied significantly among populations, but not among species. Both genetic and morphological data support the hypothesis that introgression is occurring between species in the area of sympatry.

A phylogeographic analysis inferred from the partial mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene (433 bp) was performed with 22 populations of Diaphorina citri Kuwayama collected in the Americas and one in the Pacific. Eight populations from four countries in South America, 14 from four countries in North America, and one from Hawaii were analyzed. Twenty-three haplotypes (hp) were identified and they fell into two groups: hp1–8 were identified in South America (group 1) and hp9–23 were identified in North America and Hawaii (group 2). Hp1 and nine were present in the highest frequencies within each population and within their group, 81 and 85% for group 1 and group 2, respectively. A diagnostic nucleotide at position 48 was identified that allowed for the discrimination of the two groups; in addition, no haplotypes were shared between the two groups. An analysis of molecular variance uncovered significant genetic structure (φ;_CT = 0.733; P < 0.001) between the two groups of the Americas. Two haplotype networks (ParsimonySplits and Statistical Parsimony) discriminated the two groups and both networks identified hp1 and nine as the predicted ancestral or founding haplotypes within their respective group. The data suggest that two separate introductions or founding events of D. citri occurred in the Americas, one in South America and one in North America. Furthermore, North America and Hawaii appear to share a similar source of invasion. These data may be important to the development of biological control programs against D. citri in the Americas.

‘Bubbling’ behavior, or the regurgitation of liquid from the crop through droplet formation on the proboscis, has been observed in many nonblood feeding dipterans. One factor that has been identified as a cause for ‘bubbling’ is the concentration of the solution flies ingest. The hypothesis presented in this paper states that male flies ingesting more dilute solutions will exhibit more bubbling behavior than those that ingest a less dilute solution. Concentrations tested were a high concentration of 80% sucrose solution and a low concentration of 20% sucrose solution. Males only were tested to avoid any confounding effect of the females need for energy sources for reproduction. Male flies that ingested the 80% sugar solution showed 45% of the flies tested bubbling, which was significantly different from the flies that ingested 20% solution, which had only 5% of the flies bubbling. No significant weight loss or percentage of weight loss was observed between bubbling and nonbubbling flies for either sugar solution concentration. Results comparing a high and low concentration of sucrose do not support the theory of elimination of excess water loss to concentrate dilute solutions or the “dilute solution hypothesis”. Other factors, not identified previously, that could contribute to bubbling, are changes in osmolality, utilization of blood sugar (i.e., trehalose), and the regulation of the proventricular valve.