As part of a study on the inquilinous cynipids belonging to the tribe Synergini (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Cynipinae) in the Chinese fauna, we report in the present paper three species of the genus Ceroptres Hartig from that country, including C. masudai Abe, 1997 and two new species, C. distinctus sp. nov. and C. setosus sp. nov. In addition to detailed descriptions of the new species, we also provide an illustrated key to the species of the genus known from the Palaearctic region and a brief comparison between the Palaearctic and Nearctic Ceroptres species. Type specimens of the new species are deposited in the Parasitic Hymenoptera Collection, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China (ZJUH).

A review and illustrated key of the aphidiine parasitoids of Aphis ruborum (Börner and Schilder) are presented including their distribution. The parasitoid spectrum of A. ruborum in the West Palaearctic is rich, composed of Aphidius colemani Viereck, Aphidius matricariae Haliday, Binodoxys acalephae (Marshall), Binodoxys angelicae (Haliday), Ephedrus persicae Froggatt, Lipolexis gracilis Förster, Lysiphlebus confusus Tremblay and Eady, Lysiphlebus fabarum (Marshall), and Praon abjectum (Haliday), and supplemented by the introduction of Lysiphlebus testaceipes (Cresson). In the Americas the parasitoid complex of A. ruborum consists of A. colemani, Aphidius ervi Haliday (South America), and L. testaceipes (South and North America). Furthermore, the reservoir role of A. ruborum in various ecosystems was investigated in Europe (France) and South America (Chile). Faunal peculiarities and relationships of the parasitoid taxa are discussed together with a synopsis of their potential as biocontrol agents.

Male genitalia, including the pygophore, parameres, and inflated aedeagi, are compared between the midwestern species of Euschistus [i.e., E. ictericus (L.), E. politus Uhler, E. servus (Say) (including E. s. servus and E. s. euschistoides (Vollenhoven), E. tristigmus (Say) (including E. t. tristigmus and E. t. luridus Dallas), and E. variolarius (Palisot de Beauvois) ]. These structures differ markedly between these taxa with the exception of the two subspecies of E. servus and of E. tristigmus, thus confirming their subspecific status.

The Austro-Oriental planthopper genus Dictyomorpha Melichar, 1912 (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea: Dictyopharidae) is revised to contain three previously described and four undescribed species: D. elongata Melichar, 1912 (Papua New Guinea, Indonesia); D. furca sp. nov. (China); D. hectica Haupt, 1926 (Philippines); D. laosensis sp. nov. (Laos); D. moluccana (Kirkaldy, 1913) (from Amboina Kirkaldy, 1913) comb. nov. (Indonesia); D. sulawesiensis sp. nov. (Indonesia); and D. unifasciata Liang, sp. nov. (Vietnam). The monotypic genus Amboina Kirkaldy, 1913 is synonymized with Dictyomorpha Melichar, 1912. Descriptions or redescriptions of Dictyomorpha and its included species are provided together with the dorsal habitus of the adults and nymphs and the structural illustrations. Fifth-instar nymph and wax glands of Dictyomorpha species are described for the first time. A diagnostic key is provided for differentiation of the known species in the genus. New data on the ultrastructural morphology of the antennal sensilla, rostral apex, and hind pretarsus of D. moluccana and the wax glands of the nymph of D. hectica are provided for the first time from the scanning electron microscope observations. Autapomorphies are proposed to support the monophyly of Dictyomorpha. A new genus Indodictyophara gen. nov., which is closely related to Dictyomorpha, also is established for a single new species, I. lobosa sp. nov., from southern India.

The diapause generation of multivoltine insects requires additional energy reserves for diapause maintenance compared with the nondiapause generation. This requirement suggests that the cost of diapause has an effect on life-history traits. We investigated diapause costs in a multivoltine bruchid, Acanthoscelides pallidipennis Motschulsky (Coleoptera: Bruchidae). In the laboratory, life-history traits of A. pallidipennis were compared between nondiapause and diapause treatments. Fecundity and body size of adults were reduced in the diapause treatment compared with the nondiapause treatment. Larger females laid more eggs than smaller females in both treatments. The reduced fecundity of diapause females likely was caused by their reduced body size as a limiting factor. Our findings support the hypothesis that the cost of diapause results in a difference in life-history traits between nondiapause and diapause generations.

The colony size and caste composition of different-sized Macrotermes gilvus (Hagen) (Isoptera: Termitidae: Macrotermitinae) mounds on Penang Island, Malaysia, were studied. The total number of termite individuals differed significantly among different-sized mounds. Small mounds contained 15,400 ± 600 (n = 3) individuals; medium mounds contained 33,500 ± 2,400 (n = 3) individuals; and large mounds contained 61,400 ± 4,400 (n = 3) individuals. Larvae constituted the largest proportion (42.60%) of the total population, followed by workers (42.19%), soldiers (14.16%), presoldiers (0.71%), and alates (0.34%). Population parameters (i.e., total population, total adult apterous caste, and total juvenile apterous caste) were positively and significantly correlated with mound size (e.g., mound height and mound diameter) and queen weight. Significant correlations also were found between mound parameters and queen weight. The sex ratio of alates was significantly skewed toward females in five of seven colonies. Of 44 colonies surveyed, 13.6% were polygynous and 11.4% were polyandrous. The degree of physogastry of female reproductives in polygynous colonies was lower than that in monogynous colonies. In contrast, there was no significant difference in the mean weight of male reproductives between monoandrous and polyandrous colonies.

The fruit fly Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is a species of significant quarantine concern to many countries. Currently, B. tryoni is found in parts of Australia and on some Pacific islands. Understanding dispersal behavior is important for the development of scientifically justified trade restrictions or quarantine distances for B. tryoni. These distances ensure adequate protection for overseas markets while also ensuring that growers sufficiently distant from the affected area are able to retain unrestricted access to markets. This review considers scientific data on dispersal and uses this information to make recommendations for appropriate quarantine distances. Most studies conclude that the lifetime dispersal distance of this species rarely exceeds 1 km, although three studies indicate that longer dispersal distances of a small number of individuals may occasionally occur. These short dispersal distances are consistent with findings for other fruit fly species. Triggers for long-distance dispersal, the fate of these individual flies, nutritional requirements to support this dispersal, and reasons for discrepancies in the dispersal distances reported in different studies are reviewed. Reasons for the inability of B. tryoni to establish along southern parts of the east coast of Australia before European colonization are postulated. A proposed quarantine distance is based on the scientific basis of the mean and 3 SD, with a 3-fold level of protection based on distance. It is proposed that an area contained by a circle with a radius of 1.2 km is a reasonable quarantine area for B. tryoni outbreaks where flies are contained within 200 m of an epicenter. Where total trappings are contained within 400 m of the epicenter, a quarantine distance of 2.4 km is recommended. Three other quarantine distances are proposed based on the formula by using the mean.

Mutualists that provide redundant services to the same organism have been shown both to coexist and compete for access to the partner. Aphids, for example, are known to receive protection against natural enemies from both heritable bacterial symbionts as well as ants, which tend aphids in exchange for sugary honeydew excretions. Little is known, however, about how ant attendance might influence interactions between aphids and their protective bacteria. Assuming costs to infection, we hypothesized that protective symbiont prevalence would decrease in the presence of ants, because of duplication of services. We surveyed natural aphid populations and found Hamiltonella defensa, a bacterium that provides resistance to aphids against parasitoid wasps in laboratory settings, among several aphid species, including Obtusicauda frigidae (Oestlund 1886). We excluded ants from protecting O. frigidae aggregations and measured the effect of ant absence on the frequency of parasitoid attack and H. defensa infection in aphid groups. Ant presence did not reduce H. defensa frequency in aphids, likely because ants and H. defensa did not significantly lower parasitoid wasp attack rates. Metabolic costs likely control H. defensa prevalence more than the effect of ant-tending.

Queen polymorphism in wing morphology and thoracic structure provides the opportunity to test hypotheses about mating strategies and colony founding modes. Some studies indicate that the difference in mating behavior between winged and wingless queens may promote genetic isolation, possibly leading to speciation. However, the knowledge about genetic differences and phylogenetic relationships among polymorphic queens is limited. Queens of the myrmicine ant Vollenhovia emeryi Wheeler exhibit two morphs: a long-winged (L-queen) and a short-winged (S-queen) morph. We analyzed the phylogenetic relationship among populations of L- and S-queens in V. emeryi and the congeneric species V. nipponica, V. benzai, V. okinawana, and V. yambaru. The molecular phylogeny inferred from mtDNA (≈2,200 nt) showed that S-queens formed a monophyletic clade and that L- and S- queens sampled from the same location did not group together. The phylogeny indicates that wing reduction occurred only once and that S-queen populations are genetically differentiated from L-queen populations, at least in their maternal genomes. The phylogeny is consistent with the hypothesis that wing reduction leads to reproductive isolation in V. emeryi.

Fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is composed of two sympatric, morphologically identical host strains (corn and rice) that differ in their distribution on different host plants. This suggests possible strain specificity in the use of host plants. However, although feeding studies published since 1987 have reported such developmental differences, the results were often contradictory, making generalizations about strain-specific physiological traits problematic. Here, we tested whether more consistent results could be obtained using several genetically characterized colonies when assayed in the same laboratory. We also assessed whether a commonly used meridic diet was more favorable to one strain and the potential this might have on altering the behavior of artificially raised colonies. Corn and rice strain colonies were characterized by cytochrome oxidase I (COI) strain markers and were subjected to feeding studies using corn (Zea mays L.), stargrass (Cynodon nlemfuensis Vanderyst variety nlemfuensis ‘Florona’), and a meridic pinto bean diet. In 2005 bioassays, all colonies developed best on corn, whereas the meridic and stargrass diets were associated with more pronounced strain differences. However, bioassays conducted in 2010 using different colonies showed fewer differences between host strains. The limitations of feeding bioassays and the COI marker to identify host strains and the potential for unintended selection of corn strain traits when using a meridic diet are discussed.

We described the community composition of the ectoparasitic flies Protocalliphora Hough (Diptera: Calliphoridae) and their Nasonia (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) parasitoids collected from tree swallow, Tachycineta bicolor (Vieillot), nests in southern Québec, Canada, in 2008 and 2009. The prevalence of nest infestation by Protocalliphora was 70.8% in 2008 and 34.6% in 2009. The average parasitic burden of Protocalliphora spp. was estimated at 5.53 (±5.61 SD) pupae per nestling for 2008 and 4.66 (±9.31 SD) pupae per nestling for 2009. The percentage of nests containing Protocalliphora pupae parasitized by Nasonia spp. was of 85.3% in 2008 and 67.2% in 2009. Three species of Protocalliphora were collected—Protocalliphora sialia Shannon & Dobroscky, Protocalliphora bennetti Whitworth, and Protocalliphora metallica (Townsend)—and two species of Nasonia, Nasonia vitripennis (Walker) and Nasonia giraulti Darling. This is the first record of P. bennetti and N. giraulti in the province of Québec. Our findings provide further evidence for observation made previously that altricial bird nests are more frequently and more heavily infested by blow flies in western than in eastern North America. Our data also suggest that more than a quarter of the tree swallow within the study area are exposed to high levels of ectoparasitism that could negatively affect their health.

The Asiatic rice borer, Chilo suppressalis (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), is an important, widely distributed pest of rice, Oryza sativa L., in China. However, information is lacking about postdiapause levels of cold resistance during periods of normal development. Our results indicate that field larvae of C. suppressalis collected in March 2010 had very low survival if exposed to -21°C. When exposed to test temperatures for 1 h, the LTemp₅₀ and LTemp₉₀ values of C. suppressalis were -18.8 and -20.8°C, respectively. LTime₅₀ and LTime₉₀ values at -16°C (5.1 and 9.6 h) were unexpectedly lower than those at -17°C (7.1 and 18.3 h). For larvae collected in August, mortality at -18°C (with 2-h exposure) was 98% but was only 8% at -6°C (2-h exposure). Maximum cold tolerance of C. suppressalis was observed in larvae collected on 15 January 2011. These data suggest that cold hardiness in C. suppressalis is independent of the diapause state of the insect.

The Cumberland Plateau supports diverse plant communities that vary greatly across cove and plateau habitats. Unfortunately, little is known about how terrestrial invertebrate communities vary across cove and plateau habitats and how disturbance affects these communities. To address this deficiency, we used the Ant Leaf Litter protocol to survey ant diversity on the southern Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee. We surveyed forested habitats on top of the plateau surface and on the cove slopes, as well as sites that were logged within the past 6 yr. After surveying 14 sites we found 1) 10,130 ants representing 55 species from 21 genera and six subfamilies, including five new records for Tennessee; 2) significant differences in ant communities by habitat type; 3) that south-facing cove slope ant communities more closely resembled the ant community of plateau surface native forest sites than the ant community of north-facing cove slopes; 4) that recently logged sites hosted a distinct ant community (including hybrid imported fire ants) not found in undisturbed habitats; and 5) by resampling three sites surveyed 5 yr earlier, that the ant leaf litter protocol can be used to track ant community change over time. Ants thus proved to be an excellent system for examining invertebrate diversity across habitats on the Cumberland Plateau.

Spartina alterniflora Loisel. and Haliaspis spartinae (Comstock) (Hemiptera: Diaspididae), with its parasitoid, were surveyed in Ellisville Marsh, Massachusetts. Average scale density on the damaged leaves was equal to 265 individuals per 10 cm². Parasitization of H. spartinae was recorded for the first time; however, the percentage was very low at 2.67%. The parasitoid is a new species for science and is described as Encarsia ellisvillensis Japoshvili & Russell sp. nov.

Antheraea pernyi (Guérin-Méneville) (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae), a well-known economically important insect, was domesticated from its wild type. In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of the wild type of A. pernyi was determined and compared for nucleotide variation with its domesticated type. The mitogenome of the wild type of A. pernyi is 15,537 bp in size, thus 29 bp smaller than that of the domesticated type. The gene content, order, and orientation of the complete mitogenome of the wild type are identical to those of the domesticated type, as are those of the other completely sequenced lepidopteran mitogenomes. A striking difference between the two mitogenomes was found in the A T-rich region because of the numbers of tandem repeat units. The wild type has five tandem repeat units, whereas the domesticated type has six. Comparative analysis of the two mitogenomes revealed a relatively lower level of sequence divergence (1.70%). Within the two mitogenomes, there are no significant differences in nucleotide substitution rate for the 13 protein-coding genes except for the nad4L gene, which is different from those differences observed between the domesticated silkmoth Bombyx mori (L.) (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) and its wild-type ancestor Chinese B. mandarina Moore. The divergence time between the two Antheraea mitochondrias was estimated to be between 0.74 ± 0.13 and 0.97 ± 0.17 million years ago, based on the genes cox1 cox2 sequences. To our knowledge, this is the first report on sequence variation of the complete mitogenomes between the domesticated insect and its wild-type ancestor, within a single species.

Female insects may choose to mate with males providing the largest nuptial gift via the spermatophore, which may correlate with fitness related characters such as body size. Here, we examined spermatophore size of northern corn rootworm, Diabrotica barberi Smith & Lawrence (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), in relation to body size of males and females and in relation to pairing duration. Virgin males and females of known ages were weighed before and after pairing. Pairs were noted as copulating or not copulating. Copulating males lost significantly more weight than did noncopulating males, whereas copulating females gained significantly more weight than did noncopulating females. For copulating pairs, male and female weight before pairing correlated positively. Spermatophore weight correlated positively with male weight before pairing and was estimated to be 0.37 or 0.38 mg, depending on whether weight change data from males or females were used for estimation. Spermatophore mass accounted for ≈4.4% of male body weight. An effect of pairing duration on spermatophore weight was demonstrable only when weight change data from females were used. Implications of the results for management of rootworm resistance to genetically modified maize are discussed.

Honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) bred for Varroa sensitive hygiene (VSH) selectively remove pupae infested with Varroa destructor Anderson & Trueman (Mesostigmata: Varroidae) from capped brood that is inserted into the nest. After 1 wk, remaining brood cells tend to have been uncapped and recapped, and remaining mites are mostly infertile. A primary goal of this experiment was to compare the reproductive status of mites that remained in recapped and normally capped cells after a 1-wk exposure to VSH and control colonies. Differences in distribution of fertile mites in normally capped brood cells between VSH bees and control bees may suggest that the stimulus for hygiene is related to reproduction by mites. Identification of stimuli triggering VSH behavior could be used to develop new bioassays for selective breeding of this important resistance mechanism. Combs of capped brood that were exposed to control bees had 10 times more pupae with fertile mites in normally capped brood as did VSH bees (6.7 and 0.7%, respectively). They also had 3 times more pupae with infertile mites in normally capped brood than did VSH bees (1.4 and 0.5%, respectively). Thus, VSH bees targeted fertile mites by a 3:1 ratio by either removing or uncapping and recapping their host pupae. Biased removal of mite-infested pupae with fertile mites suggested that stimuli triggering VSH behavior were enhanced by the presence of mite offspring within the brood cell. This bias for fertile mites is not seen during experiments of short 3-h duration. The differing results are discussed relative to a behavioral threshold model for hygienic behavior in honey bees in which different experimental protocols may reflect activities of honey bees having different sensitivities to pupae infested by fertile mites. In addition, mortality of mite offspring was significantly higher in recapped cells than in normally capped cells and contributed to decreased reproduction by the mites.