The Old World leafhopper genus Futasujinus Ishihara is revised and redescribed. Eight species, including three new species, are recognized in the genus: F. amuriensis (Metcalf) (China, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, and Russia), F. biarmatus Dlabola (Mongolia), F. candidus (Matsumura) (China, Russia, Korea, and Japan), F. dietrichi sp. nov. (China), F. hastatus sp. nov. (China), F. koreacola Kwon & Lee, 1979 (Korea), F. towadensis (Matsumura) (Japan), and F. truncates sp. nov. (China). All species from China are described. A key to the species in this genus is given, and their genital structures are illustrated.

Although the genus Calathus Bonelli is distributed mainly in the Holarctic, 17 species have been described from Ethiopia. A key to the Ethiopian Calathus with hind angles of pronotum well-marked, generally rectangular, is provided, including two new species, Calathus juan from Guna Mountain (Gonder) and Calathus carballalae from Mt. Batu (Bale). The two new species are described. Both taxa were found in Afroalpine grassland living under stones, sometimes at the base of the giant Lobelia rhynchopetalum Hemsley. C. juan bears some resemblance to Calathus theodori Ancey given its similar prosternal process and the shoulders of the elytra but is separated by the shape of its pronotum and the different configuration of the aedeagus. C. carballalae is characterized by the small callosity on the shoulders of the elytra, its elongate shape, and the singular aedeagus. Drawings of male genitalia of both C. theodoi and Calathus orthomoides Alluaud are presented for the first time.

Adults and first through fifth instars of three species of Naucoridae in the subfamily Laccocorinae were collected from localities in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka states in southern India. Specifically, Heleocoris indicus (Montandon) and Heleocoris vicinus (Montandon) were collected from the vegetated margins of streams that contained no congeners. Pogonocaudina indica Sites & Zettel was collected from vertical rock surfaces at the type locality. All instars of these three species are described here. First instars of both species of Heleocoris are immaculate, whereas subsequent instars are densely punctate. The first instar of P. indica has pronounced dorsal tubercles with stout spines, whereas subsequent instars lack these structures. All instars of P. indica have a deep terminal cleft and dense fringe of hairs on the perimeter of the posterior abdominal segments. Second through fifth instars of these three species can be distinguished based on relative length of the mesonotal wing pad compared with the exposed part of the metanotal lateral margin.

We examined whether body size, development time, and wing dimorphism are affected by latitude in the cricket, Velarifictorus micado (Saussure).Wefound that the number of days required for nymphal development decreased with increasing latitude, suggesting that shorter periods of warm temperatures in the north resulted in faster development. Body size varied between populations, and followed the converse to Bergmann's rule, indicating that limited development time at higher latitudes resulted in smaller body size. Wing dimorphism in V. micado was influenced by both photoperiod and latitude.Ahigher proportion of macropters occurred under longer photoperiod conditions, suggesting that wing dimorphism in V. micado was the result of seasonal adaptation. The critical photoperiod was shorter for the southern populations than that for the northern populations, and the incidence of macroptery decreased with increasing latitude, suggesting that wing dimorphism in V. micado correlated with climatic variation.

The ecological effects of invasive ants on ecosystems will depend largely on ant abundance. Cypress savannas of the southeastern United States have high conservation worth, supporting diverse and rare assemblages of species. Distance sampling was used to determine the abundance and distribution of colonies of the invasive ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren, in cypress savannas of two Carolina bays. Colonies were distributed throughout the savannas, save for areas of dense tree or shrub cover. Colony densities were much less than those reported for disturbed habitats and were similar between bays. Free-standing mounds were more common in the historically less flooded bay, and they had significantly greater volume and colony biomass as compared with these mounds in the other bay. Unlike previous studies, reporting only monogyne colonies for intact habitats of the southeast, both monogyne and polygyne colonies were present in the cypress savannas; <60% of the colonies were monogyne. Cypress savannas join a growing list of habitats, having wet sandy or loamy soils and little canopy, that have become invaded by S. invicta in the absence of anthropogenic soil disturbances. Cypress savannas resemble invaded longleaf pine savannas in vegetation physiognomy, history of fire, and dense herbaceous ground cover. While fires are critical for biodiversity, the resulting dense herbaceous ground cover may favor S. invicta. As generalist consumers and likely the most abundant ant species in these habitats, S. invicta could have important direct and indirect effects on the native communities.

The caddisfly, Ironoquia plattensis Alexander and Whiles, is a benthic macroinvertebrate endemic to the backwater sloughs and prairie wetlands in central Nebraska. These areas are subject to spring rains which wane to subsequent drying, and I. plattensis larvae are adapted to this hydric cycle, partitioning time as larvae in water and on land. Flooding, especially soil flooding, causes severe hypoxia, and most terrestrial organisms that are trapped underwater drown in a short period of time. Shallow, warm waters (>30°C) and aquatic environments that receive high nutrients can also experience severe hypoxia as a result of algal blooms, decomposition, and high biological oxygen demand. We exposed aquatic larvae, terrestrial larvae, and pupae of I. plattensis to severely hypoxic water and found that pupae were most sensitive, having a lethal time to 50% mortality (LT₅₀) of 3.14 and 7.67 h, at 20 and 10°C, respectively. Aquatic fifth instars had an LT₅₀ of 44.17 and 74.21 h and terrestrial larvae survived 61.68 and 89.89 h, at 20 and 10°C, respectively. The hypoxia tolerance of terrestrial larval stages suggests an adaptation to flooding while the sensitivity of the pupal stage suggests that fall flooding could cause significant mortality.

The development, life history, and fecundity of Acharia fusca Stoll (Lepidoptera: Limacodidae), an important oil palm pest, was studied at various treatments of temperatures ranging from 10 to 40°C, at a constant relative humidity of 75 ± 5% and a photoperiod of 12:12 (L:D) h. In addition, the amount of leaf consumed by larval instars was measured. Females and males successfully developed into adults within 15–35°C. However, no eggs were found at 10°C, and all adults died after exposure to 40°C. The developmental time from egg to adult ranged between 170.5 d at 15°Cand 76.6 d at 35°C (F_1,97 = 56.2; P < 0.0001). Temperature had a strong effect on the survivorship of A. fusca from the egg to adult emergence, increasing between 15 and 20°C, peaked at 25–30°C, and then declined slightly at 35°C. The different periods of the insect's total reproductive life varied between 15 and 35°C, with the preoviposition periods ranging between 6.82 and 3.24 d, the oviposition period between 17.5 and 4.89 d, and the postoviposition period between 5.29 and 0.82 d. Female longevity was greater than male longevity at all temperatures. The total amount of leaf area consumed by one larva was 402.31 cm². The results indicated that the development period from egg to adult death at the decreased with increasing temperature and the larvae maintained a high consumption rate on Elaeis guineensis Jacquin leaves. The effect of temperature on development, survival, and reproduction of A. fusca can be useful for predicting its long-term population fluctuation as an invasive pest of oil palm plantations.

The leaf roller Salbia lotanalis Druce (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), a potential biological control agent of Miconia calvescens de Candolle (Melastomataceae), was studied in Costa Rica. Larvae were collected from a field site near San José and the insect was reared in the laboratory to study its biology and behavior. Chaetotaxy and morphology of final-instar larvae were described. Using head capsule width measurements, we determined five larval instars in S. lotanalis. The insect was easily reared in the laboratory on M. calvescens seedlings and the life cycle of the insect was completed in 71.3 and 66.4 d for females and males, respectively. Dissection of ovarioles indicated that females could lay>400 eggs. Larvae are initially gregarious, but become solitary as third instars. First- to fourth-instar larvae prefer to use leaf rolls already formed by other larvae, but fifth-instar larvae prefer to make a new leaf roll rather than using leaf rolls already made and occupied by other larvae. Pupation occurs in leaves, where prepupae build a pupation chamber. Host-specificity tests, including larval feeding tests and two-choice and no-choice oviposition experiments in the laboratory, indicate that S. lotanalis has a narrow host range restricted to Miconia spp. and other Melastomaceae. Levels of parasitism in the native habitat of S. lotanalis in Costa Rica were low. In locations like Hawaii, where there are no native Melastomataceae, S. lotanalis has the potential of being an effective biological control agent against M. calvescens, but interference from resident natural enemies of Lepidoptera could be high.

The coccinellid Tenuisvalvae notata (Mulsant) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) has been observed recently in association with the striped mealybug Ferrisia virgata Cockerell (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) and the false cochineal scale Dactylopius opuntiae Cockerell (Hemiptera: Dactylopiidae) in the semiarid region of Pernambuco, Brazil. The latter species are important pests of cotton and prickly pear, respectively. In this study, we tested the two scale insects as prey for T. notata. In addition, eggs of Anagasta kuehniella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) were tested as possible alternative prey for rearing T. notata. In this work, the survivorship, reproduction, and predation of T. notata were investigated. The coccinellid T. notata was able to complete development only on F. virgata with 83% larval and pupal viability. Females of T. notata fed F. virgata produced 7.6 eggs a day with an eclosion rate of 61.9%. No oviposition occurred while feeding on A. kuehniella eggs. The highest consumption rate of F. virgata occurred during the last larval instar. Our results support the use of T. notata as an agent for the biological control of F. virgata, a highly polyphagous pest worldwide.

Transmission line corridors in forested landscapes provide important early successional habitats for a taxonomically rich array of invertebrates. In this study, we investigated the wild bee diversity at 19 sites along a transmission line right-of-way in southeastern Connecticut over a 2-yr period. One hundred sixty-three species representing 31 genera—roughly 50% of the state's bee species—were captured over the course of the study. Richness estimates suggest total faunas of 152, 180, and 204 bee species for the bee bowl, net, and combined samples, respectively. One globally rare bee, Epeoloides pilosula (Cresson) (Apidae: Osirini), formerly thought to be extirpated in the United States, was recovered. Two rarely collected species, Melitta melittoides (Viereck) (Melittidae) and Colletes productus Robertson (Colletidae), were associated with maleberry (Lyonia ligustrina (L.) de Candolle) flowers. Four Bombus species known to have declined regionally, Bombus affinis Cresson, Bombus ashtoni (Cresson), Bombus pensylvanicus (DeGeer), and Bombus terricola Kirby, were not among the eight bumble bee (Bombus) species found. Our results underscore the importance of transmission line corridors as managed early successional habitat for wild bees, including rare species, in the largely forested landscapes of New England.

Cerceris fumipennis Say is a solitary, ground-nesting wasp that preys exclusively on beetles in the family Buprestidae, including the invasive insect pest, emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire). Understanding patterns of C. fumipennis prey collection over time may improve use of the wasp as a biosurveillance tool for locating pest Buprestidae of economic concern. Here, we report on variation in prey capture by C. fumipennis at two sites in North Carolina over a 4-yr period. In total, 466 beetles were collected from the wasps from 2010 to 2013; these comprise 35 species, four new state records, six new prey records, and three native pests. Changes in prey capture from year to year at both sites suggest the importance of continued biosurveillance at sites with known wasp aggregations as emerald ash borer and other invasive pests spread into and throughout North Carolina.

Brontocoris tabidus (Signoret)and Supputius cincticeps (Stal) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) are natural enemies of lepidopteran defoliator pests. Therefore, more detailed information regarding the morphology of their eggs will certainly enhance the identification of these predators during the initial developmental stages for easy recognition of their presence in the field. In this study, eggshell morphology and morphometry of B. tabidus and S. cincticeps were examined. The diameter of the B. tabidus eggs was 2.03 ± 0.12 mm, height of 2.86 ± 0.08 mm, and the number of aero-micropylar processes were 14.8 ± 0.74; for eggs of the S. cincticeps, the diameter was 1.80 ± 0.32 mm, height 2.05 ± 0.27, and aero-micropylar processes 12.6 ± 1.18 mm. The eggs are oval to subglobose in shape, narrowing from the base to the apex; the operculum is circular convex with a circular array of aero-micropylar process on the anterior pole of the egg. The spicules seen on the flattened side of the B. tabidus and S. cincticeps eggs are fewer than those found in the operculum. Egg height and the number of aero-micropylar processes were higher in B. tabidus than in S. cincticeps. Such distinctive characters enable the identification of these predator's eggs.

We compared the antennae of two sibling bark beetle species, Dendroctonus rhizophagus Thomas and Bright and Dendroctonus valens LeConte, to identify biologically and taxonomically relevant differences. Specifically, we characterized the diversity of sensilla types by using environmental scanning electron microscopy, quantified the abundance and distribution of the different types of sensilla on the antennal club, and characterized club shape through multivariate and geometric morphometric analyses. We identified four classes of sensilla in both species: chaetica, fluted, trichodea (three distinct types), and basiconica (long and short). ANOVA and MANOVA demonstrated that the number and distribution of sensilla with the potential for chemoreception (i.e., short and long basiconica) differed between species and sexes. Notably, the long sensilla basiconica in the third sensory band were clustered in D. rhizophagus but not in D. valens. Geometric morphometric analysis using 27 landmarks showed that antennal club shape differed significantly between the two species and was not correlated with antennal size. The shape differences were associated with the number and distribution of sensilla.