Santa Catalina Island is a small island off the coast of southern California and for its modest size harbors several species of flies from the Drosophila genus. We performed an island-wide survey of Drosophila species to ascertain which species were endemic to the island and where they were most abundant. In doing so, we have assembled useful sampling information for researchers who wish to conduct field studies on Santa Catalina Island. We recorded the abundances of flies from the repleta subspecies group as well as non-repleta species. Additionally, we performed seasonal collections over one year at two locations on the island (Little Harbor Campgrounds and Wrigley Marine Science Center) to assess the best season for collections. From this seasonal survey, we observed that species abundance and composition at these two sites greatly vary in the time that we sampled. One of the seasonal sites that was sampled in two consecutive summer seasons showed that species composition had shifted between years, but relative species abundances were approximately the same.

During a taxonomic study on crane fly specimens from Liankangshan National Nature Reserve, Henan Province, China, three male specimens of the subgenus Eriocera were found to represent a new species, which was named Hexatoma (Eriocera) macrotuberculata sp. nov. This is the second species of the subgenus Eriocera known to be distributed in Henan Province, China. The new species is illustrated and described. The type specimens of the new species are deposited in Anqing Normal University, Anqing, Anhui Province, China.

Adults of two species of cicadas, Proarna sallei Stål, 1864 and Pacarina championi (Distant, 1881) (Hemiptera: Cicadidae), were observed and counted at a cluster of three electric lights on the wall of a cacao storage building at La Lola. La Lola is an experimental cocoa farm, near Matina, Costa Rica, Central America. Observations were taken intermittently from 1980 to 1986. All individuals at the lights for both species were females. Of the total 19 individuals of Pa. championi counted, 94.7% occurred during the wetter periods. Eighty-eight percent of the 25 Pr. sallei individuals occurred during the wetter periods. Although not as biased as the Costa Rican site, females made up 70% of the total 530 specimens of Pr. insignis Distant, 1881 collected at various types of light traps in the Department of French Guiana, South America. Similar female bias is also reported for Pr. grisea (Fabricius, 1775) and Pr. guttulosa (Walker, 1858) also collected in South America. Previous studies show the sex ratio of Proarna and other genera of cicadas in Costa Rica is 1:1 at adult eclosion. The data are discussed in terms of possible behavioral differences between the sexes in the attraction to lights.

The male of Miris persicus Reuter is described. The male genitalic structures are illustrated for the first time.

Thaumastocoris peregrinus (Hemiptera: Thaumastocoridae) is a new insect pest that is associated with the Eucalyptus plantations. The damage caused by this insect on eucalyptus is easily identifiable. There is an initial silvering of the leaves, which progresses to tanning of the treetops. This is the first record of T. peregrinus attacking isolated Eucalyptus plants located in the municipality of São Cristóvão-Sergipe.

The genus Telostholus Haupt (Pompilidae: Pompilinae) from China is reviewed and a key to the world species is provided. Three new species, T. verticitumidus Li and Li, sp. n. and T. nontuberatus Li and Ma, sp. n. from Yunnan, China, and T. alobscuratus Li and Ma, sp. n. from Shanxi, China, are described and illustrated.

Taxonomic notes are provided for several taxa of Vespinae. Vespula austriaca (Panzer, 1799) and Vespula infernalis (de Saussure, 1854) can be distinguished by the sculpturing on the frons in the queen. Vespula yunlongensis Dong and Wang, 2003, is a synonym of V. flaviceps (Smith, 1870), NEW SYNONYMY, while V. yulongensis Dong and Wang, 2002, is not a synonym of that species, but of V. rufa (Linnaeus, 1758), NEW SYNONYMY. The type of Vespa peruana de Saussure, 1867, has been found in Geneva, and the species is confirmed as a synonym of Dolichovespula norwegica (Fabricius, 1781). Vespula shinanoensis Takamizawa, 2005, is a nomen nudum.