The new Drymini species Drymus chiapensis, and the new Ozophorini genus and species Longinomerus aequilus from México are described. Gastrodes arizonensis Usinger (Drymini) is reported from México for the first time; dorsal view illustrations of the first one and dorsal and lateral photographs of the last two are included.

Description, ecological aspects of biology and systematic position of Pseudonapomyza mediterranea, a new species from Spain (“Lagunas de la Mata-Torrevieja” Natural Park) are given.

The effect of different diets [Tenebrio molitor L. (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) pupae without plant; T. molitor pupae and Eucalyptus cloeziana plant; T. molitor pupae and Eucalyptus urophylla plant; T. molitor pupae and guava plant (Psidium guajava)] on the ovary histology of 15 and 21 day old female Brontocoris tabidus (Signoret, 1863) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) was analyzed. Females of B. tabidus have ovaries of the meroistic telotrophic type. The vitellarium of this predator presents oocytes with a linear arrangement in different development stages. The follicle cells are cubic with spherical nucleus when the oocytes are placed near the germarium in the initial developmental stage. These cells become flatter and compacted with the development of the oocytes. The ovaries of B. tabidus present similar histological features in all diets and ages. However, females of this predator reared on plants present more oocytes in advanced developmental stages inside the ovarioles than females of same age fed only on prey.

Diapause intensity, threshold temperature and effective temperature of three populations of Teleogryllus emma (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) collected from Jining (35°10′), Sihong (33°46′) and Changsha (27°02′), China, were investigated. The results showed that the diapause intensity for eggs of T. emma was stronger for the Changsha population at lower latitude than for the Sihong and Jining populations at higher latitudes, whereas no significant difference in the egg diapause intensity was found between the Sihong and Jining populations. A latitudinal increase in egg threshold temperature was observed for the Changsha, Sihong, and Jining populations at 12.2°C, 14.0°C, and 14.7°C, respectively, while an inverse trend in egg effective temperatures was observed in the three populations at 240.1, 215.6, and 196.1 day-degrees, respectively. The results revealed distinct geographical clines among local populations of T. emma in several key life history characteristics for the egg stage, including diapause intensity, threshold temperature and effective temperature, suggesting that the species has evolved different life history strategies in accordance with local climate conditions.

The new species Xylocopa (Neoxylocopa) atamisquensis is described and illustrated from adult female and male specimens. We designate Predio Isla Verde (28°38′54″S, 64°04′58″W; 120 m), Department Atamisqui in south-central Santiago del Estero province, Argentina, as the type locality. The closest species are X. (N.) mendozana and X. (N.) ordinaria.

Data are presented about the pattern diversity of springtails found in moss on bark along an elevational gradient (2,750–3,440 m) on the NW slope of Iztaccíhuatl Volcano, State of Mexico, Mexico. The study includes sampling carried out at seven elevations. Calculated indices were: species richness (S), Shannon's diversity index (H′), Pielou's evenness index (J′) and Simpson dominance (λ). A linear regression analysis was made to evaluate the effect of elevation on the total springtail density. The total number of species was 30, with 18 species from the lowest elevation and 9 species from the highest. The greatest density was obtained at the highest elevation. Pseudisotoma sensibilis, Willowsia mexicana and Americabrya arida were the dominant species, and there is a positive significant relationship between the elevation and their density. The greatest similarity between communities in agreement with dendrogram is near 80% between elevations of 3,115 and 3,250m.

Larvae and puparia of two agromyzid stem-borers, Melanagromyza heracleana Zlobin and M. limata Spencer, collected from an endemic plant, Heracleum platytaenium Boiss. (Apiaceae), in Bolu Province, Turkey, are described and illustrated by original drawings for the first time. M. limata is recorded from Turkey for the first time and its male genitalia are noted in detail. Also, H. platytaenium is recorded as a new host plant for M. limata.

Agehana maraho (Shiraki and Sonan, 1934) is a near-threatened swallowtail butterfly endemic to Taiwan. As a first step in evaluating the most variable molecular markers for further population genetic and conservation studies of this and other insects, the entire mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) was sequenced (16,094bp). The most distinctive structure of the Agehana mitogenome is the control region (CR; 1,270bp). This is the longest CR found so far in any lepidopteran, and it also represents the first known case of two units of macro repeats within a tandem region. In a comparison with another 12 lepidopteran mitogenomes, the genes atp8, atp6, and nad6 were found to be more variable than cox1, suggesting an undue focus on cox1 (COI) in identification and phylogeographic studies. A combination of these first three genes plus the CR, comprising micro as well as macro repeats, may thus provide more suitable markers for conservation genetic studies, not only of this near-threatened species, but also of many other insects.

The previously unknown female of the rare Arapahoe Snowfly, Capnia arapahoe, is described and illustrated for the first time from two specimens collected from the Front Range of Colorado. The female terminalia is unique among sympatric species of Capnia and is compared to similar species.

Platyrmus sinicus Tan and Chen, sp. nov., the second known species of Platyrmus Belokobylskij, 1994 (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Lysiterminae), is described and illustrated. The genus Platyrmus is recorded from China for the first time.

We examined recruitment behavior of the ant Pheidole dentigula to six different carbohydrates each presented at two concentrations. In each case, the recruitment response was enhanced by raising the carbohydrate concentration from 0.5 to 1.0 M. However, glucose and sucrose were more effective than other sugars at inducing recruitment activity at 0.5 M. In the simultaneous presence of both sugar solutions, but moving away the more concentrated one, the colony opted in the case of glucose and sucrose, but not with maltose, for the food source of less energy content. These findings suggest that taste receptors of Pheidole dentigula are differentially sensitive to distinct carbohydrates. This species was also responsive to trehalose, which has no recruitment activity in other ants. We consider that functional and molecular taste receptor diversity may represent an evolutionary advantage for insect societies, since it allows them to organize efficiently the required effort to exploit the existing resources.