Two new species of Epilachna Dejean from Yunnan, China, are described: Epi lach na nodaodea sp. nov and E. lingulatus sp. nov.

A widely distributed mayfly species Ametropus fragilis Albarda, recorded from Europe to North America and the Far East of Russia and Mongolia, was collected from Ili River (Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, northwestern China). This updated distribution information shows it occupies a large geographic region and more water systems. The species, genus and family, all new for China, have unique and distinct identification characteristics: psammophilous nymphs having extensions on the anterior mesonotum, spinous pads at the base of forelegs and enlongated claws, male imagos with fused penes and two pair of long cubital intercalaries in forewings. However, the phylogenetic position of family Ametropodidae remains unclear although it is generally grouped in the superfamily Siphlonuroidea.

Phlebotomine sand flies are the main vectors of human leishmaniases worldwide. Many studies have focused on the epidemiological aspects of sand fly vectors as well as other important ecological parameters. In several papers there have been reports of sand fly species collected in caves. Nonetheless, nothing is known about these species in México. The objective in the present study was to document the species composition and daily activity of sand flies inhabiting a karstic cave in the state of Yucatan. A total of 703 sand flies was collected comprised of seven species from the genera Brumptomyia and Lutzomyia. These results represent the first collections conducted from Mexican caves. The predominant species inside the cave was Lu. trinidadensis (47.51%); the activity of Lu. trinidadensis exhibited a major peak between the time period of 1600 to 2000 h, whereas Lu. beltrani displayed the highest activity peak between 2000 to 0000 h.

Both regular and irregular, i.e., sporadic, absence of the ventral spur (ventral tooth) on the basal cheliceral article has been reported in Oligolophinae. In this contribution, a female Lacinius ephippiatus with one missing ventral spur, and the other partly reduced, on the basal cheliceral article is described. For comparison, we studied chelicerae in a normally developed female from the same locality. We suggest that the ventral spur on the basal cheliceral article is an apomorphic character within Oligolophinae and that its sporadic absence is a case of spontaneous atavism.

Distribution of Thremma anomalum was well documented by the late 1980s. However, macrozoobenthos research within Serbian watercourses between 1989 and 2010 reveal a shift of the western boundary of the distribution. Recent research in western Serbia and northern Montenegro has shown no trace of this species, in spite of its previous presence. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the species was found in only one of ten former localities, implying that the species might entirely vanish from zoographic region 5 in the near future. On the other hand, the species was found at 17 localities in eastern, southeastern and southern Serbia, sections of the area where the species was not recorded earlier. This research has shown that T. anomalum is not restricted to cold waters and builds specific biocenoses characterized by dominance of Trichoptera and Gammaridae.

Hyperaspis paludicola Schwarz is a rarely collected scymnine coccinellid of the tribe Hyperaspidini. Knowledge of its habits has been limited to an association with the adventive mealybug Miscanthicoccus miscanthi (Takahashi) on Chinese silvergrass (Miscanthus sinensis; Poaceae) in Washington, DC. A second association of H. paludicola with M. miscanthi was observed in Clemson, South Carolina; adults were present on ornamental Chinese silvergrass from August 2010 to June 2012. The potential use of H. paludicola in the biocontrol of M. miscanthi and mealybugs of other bunchgrasses is proposed. I also review the coccinellid's previous distribution, including an over looked record from Massachusetts.

Only a few studies have examined the presence of endosymbionts in spiders (Araneae). We used PCR methods to assay for the presence of Wolbachia, Cardinium and Spiroplasma in 1000 spider individuals from China (including 16 families and 37 species). Of the species, 41.4% (15/37) contained one or more endosymbionts, Nephila clavata tested positive for all three endosymbionts, indicating that hereditary symbioses are extremely widespread in spiders. Align ment of the sequences obtained here with previously published alignments allowed us to establish phylogenetic trees for three symbiotic bacteria. The results showed that the Wolbachia found in infected spiders all belong to group A or B. The maximum parsimony(MP) tree showed that all Cardinium and Spiroplasma infecting spiders formed the same branch, indicating a very close genetic relationship between the two genera of symbiotic bacteria that exist in the spiders from different countries. However, the sequences of Spiroplasma from Chinese spiders showed a closer phylogenetic relationship and greater similarity to each other.

The genus Diaphragmistis is newly recorded in China. Two new species, D. trapezia sp. nov. and D. ventiprocessa sp. nov., are described based on the specimens collected from Yunnan and Hainan. Photographs of the adults, the wing venation and the male genitalia are provided.