Two collecting trips of two weeks each in 2012 and 2013 to the Greater and Lesser Caucasus region in the Republic of Georgia increased the species list of Neuroptera for Georgia from 32 to 63 species. Most of the 31 species new to Georgia were found in the family Chrysopidae, largely because several new species of that genus have been described in the last 20 years. While the southern slope of the Greater Caucasus is inhabited mainly by species also known in central Europe, the Great Plain and the Lesser Caucasus regions harbor species more typical of southern Europe. With Mantispa styriaca and M. perla, the first species of the family Mantispidae were recorded in Georgia. We estimate that only about half of the neuropteran species living in Georgia have been recognized so far.

Four leafhopper genera closely related to Hecalapona in the subfamily Gyponinae are described and illustrated. The genus Versutapona includes five new species, dietzi, type species, lauta, mira, rosalesi and guianaii, all from Venezuela. The genus Kalopona includes five species, acuminata DeLong & Freytag, new combination, from Colombia, trirama DeLong & Freytag, new combination, from Mexico, and three new species, bilobata, trilobata, type species, both from Colombia and distincta from Brazil. The genus Sagaripona includes four species, cedra DeLong & Freytag, new combination, type species, from Panama, sagitta DeLong & Kolbe, new combination, fugara DeLong & Freytag, new combination, both from Peru, and one new species, ardua, from Colombia. The genus Planipona includes but one species, delta Ball, new combination, type species from the United States and Mexico.

Merope tuber Newman is reported from Mississippi for the first time, and its known distribution in the state is mapped. The Mississippi localities for M. tuber are among the southernmost for the species, with all of them lying in the southeastern Coastal Plain physiogeographic province where few previous records have been reported.

The cellular endosymbiont Wolbachia causes reproductive alterations in arthropod and nematode species. The presence of Wolbachia in natural populations of arthropods is made possible by their ability to manipulate the physiology of their host. This study evaluated the presence of Wolbachia in laboratory populations of Drosophila melanogaster (India). Using PCR based technology, WSP was amplified from D. melanogaster which yielded a 635bp gene. Here we report a different strain of Wolbachia which is placed in phylogenetic position along with the WMel Popcorn strain and Amergiers strain of India with Wolbachia A super group. Thus by comparing our results, the probable phenotype of the new strain of Wolbachia is identified. The information will be valuable in evolutionary studies of the endosymbiont Wolbachia and strain classification.

Abbreviations: WSP: Wolbachia Surface Protein PCR: Polymerase Chain Reaction MEGA: Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis

Royal jelly (RJ) is an important bee product and one of the major income sources for beekeepers. For a long time, harvesting royal jelly has largely relied on manually grafting larvae by using grafting needles to remove young (∼1 day old) larvae from a colony to a cell cup. Then, frames of cell cups with the removed brood are placed in productive colonies in a timely manner. Grafting larvae is the first and most difficult step in the process of harvesting RJ. Moreover, the process is time-consuming and labor-intensive. It needs not only effort, but is also restricted by the availability of larvae and the eyesight of the technician. Low efficiency strongly limits the development of royal jelly production. To improve the hardest step in harvesting RJ, we have invented a new method of harvesting royal jelly without grafting larvae. Our results show that the method is feasible and improves the production of royal jelly.

Orthosia ryrholmi G. Ronkay, L. Ronkay, Gyulai & Hacker, 2010, recently described from China, is recorded in Russia for the first time. The new locality is distant from the three other known localities in China by up to 2800 km. This is a north-easternmost known locality of the species. Adults, male and female genitalia of O. ryrholmi and a sibling species O. populeti (Fabricius, 1781) are illustrated, and the diagnosis for O. ryrholmi is presented.

Two lightly colored individuals of Aquarius paludum were sampled in the Danube Delta, Romania, inhabiting heavily shaded shore habitats. Their coloration is clearly outside the normal chromatic variation of the species and raises the problem of the existence of albinism in water striders. The mechanism is probably a result of the low quantity of solar radiation in the preferred habitats, and the absence of coloring pigments might be an advantage in creating faster, more competitive individuals.