Ants of the myrmicine tribe Dacetini are mostly specialized predators of Collembola. Prey records in the field, however, indicated that the short-mandibulate species Pyramica mazu (Terayama, Lin and Wu) predates upon gamasid mites. In the laboratory, this ant readily hunted and consumed gamasids as well as collembolans and symphylans. Evidence for specialized predation on Diplura in Pyramica hexamerus (Brown) was supported by field data.

Albertoberotha leuckorum McKellar and Engel, a new genus and species of the neuropteran family Rhachiberothidae is described from Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) amber from the Grassy Lake locality in Alberta, Canada. Rhachiberothidae today consist of 13 species from sub-saharan Africa; but 12 species in amber throughout the Northern Hemisphere indicate that the family was global at least 125–45 mya. Despite the extent of existing studies pertaining to amber-entombed neuropterans, only members of the Berothidae and Chrysopidae have been conclusively reported from Canadian amber to date. We describe the first representative of the Rhachiberothidae to be observed in Campanian amber and draw comparisons with genera in other Cretaceous deposits.

Gryllotalpa major Saussure is a rare burrowing insect native to the tallgrass prairie in the south-central United States. Males construct aggregated burrows in lek arenas from which they produce sexual advertisement calls in a landscape that superficially appears to be rather homogeneous. To test the hypothesis that male calling burrows are aggregated due to habitat limitations linked to fine scale differences in soil characteristics, we analyzed ten soil samples per site taken along a transect from each of three lek sites in Osage and Craig Counties in northeastern Oklahoma for mineral content, moisture content, pH, texture and color. Transects ran across a lek, and thus samples were taken from empty areas on either side of the aggregation, as well as from near burrows. Although there were differences in these soil attributes within and among lek sites, this analysis showed no correlation between number of G. major burrows within 10 m of a soil sample site and any of these attributes for the three lek sites sampled.

Lisotrigona cacciae, L. furva and Pariotrigona klossi (Meliponini, Apidae) workers drank lachrymation (tears) from human eyes in more than 262 naturally-occurred cases at 10 sites in N and S Thailand during all months of the year. A few visits were also seen to eyes of zebu and dog, indicating a probable broad mammalian host range. On man the bees were relatively gentle visitors, mostly landing on the lower eyelashes from where they imbibed tears for 0.5–2.5 min, often singly but occasionally in congregations of 5–7 specimens per eye. Less typically, they also took sweat, a behavior found in 11 other species of anthropophilous meliponines which are not lachryphagous. Nine further meliponine species were not anthropophilous. Lachryphagy in bees is compared to lepidopterous tear drinking and related feeding strategies such as puddling by various insects, mostly for salt requirements but in other cases proteins are sought. We propose that L. cacciae, L. furva and P. klossi drink tears for their high content in proteins in addition to, or in lieu of pollen, rather than only for salts and water. Few reports of flower visitation, rare presence of only minor amounts of pollen on legs, reduced pilosity, absence of resin on body and legs, presence of a strongly extensible metasoma for fluid transport, are all interpreted as possible indications of an adaptation to lachryphagy for proteins. The potential hazard of pathogen transmission by eye-visiting bees is discussed.

Japanese beetles are important pests of many agricultural and horticultural plants, yet few studies have attempted to follow the mating behavior of individuals in the field. In this study, we recorded mating behavior and patch residence of Japanese beetles on food plants under field conditions. Pairs of beetles were marked and their fates were followed for 2 days. Both male and female Japanese beetles frequently mated with more than one individual, with males being more likely to pair multiply than females but females more quickly re-pairing than males. Patch departure differed between males and females, with females tending to leave the food patch in midday and males tending to leave in the evening. Male mate-guarding of females was highly variable, with some males remaining with females less than 30 minutes and others guarding females for over 24 hours. The duration of mate guarding was unrelated to whether the female departed immediately after the pair broke up. The results of this study suggest that individual turnover in food patches is high and that there is substantial opportunity for sperm competition.

Ephemeroptera and Trichoptera larvae are important components of freshwater benthic communities. However, the environmental factors that determine Ephemeroptera and Trichoptera diversity and distribution in wetland systems of the Neotropical region are not well known. The objectives of this study were to: 1) conduct a diversity survey of mayflies and caddisflies in 140 wetlands in an extensive area of the Neotropical region (∼220,000 km², southern Brazil), and 2) determine how much variation in mayfly and caddisfly richness and composition is explained by wetland area, altitude, hydroperiod, aquatic vegetation and water conductivity. A total of 5207 individuals distributed among 16 genera of Trichoptera and Ephemeroptera were collected in the studied wetlands. The mayflies were represented by eight genera, and comprised 94.6% of the collected individuals. The richness of Ephemeroptera and Trichoptera was similar between permanent and intermittent wetlands, and it did not differ significantly between aquatic bed and emergent wetlands. However, the density was higher in permanent than in intermittent wetlands, and it was higher in aquatic bed than in emergent wetlands. While the richness and density were negatively associated with altitude and water conductivity, the composition was associated with wetland area and altitude. In terms of the conservation, there is a need to promote conservation of all wetland systems in southern Brazil, regardless of their area and altitude. These arguments are essential to develop conservation and management programs of wetlands in this region.

The genus Phrictopyga Caldwell (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) was discovered for the first time in Argentina. Phrictopyga holmgreni (Muir) was collected in Corrientes and Misiones Provinces on Graminaceae. The male holotype of P. holmgreni was reviewed and redescribed; the female was described and illustrated for the first time. A new parasitoid species, Gonatopus concinnus new species (Hymenoptera: Dryinidae) was reared from P. holmgreni in the above provinces. The new species is the first dryinid found to parasitize Phrictopyga.

The control of the noctuid Helicoverpa armigera Hübner (Lepidoptera:Noctuidae) with Trichogramma evanescens Westwood (Hymenoptera:Trichogrammatidae) on a cotton (Malvaceae) farm in Turkey is reviewed. Helicoverpa armigera has five generations in a year, but only three attack cotton in the East Mediterranean region of Turkey. Releases of T. evanescens are made twice against each of the first three generations of H. armigera in the years of 2004–2005. In each release, 120,000 parasitoids ha⁻¹ were released, resulting in 62.9% and 71.6% parasitism and the numbers of larvae of H. armigera were reduced by 76.8% and 80.6%, respectively. In fields where insecticides were applied, the numbers of larvae of H. armigera were reduced by 57.1% and 77.1%, respectively. Furthermore, it was observed that population of natural enemies was increased in released parasitoid plots, with an average of 33 to 39 Chrysoperla carnea (Steph.) (Neuroptera:Chrysopidae) were encountered in 25 plants. Pollen-generating plants (maize, okra, weeds, etc.) probably increased the density of the predator. The cultivation of okra as a trap plant can be recommended especially in cotton fields where parasitoid release was conducted. The results of biological control of the noctuid H. armigera by T. evanescens appear promising.

The bee tribe Ceratinini is important for understanding early stages in social evolution. Their extant sister tribe Allodapini contains no strictly solitary species, and while some Ceratinini are commonly regarded as solitary, little behavioural data exist to substantiate this. Studies on Asian congeners have shown recurrent sociality in temperate and subtropical ranges while behavioural data are lacking in tropical regions. Field work along the west coast of Borneo in Sarawak, Malaysia, has provided some insight into these tropical taxa. Here we describe the nesting biology and social behaviour of four taxonomically described yet behaviourally unclassified Ceratina species. These four species are from three subgenera, namely Ceratina (Ceratinidia) accusator Cockerell, C. (Ceratinidia) nigrolateralis Cockerell, C. (Neoceratina) dentipes Friese, C. (Pithitis) smaragdula Fabricius. Nests of all species were typically attended by an adult female while all species except C. accusator had a low frequency of multi-female nesting assemblages. The four tropical ceratinines described here and all other behaviourally classified species exhibit recurrent patterns of maternal care, maternal longevity, and nest protection. Prolonged parental care found across the genus and occasional transitions into sociality make Ceratina of future interest for the study of life history and social evolution.