The first termites in Early Cretaceous (Albian) amber from Spain are described and figured. Morazatermes krishnai Engel and Delclòs, new genus and species, is described from an imago (and wings of a second specimen) preserved in fossiliferous resin from Moraza, Burgos Province. A second termite species, Cantabritermes simplex Engel and Delclòs, new genus and species, is also recorded from the same deposits but is presently known only from the forewing. Similarly, an isolated forewing in amber from San Just, Teruel Province is described as Aragonitermes teruelensis Engel and Delclòs, new genus and species. Lastly, the first termite in Late Cretaceous (Campanian) amber from Grassy Lake, near Medicine Hat, Canada is described from a fragmentary imago lacking wings or much of the body. All of these taxa belong to a primitive grade of unassigned termites between Mastotermitidae and the families Termopsidae, Hodotermitidae, and Archotermopsidae (sensu Engel et al., 2009). Notes are appended on the recently described “Kalotermes” burmensis Poinar, from the latest Albian of Myanmar (Burmese amber), and the species transferred to Kachinitermopsis Engel and Delclòs, new genus, resulting in the new combination, Kachinitermopsis burmensis. These new taxa highlight the diversity of primitive termites during the Cretaceous.

Recognizable type material of Trigona laeviceps Smith, 1857, has not been found. A neotype from the correct type locality, Singapore, is here designated. It is a specimen of the smaller form commonly included in T. laeviceps, and is the same species as the false holotype previously recognized. Trigona fuscobalteata Cameron, 1908, is not a synonym of T. laeviceps as has been proposed. The name T. valdezi Cockerell, 1918, or possibly T. testaceitarsis Cameron, 1901, may be appropriate for a larger form commonly included in T. laeviceps. A lectotype and two paralectotypes are designated for T. testaceitarsis.

Perdita (Perdita) pedernalensis Neff, new species, is described from Blanco County, Texas. It is the first member of the Perditini associated with the Rubiaceae and the only member of that tribe regularly collecting pollen from a heterostylous species.

Terrestrial communities are strongly affected by habitat area and successional stage. As generalist predators, spiders represent an important community component that may be particularly sensitive to these landscape features. We used pitfall traps to sample ground-dwelling, cursorial spider abundance at 2 successional stages on an experimentally fragmented old-field site in northeastern Kansas. The site, established in 1984, includes replicate habitat patches undergoing secondary succession separated by a matrix of low turf maintained by regular mowing. Spiders were collected from traps located in large (5000 m²) and small (32 m²) patches during 1988 and 1990 (early succession), and 2005 (mid-succession). Total numbers collected were about 20% lower in 2005 than in 1988 and 1990. However, in all 3 yr significantly more spiders were collected by traps in large patches than by traps in small patches. The positive density–area relationship did not differ among years (no significant patch-size by year interaction), despite substantial change in patch vegetation during the 17 yr spanned by this study. The results for patch size are similar to those obtained in a study of insects sampled by sweep-net transects at the same site, which contrast with the negative density–area relationship reported for some small mammal species. The form of the density–area relationship may be determined by the size of the animals relative to the spatial scale of habitat fragmentation.

The honey bee races Apis mellifera carnica Pollman and A. m. caucasica Gorbachev are both found in Turkey, A. m. carnica primarily in Thrace (European Turkey) and A. m. caucasica primarily in north-eastern Anatolia (Asia Minor). Standard measures of forewing vein angles were investigated for their utility in discriminating between these two races and in identifying bees of unknown origin. A total of 76 honey bee samples was used, 61 of which were taken from north-eastern Anatolia (NEA), 8 from Thrace region (TR) and 7 from a private beekeeper who imported queens of A. m. carnica (IQC) from abroad. In each sample, 11 forewing vein angles used in standard honey bee morphometrics (A₄, B₄, D₇, E₉, G₁₈, J₁₀, J₁₆, K₁₉, L₁₃, N₂₃ and O₂₆) were measured. Multivariate linear discriminant analysis step-wise methods showed that A₄, K₁₉ and G₁₈ were sufficient to discriminate between the samples. While A₄ vein angle was found to be a key geometric character for the A. m. caucasica (NEA) race, B₄ was found to be key for the A. m. carnica (IQC) race. Standard norm values of A₄, and B₄ are 33° and 104° for A. m. caucasica (NEA) race and 32° and 105° for A. m. carnica race (IQC). It is possible to discriminate unknown worker bee samples of these subspecies by using these standard norm values. The range of real and observed agreement for estimation of unknown samples was 0.93–0.77 for A. m. carnica and 0.89-0.65 for A. m. caucasica honey bee subspecies. Although in discriminant analysis Thrace and Carniolan (IQC) honey bee samples were overlapping in low percentage, according to forewing geometric veinal angles they were found to be similar.

Dominance behaviours among members of colonies of primitively eusocial wasps establish the social hierarchy, and are very important for the maintenance of social stability. The present work aimed at the factors involved in the social organization of colonies of Mischocyttarus (Monocyttarus) cassununga, during the post-emergence phase. Our results show that females at the top hierarchical positions are the most aggressive individuals in the colonies, sitting at the front of the comb, and that this stabilizes the social hierarchy. Actual violent competition for hierarchical positions was not observed, and the position of the queen was never challenged, the queen being relatively long-lived and active in socially controlling all the observed colonies. Therefore, we conclude that there are three main factors regulating social organization in this species: queen longevity, a stable linear hierarchy, and the constant control of the queen over the social organization of the colony.

House flies, Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae), are of medical and veterinary importance due to their capacity to act as mechanical vectors of microorganisms originating in animal manure and other decaying organic substrates. House flies that disperse from rural to urban areas may also transport antibiotic resistant bacterial strains. To assess the potential of house flies to disperse from rural to urban areas and distribute antibiotic-resistant bacteria, we undertook a two part study: (i) we quantified the dispersal rate of house flies from farms (rural areas) into a city (urban area) using multilocus DNA fingerprinting and (ii) we profiled the antibiotic resistance patterns of enterococci harbored by house flies collected in rural and urban environments. The population genetic analysis indicated that there was considerable dispersal between rural and urban habitats. Although there was a significant difference in allele frequency between the urban and rural samples, genetic divergence was low (mean F_ST  =  0.07) and migration rate relatively high (N_m  =  3 individuals per generation). Almost 95% of the genetic diversity occurred within populations, suggesting a nearly panmictic population. Profiling of antibiotic resistance of enterococci isolated from house fly guts showed that house flies collected in all five urban sites carried substantial numbers of antibiotic-resistant enterococci, supporting the results of the population genetic analyses. The results of this study imply that house flies, because of their dispersal behavior and capacity to transport antibiotic-resistant bacteria, pose a serious threat to public health. We suggest that area wide management of house fly populations is therefore likely to be the most effective strategy for minimizing public health risks.