Argiolestes kula n. sp. is described from eastern New Guinea and nearby offshore islands (Sariba, Basilaki, Fergusson), and a comparison is provided to the closely related species Argiolestes sidonia Martin. Figures of the male abdominal appendages, wing venation and breeding habitat are provided, accompanied by a distribution map. A checklist of Argiolestes species is also included.

Nine new species of Philotarsus Kolbe are described from southwestern United States, México, and Guatemala. Garcialdretia n. gen. is erected for ‘Philotarsus’ jamaicensis Turner (Jamaica), ‘Philotarsus’ dardanus (Banks) (Hispaniola), ‘Haplophallus’ jarevianus García Aldrete (western México) and three new species, two from eastern México and one from Puerto Rico. North American records of Philotarsus picicornis (Fabricius) in Mockford (1993) are mis-identifications of P. parviceps Roesler. Keys to the subfamilies of Philotarsidae, the genera of Philotarsinae, the North and Middle American species of Philotarsus and the known species of Garcialdretia are included. Phylogenetic and biogeographic aspects of the new taxonomic information are briefly discussed. The fossil species Philotarsus antiquus Kolbe is transferred to Philotarsopsis Tillyard.

Aphrophora willemsi Lallemand, 1946, is considered a junior synonym of the widespread willow spittlebug Aphrophora salicina (Goeze, 1778), based on examination of type material. Diagnosis of the adults, known distribution, host plants and some aspects of life history of Aphrophora salicina are presented.

The apparently aposematic immature stages of a tropical shining leaf beetle, Lema insularis, are described, the host plant is revealed to be Dioscorea mexicana, and observations on the camouflaged larvae of a co-existing herbivore, the sawfly Acorduloceridea compressicornis, and the adults of a co-mimic, Diabrotica godmani, are made.

Through a series of laboratory feeding trials, it was demonstrated that the putative dung beetle, Ateuchus histeroides Weber (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), is a consumer of both vertebrate dung and insect carrion, and that it can produce progeny reared on either of those foods. There was no significant difference between the survival periods of adults maintained on either cow dung or dead insects, but both groups survived significantly longer than a group deprived of food. This is the first documentation of both dung and carrion feeding and subsequent progeny production for a member of this genus.

Geranomyia recondita larvae live in a jelly mass on the leaf surfaces of understory plants. The feeding behavior of these larvae was observed by laboratory feeding trials utilizing three species of epiphyllous liverworts (Lejeuneaceae) in La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica, and complemented with field observations of movement over the leaf surface and size variation of the jelly mass in which the larvae live. Although only 30% of the G. recondita larvae fed on the liverworts that were offered to them, the results indicate that they are capable of feeding on live liverworts. The larvae primarily accepted Lejeunea and never accepted Leptolejeunea, suggesting that they avoid liverworts containing aromatic compounds. Larvae were also observed feeding on other epiphylls that were present on the surface of the leaf. The area of the jelly masses was negatively correlated with ambient temperature, suggesting that G. recondita larvae are more active at night, since the masses were larger at that time, possibly allowing them to forage over greater distances on the surface of the leaf.