A new species of Pachybrachis Chevrolat from the western United States is described. Pachybrachis americanus Barney, new species, is similar in appearance to several other species that are predominantly yellow, densely punctate, with ocular lines and with front tarsal claws not enlarged: Pachybrachis densus Bowditch, Pachybrachis immaculatus Jacoby, Pachybrachis insidiosus Fall, and Pachybrachis jacobyi Bowditch. Descriptions, figures, and range maps are presented for each species.

Two new species of Cymatodera Gray (Cleridae) are described: Cymatodera eremicola Rifkind, new species from California, USA and Baja California, Mexico; and Cymatodera perpera Rifkind, new species from Arizona, USA. Cymatodera torosaWolcott, 1910 (new synonym) and Cymatodera sororWolcott, 1910 (new synonym) are designated as junior synonyms of Cymatodera antennataSchaeffer, 1908.

Cryptalaus nodulosus (Waterhouse, 1877), new combination is proposed for Alaus nodulosusWaterhouse, 1877. We provide the first precise collection records of this species and the first known specimens in 113 years. It is also recorded for the first time outside the Andaman Islands, from the Nicobar Islands, India. Cryptalaus nodulosus is redescribed along with illustrations of habitus, external morphology, and male genitalia.

A new genus and 14 new species of Anopidiina are described from the West Indies. Prototyrtaeus Spiessberger and Ivie, new genus (type species: Prototyrtaeus darlingtoni Spiessberger and Ivie, new species) is described from the Greater Antillean islands of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico, with 14 new species: Prototyrtaeus duartei Spiessberger and Ivie, new species; Prototyrtaeus neiba Spiessberger and Ivie, new species; Prototyrtaeus unomas Spiessberger and Ivie, new species; Prototyrtaeus obrieni Spiessberger and Ivie, new species; Prototyrtaeus pecki Spiessberger and Ivie, new species; Prototyrtaeus gracilicornis Spiessberger and Ivie, new species; Prototyrtaeus howdeni Spiessberger and Ivie, new species; Prototyrtaeus sandersoni Spiessberger and Ivie, new species; Prototyrtaeus beckeri Spiessberger and Ivie, new species; Prototyrtaeus darlingtoni, new species; Prototyrtaeus maestrensis Spiessberger and Ivie, new species; Prototyrtaeus felis Spiessberger and Ivie, new species; Prototyrtaeus turquinensis Spiessberger and Ivie, new species; Prototyrtaeus auranticornis Spiessberger and Ivie, new species. The enigmatic single record of the family Byrrhidae from the West Indies (Puerto Rico) is resolved as a misidentification of Prototyrtaeus.

Four new species of tumbling flower beetles (Coleoptera: Mordellidae) are described from the Commonwealth of Virginia, USA in eastern North America: Mordellina wimbledon Steury and Steiner, new species, Mordellina washingtonensis Steury and Steiner, new species, Mordellistena virginica Steury and Steiner, new species, and Pseudotolida syphaxi Steury and Steiner, new species. Images and descriptions are provided for each new species. Comparisons are made with morphologically similar species.

Two new distribution records for species of Bruchinae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) from the Galapagos Islands are reported and discussed: Acanthoscelides machala (Johnson, 1990), and Acanthoscelides macrophthalmus (Schaeffer, 1907). We also report two new host plant associations: A. machala in Senna obtusifolia (L.) H.S. Irwin & Barneby (Fabaceae), and Scutobruchus ceratioborus (Philippi, 1859) in Leucaena trichodes (Jacq.) Benth. (Fabaceae). Finally, we provide a revised checklist of Bruchinae species in the Galapagos and their associated host plants.

The species of Dascillidae are reviewed for North America. Anorus arizonicusBlaisdell, 1934 is proposed as a new synonym of Anorus parvicollisHorn, 1894; Dascillus plumbeusHorn, 1880 is proposed as a new synonym of Dascillus davidsoni LeConte, 1859. The termitiform, flightless female of A. parvicollis, with extremely reduced elytra, is described and illustrated for the first time. A key is provided for adults of all three valid species of North American Dascillidae, which includes newly described and illustrated characters for all species. Adult females of all three species are described and compared. All have hind wings at least somewhat reduced compared to their fully winged male counterparts and display a grade of elytral development from complete (D. davidsoni) to tiny and scalelike (A. parvicollis). A distributional checklist of New World Dascillidae is provided. Pleolobus fuscescensPhilippi and Philippi, 1864 is designated as the type species for the Chilean genus PleolobusPhilippi and Philippi, 1864. We also provide distribution maps for all North American species and discuss some higher classification issues within Dascillidae.

Aerial traps composed of plastic water bottles baited with attractive liquids are often used to inventory beetles, especially longhorns (Cerambycidae) and flower beetles (Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae). Many different bait mixtures exist but their effectiveness has rarely been scientifically tested. Six different mixtures, involving red wine, white wine, lager beer, apple juice, and vinegar, as well as a water and sugar control, were compared. Fourteen replicates of the seven attractants were arranged in a thermophilic oak forest in the southwest of France. In terms of abundance and richness per trap, two attractants proved to be significantly less effective: The control and the juice mixture. The other five are equivalent for richness. For flower beetles, red wine + white wine and beer + sugar mixtures collected significantly more individuals. However, the sample collected by the beer + sugar mixture showed a lower diversity than the other wine + beer mixtures, due to the dominance of a few species of flower beetles. In terms of species composition, there was no qualitative difference between the attractants. Taking abundance into account (Bray-Curtis index), the beer + sugar blend differed from the others due to the high abundance of Cetonia aurata (Linnaeus, 1758). This study provides reasonable confidence that inventories conducted with different baits based on red wine or beer return comparable results. Finally, we recommend the beer + red wine mixture, which presents a good compromise between abundance and diversity for the different families, and is already frequently used.

The Haliplidae, Gyrinidae and Dytiscidae (Coleoptera: Adephaga), or Hydradephaga, of Manitoulin Island, Ontario, Canada were surveyed during the years 1998 to 2003. A total of 2,421 individuals from 86 species were collected from 79 different localities, among which 51 species are newly recorded from that region. This study brings to 88 the number of Hydradephaga recorded in Manitoulin Island. The Nearctic component of the fauna is made up of 76 species (86.4%), while the Holarctic component is made up of 12 species (13.6%). Most species have a transcontinental distribution, but 19 species (21.6%) are recognized as species with eastern affinities. Most of these species are typical of the Canadian Boreal, Mixedwood Plains and Maritimes Ecozones except Platambus semivittatus (LeConte), Matus o. ovatus Leech, Hydrovatus pustulatus Melsheimer, and Laccophilus proximus Say, which stand out as unique Mixedwood Plains Ecozone (roughly corresponding to the Eastern Temperate Forest ecoregion in the United States) species. In an examination of the island fauna, the presence of Hygrotus falli (Wallis), Laccophilus proximus, and Graphoderus occidentalis Horn is deemed notable since they are relatively uncommon in eastern Canada.

An intensive survey of the Aderidae (Coleoptera) of Latimer County, Oklahoma, USA was conducted during 1984–1985. This study yielded 25 species representing 10 genera, including one species collected only after the conclusion of the survey. The species for this area is listed along with information regarding relative abundance, season of emergence, and habitat preferences.

A phylogenetic reconstruction of the genus Eupines King was conducted with the inclusion of representatives of Brachyglutini from New Zealand, Australia, and New Caledonia. We assembled a dataset consisting of the nuclear large subunit rRNA (28S) gene and the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene from a total of 73 species representing all brachyglutine genera from New Zealand, 13 genera from Australia, six genera from New Caledonia, and three outgroup taxa, in order to infer their phylogenetic relationships. The alignment was partitioned and analyzed using Bayesian and maximum likelihood approaches. The genus Eupines was recovered as monophyletic. We describe a new genus, Pseudeupines, new genus, based on two known species previously placed in Eupines (Pseudeupines grata (Sharp), new combination and Pseudeupines sternalis (Broun), new combination). The two subgenera of Eupines, Eupines King and Byraxis Reitter, were recovered as paraphyletic. Two synonyms are proposed: Gastrobothrus sharpi (Broun) (= Gastrobothrus abdominalis Broun, new synonym) and Pseudeupines grata (Sharp) (= Eupines (Eupines) clemens Broun, new synonym). We provide an identification key to all brachyglutine genera of New Zealand.

The genus OroetesJacoby, 1888 is reported from Mexico for the first time. Two new species are described and illustrated: Oroetes juchiltepensis Niño-Maldonado and Clark and Oroetes huastecus Niño-Maldonado and Clark, both from Mexico. A dichotomous key is provided to facilitate identification of the four known species of the genus.

Flight wings enable insects to find novel habitats, food and mates across wide geographic ranges. However, winged species sometimes produce apterous mutants that often have reduced fitness. Spread of the apterous mutation through the population can be restricted because of female sterility or the recessive inheritance of the mutation. In the seed beetle Callosobruchus maculatus (Fabricius) (Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae), an apterous trait was reported to be sex linked; the trait is not expressed in males. Apterous females in C. maculatus are usually sterile. This mutant in C. maculatus was lost a century ago, but recently I discovered apterous mutants in Callosobruchus analis (Fabricius), a sister species of C. maculatus. I examined the inheritance system of the mutant in C. analis. The mutation followed essentially the simple Mendelian inheritance that is presumed to be through a single autosomal locus with two alleles. Contrary to the case of C. maculatus, the apterous trait of C. analis was expressed in both females and males. I found that sterility was observed only in female mutants, but was rescued by a paternal gamete of a wild type. Since this characteristic can be used to investigate second male paternity, I conducted crossing experiments and found that C. analis exhibited non-zero second male paternity.

Three new species of cavernicolous Pselaphinae are diagnosed, described, and figured based on newly collected material from four caves in Sichuan, southern China: Batrisocenus cavernicolus Yin and He, new species, Tribasodites pengzhouensis Yin and He, new species, and Zopherobatrus liyuani Yin and He, new species, all belonging to the tribe Batrisini (Batrisitae). Brief notes regarding the collection circumstances and biology of these species are provided.

Antennal transcriptome information of Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Dryophthorinae) is reported with the aim of solving the problem of stored product pests from the perspective of olfactory functional molecules of S. zeamais. The bioinformatics method was used to analyze the antennal transcripts of S. zeamais. Putative genes were identified, and their amino acid content and other physicochemical properties of the candidate genes were predicted. A total of 10 putative chemosensory protein genes and 20 ionotropic receptor genes were identified. One of the 10 chemosensory protein genes was significantly expressed in the antennae of both sexes, among which SzeaCSP7 was enriched in the legs and SzeaCSP10 was highly expressed in the head. In contrast, seven of the 20 ionotropic receptor genes found in S. zeamais were highly expressed in the legs, and another 12 were highly expressed in male and female antennae; SzeaIR2, SzeaIR3, SzeaIR4, SzeaIR10, and SzeaIR15 were specifically expressed in male antennae. We hypothesize that male antennal ionotropic receptor genes are involved in the reception of female sex pheromones. Our results lay a foundation for further study of chemosensory protein and ionotropic receptor genes in S. zeamais and provide a new perspective for controlling stored product pests.

We assessed the behavior and seed dispersal ability of two introduced dung rollers in Australia, Sisyphus rubrus (Paschaladis) and Sisyphus spinipes (Thunberg). For each species, we measured the linear distance (cm) from the source when rolling brood balls, the ability to disperse seeds, and the gender roles during reproduction in an indoor arena that contained bead-laden dung pads, including beads of four different sizes. At the end of the trials, we recorded the number of brood balls, distance rolled, and the number of beads that were incorporated into the brood balls. We compared the sex roles in brood construction between the two species using three treatments: Male-only, female-only, and a male and female pair. The number of broods constructed by each treatment, as well as the number of eggs laid, were recorded. No difference was found in the distance rolled by each species, with both averaging distances between 100 cm and 200 cm. Both species only incorporated 0.5-mm beads into their brood balls. Sisyphus spinipes dispersed more beads per brood ball than S. rubrus (mean number of beads per S. spinipes and S. rubrus broods were 6.0 and 2.9, respectively). In brood construction, only the treatments containing females of both species produced broods and eggs, with no difference in brood number or eggs laid recorded between females alone and male plus female treatments. We conclude that S. rubrus and S. spinipes are capable of secondary dispersal of small seed such as those of many grasses in Australia. Their ability to disperse seeds over several meters, along with shallow or surface nesting behavior, is conducive to seedling germination. In these two scarab species, females are responsible for brood construction with continual male presence not required for brood construction and oviposition.

Due to the increasing interest and the importance of ambrosia beetles, particularly those in the tribe Xyleborini, we considered it necessary to update the distribution and host reports of the species in Mexico. In this paper we focus on new records of Xyleborini from states of Mexico. The information comes from the review of national and international entomological collections, as well as material collected in various states of Mexico. New state records are given for 22 species in seven genera. Three species are recorded from Mexico for the first time: Theoborus micarius (Wood), Xyleborus pubescens Zimmermann, and Xyleborus sparsipilosus Eggers; moreover, we include some new host plant records.

Dung beetles are key providers of several ecosystem processes such as dung removal, which is a critical function especially in livestock areas. Here we evaluate sheep dung removal activity by coexisting species of the genus Phanaeus MacLeay under laboratory conditions, to describe their role in this ecosystem function. We assessed the effect of four factors: i) Beetle species—we compared the amount of dung removed by pairs of Phanaeus quadridens (Say, 1835) vs. pairs of Phanaeus adonis Harold, 1863; ii) beetle density—we compared treatments with two and six individuals; iii) coexistence of different species—we compared dung removal by only females of P. quadridens with mixed females of three species (P. quadridens, P. adonis, and Phanaeus palliatus Sturm, 1843); and iv) time after dung deposition (24 and 48 h). We did not find differences in the amount of dung removed between species (P. quadridens and P. adonis), nor between different densities. Phanaeus quadridens females alone removed more dung than females of the three species combined, and a greater amount of dung was removed during the first 24 hours. Understanding the links between dung beetle ecological functions and ecosystem services is critical for the management of these services, especially in livestock areas.

Fourteen new species of Mexican and Central American Cleridae are described: Cymatodera opitzi Rifkind, new species, Cymatodera tica Rifkind, new species, Cymatodera fata Rifkind, new species, Cymatodera insalebrosa Rifkind, new species, Cymatodera hommertorum Rifkind, new species, Cymatodera uncina Rifkind, new species, Cymatodera lucubrans Rifkind, new species, Cymatodera burkei Rifkind, new species, Cymatodera locusticauda Rifkind, new species, Cymatodera andalearriba Rifkind, new species, Lecontella ensifera Rifkind, new species, Aphelocerus coxae Rifkind, new species, Colyphus martinezi Rifkind, new species, and Quadrophenia curoei Rifkind, new species. Enoclerus madrensis turnbowi Rifkind, new subspecies from Mexico, is also described. Color polymorphism in Colyphus Spinola is illustrated and discussed, and apostatic selection is proposed as an explanation for the evolution of clerid color morphs that have no obvious resemblance to chemically protected models.

Like many other members of the Microsaurus Dejean lineage of Quedius Stephens (Staphylinidae: Staphylininae: Quediini), rove beetles of the erythrogaster species group are facultatively or obligately associated with microhabitats within the nests of insects, mammals and, possibly, tree cavity-nesting birds. Generally, these cryptic and difficult to access microhabitats have been poorly surveyed in North America compared to Central Europe. This has resulted in limited material for taxonomists and several species likely remain to be discovered. Here we review species concepts in the erythrogaster group using newly available Nearctic material, including some extensive samples from mammal burrows. Using evidence from both morphological and CO1 barcode data, we propose the treatment of eight species, including four new species: Quedius alesi Brunke, new species, Quedius miltoni Brunke, new species, Quedius pinetis Brunke, new species, and Quedius praticola Brunke, new species. A phylogenetic analysis of the molecular data resolved two major clades within the erythrogaster group, the erythrogaster and compransor complexes. It also corroborated morphological evidence that Palearctic myrmecophile Quedius brevis Erichson belongs to the erythrogaster group and suggests that other Palearctic species could belong here upon further examination.