Based on specimen examination and previous records, we provide a checklist including 146 species from 51 genera and 10 tribes of the weevil subfamily Ceutorhynchinae in China. Of these species, the following 18 are reported in China for the first time: Amalus scortillum (Herbst, 1795), Ceutorhynchus filiae Dalla Torre, 1922, Dieckmannius ingensColonnelli, 1993, Dieckmannius sexnotatus (A. Schultze, 1899), Nedyus quadrimaculatus (Linnaeus, 1758), Zacladus stierlini (A. Schultze, 1902), Auleutes epilobii (Paykull, 1800), Hypurus bertrandi (Perris, 1852), Hypurus portulacae (Marshall, 1916), Neoplatygaster venusta (Faust, 1885), Belonnotus tenuirostris (Marshall, 1917), Mecysmoderes fulvus (Roelofs, 1875), Xenysmoderes stylicornis (Marshall, 1934), Mononychus ireos (Pallas, 1773), Rhinoncus jakovlevi Faust, 1893, Rutidosoma globulus (Herbst, 1795), Rutidosoma graminosum (Gistel, 1857) and Rutidosoma koreanumKorotyaev & Hong, 2004.

The following new species are described as new: Scaphisoma acclinumsp. nov., S. aciculatumsp. nov., S. avitumsp. nov., S. bisinuosumsp. nov., S. corneumsp. nov., S. detestabilesp. nov., S. diqingtibetanumsp. nov., S. fikacekisp. nov., S. hainanensesp. nov., S. jirihajekisp. nov., S. kubanisp. nov., S. lectumsp. nov., S. liangtangisp. nov., S. moratorsp. nov., S. nigripennesp. nov., S. nushanensesp. nov., S. providumsp. nov., S. proximumsp. nov., S. pseudaspersp. nov., S. regularesp. nov., S. rufopiceumsp. nov., S. ruzickaisp. nov., S. schuelkeisp. nov., S. subapicalesp. nov., S. tetratomumsp. nov., S. tricuspidatumsp. nov., S. tumidumsp. nov., S. uncinatumsp. nov., S. weigelisp. nov., S. wraseisp. nov. and S. ziweiisp. nov. Species reported the first time from the People's Republic of China are: Scaphisoma adustum Löbl, S. agile Löbl, S. armatum Löbl, S. binhanum (Pic), S. delictum Löbl, S. galloisi Achard, S. inopinatum Löbl, S. minax Löbl, S. operosum Löbl, S. tetrastictum Champion, and S. viti Löbl. An additional species is characterized but left unnamed because present in a single female only. A key to the species of Scaphisoma presently known from the People's Republic of China is provided.

The Neotropical genus LucernutaLaporte, 1833 comprises a mixed assembly of taxa, whose diagnoses currently overlaps with some species listed under CratomorphusMotschulsky, 1853. Here, we review, provide new biological data, and update the geographic range of the species currently listed under Lucernuta in McDermott 1966. We propose the following nomenclatural decisions: Lucernuta fenestrataGermar, 1824 is considered a junior synonym of L. savigniiKirby, 1818; Lucernuta minutaPic, 1930 is transferred to Cratomorphus, therefore generating the new combination C. minutusPic, 1930; L. hammariMcDermott, 1959 is considered a junior synonym of Platylampis diversithoraxPic, 1943; Lucernuta paraguayensisMcDermott, 1960 is considered a junior synonym of Cratomorphus besckeiOlivier, 1895. Therefore, Lucernuta is regarded as monotypic, with L. savignii as the sole species in this genus, which is endemic to the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest. Moreover, we designate a lectotype and describe for the first time the female of C. minutus. We also provide a key to Lamprocerini genera, in addition to new diagnoses, distribution maps, and illustrations of diagnostic features for the four species studied here: L. savignii, P. diversithorax. C. besckei and C. minutus, and highlight issues that should be addressed in the future towards a revised classification of Cratomorphus.

Eleven species of Platygastrinae are described, based on specimens collected in the mainland Japan: Leptacis nipponensissp. nov. (Shikoku), Platygaster lucidifronssp. nov. (Shikoku and Honshu), P. pilidorsasp. nov. (Honshu), P. planicorpasp. nov. (Honshu), P. shikokuensissp. nov. (Shikoku), P. tomentariasp. nov. (Shikoku), P. yamagishiisp. nov. (Shikoku), Synopeas frankensteinisp. nov. (Honshu), S. umbriclavatumsp. nov. (Shikoku), Trichacoides sagittariussp. nov. (Honshu), and T. zebrasp. nov. (Shikoku). Comparative notes on similar taxa are given.

The subfamily Cheloninae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from Egypt is revised. A total of 29 species in three genera (AscogasterWesmael, 1835; ChelonusPanzer, 1806; and PhanerotomaWesmael, 1838) and two tribes (Chelonini and Phanerotomini) are recorded. Nine species are newly recorded for the Egyptian fauna: Chelonus elaeaphilusSilvestri, 1908; C. versatilis (Wilkinson, 1932); Phanerotoma (Bracotritoma) acaravan Achterberg, 1990; P. (B.) graciloidesvan Achterberg, 1990; P. (B.) permixtellaeFischer, 1968a; P. (P.) diversa (Walker, 1874); P. (P.) fractaKokujev, 1903; P. (B.) minutaKokujev, 1903; and P. (P.) robustaZettel, 1988. Two new species are described: P. (B.) flavivenasp. nov. and P. (P.) sinaiticasp. nov. The male of P. acaravan Achterberg, 1990 is reported for the first time in the present study. A key to the Egyptian species of Cheloninae is provided.

The genus Protelenomus is redescribed. Six new species: Protelenomus gajadantasp. nov., P. lutuliisp. nov., P. maasaisp. nov., P. tibialissp. nov., P. yaosp. nov., and P. zulusp. nov., are described. All species are illustrated and a key to females of the genus is provided. Among the known species of Protelenomus, P. flavicornis Kieffer and P. anoplocnemidis (Ghesquière) are phoretic on Hemiptera and are amongst the largest in size in the subfamily Telenominae.

Puparia and third instars of a new whitefly, Aericerus meghalayensisgen. et sp. nov. infesting Terminalia calamansanai (Blanco) (Combretaceae) leaves are described from Barapani, located in the state of Meghalaya in North-East India. The florate-shaped wax secreting geminate pores and submarginal sieve plates are reported for the first time from whitefly puparia. Puparia of the new genus differ from closely related genera, Aleuroclava Singh and Trialeurolonga Martin in having submargin demarcated from the dorsal disc, longitudinal and transverse moulting sutures reaching submarginal ridge, prominent tracheal folds, and a groove demarcating narrow submargin ventrally; it also differs from the former genus in having wax secreting glandular pores with accompanying sieve plates on the submargin, and from the latter genus in puparial size, smooth margin and in lacking submarginal papillae. The new taxa are described with camera lucida drawings, images of habitus, holotype puparium and third instar, and scanning electron microscope photomicrographs.

The ant genus Crematogaster Lund, 1831 is recorded for the first time from the Late Eocene Rovno amber, Ukraine (Priabonian stage, 33.9–37.8 Ma). C. primitivasp. nov. is described based on single male. It well differs from males of the extant species by the 13-segmented antennae (vs. 11–12-segmented in modern species). By this feature it resembles the fossil C. praecursorEmery, 1891 described from the Sicilian amber (Early Oligocene, Rupelian stage, 27.8–34.9 Ma), but differs from that species by its distinctly longer antennal scape and by some details of the forewing venation. Only one other fossil Crematogaster species is known – C. auroraLaPolla et Greenwalt, 2015, which was described based on the imprints of two queens from the Middle Eocene Kishenehn Formation, USA (ca. 46 Ma); however, we consider that the ascription of this species to Crematogaster is somewhat questionable.

The work contains a description of a new species Cheilotrichia (Empeda) pawlowskii from the family Limoniidae (Diptera) found in both Baltic and Ukrainian amber. The work also compares the species from the subgenus Empeda in Eocene resins (Baltic, Ukrainian, and Bitterfeld amber).

The cyclopoids of the Ponto-Caspian region has been discussed in numerous articles and seminal monographs of the late V. I. Monchenko, yet relationships of this peculiar fauna to other regions are still poorly understood. Two subspecies of Eucyclops persistens known from interstitial waters in the Black sea region are redescribed here, based on the type material. Eucyclops persistens persistens (estuary zone of Caucasian rivers) and E. persistens tauricus (wells in Crimea) differ from each other in the lateral surface ornamentation of the caudal rami in female (naked, vs. short serra present), and the relative length of the dorsal caudal seta in both female and male (seta longer in E. persistens tauricus). Eucyclops persistens s.l. share some characters, such as the reduced “serra”on the caudal rami, reduced lateral pilosity of pediger 5, lack of (or few) hairs on the distal margin of P4 intercoxal sclerite, and long aesthetasc on the ninth antennulary segment in female, with some European subterranean taxa in the Eucyclops graeteri complex. Sparse morphological information on the graeteri-complex hinders a rigorous phylogenetic analysis. Future revision of the graeteri-complex might shed light on a Western/Central Europe – Ponto-Caspian connection during the evolution of these subterranean Eucyclops.

Gastrotricha is a monophyletic phylum of small invertebrates inhabiting any kind of aquatic and semi-aquatic environments. Currently, ca. 850 gastrotrich species have been described, although the species numbers are not evenly distributed among the families and genera. The family Chaetonotidae Gosse, 1864 (sensuLeasi & Todaro, 2008) is considered the most numerous and diverse, with the most abundant genus being ChaetonotusEhrenberg, 1830. This genus has more species grouped together than all of the remaining genera of this family. Nevertheless, when the subgenera division within Chaetonotus is analysed it is noticeable that the differences in species number are also very large among these groups. One of the smallest and rarest is the subgenus WoltereckaMola, 1932, which currently includes only three nominal species. The main characteristics of this subgenus are short, reduced hook-shaped adhesive tubes and long, rigid spines on dorsal or dorsolateral surfaces of the furcal base and furcal appendages. In this paper, a new representative of Wolterecka is described, namely Chaetonotus (W.) semovitussp. nov. This taxon was found in the Schönbrunn Palm House in Vienna (Austria) and is distinguished from the other Chaetonotus (Wolterecka) species mainly by the presence of three pairs of cephalic cilia, a seven-lobed head outline and scales with a concave posterior edge and diversified shape around the body. For this new species, detailed morphological and molecular analyses including 18S rRNA, ITS1–5.8S rRNA–ITS2, 28S rRNA and COI mtDNA are presented.

The two-spot ladybird Adalia bipunctata (Linnaeus, 1758) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) is a widely distributed generalist, feeding preferably on aphids. The species inhabits various environments, including anthropogenic landscape, where pollution and microclimate enables to attain very high numbers of favorite prey. Recently, the abundance of the two-spot ladybird has declined, mainly as an after-effect of invasion of the competing species — the harlequin ladybird Harmonia axyridis (Pallas, 1773). High phenotypic polymorphisms made the two-spot ladybird classic model for population genetic studies of Coccinellidea. However, studies investigating diversity of the species at DNA level have Coccinellidae been scarce. In our investigation we used microsatellite markers to characterize genetic diversity in the two-spot ladybird populations from different environments. We made an attempt to amplify 13 loci, identified previously in the genome of the species, however due to lack of amplification, monomorphisms and presence of the null alleles, the final set of six markers useful for analysis on a population level was obtained. Analyzing genotypes of 124 individuals, we confirmed high genetic diversity of the species, suggested previously by studies, applying allozymes and mitochondrial DNA. Also, microsatellites revealed weakly pronounced genetic structure in a large scale (localities separated by a distance of 500 kilometers). However, we found some indications (signs of the Wahlund effect) that gene flow could be disturbed among sites in diverse environments (rural, suburban and urban). Our data suggested that invasion of the harlequin ladybird has not yet affected populations of the two-spot in such extent to alter genetic diversity or genetic structure.