Declines in overwintering colonies of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexxipus) in Mexico raise questions about other life cycle phases, such as spring migration, where monarchs recolonize their breeding range in the United States and Canada with sequential generations. We used data from a long-term citizen science program, “Journey North” (now with 18 yr), to identify possible changes to the recolonization. This program asks people to report the date and location when they see the first adult monarch annually, and this database now contains >11,000 records. We examined sighting dates and migration range size, the latter based on the number of 2-degree latitude—longitude grid squares with monarch sightings, to look for evidence of change in either of these two parameters over the 18 yr. Our analyses used regression models that accounted for increasing volunteer participation over the years. We found monarchs are being sighted later at a rate of 1 d later every 4 yr. This does not appear to be related to later emergence of milkweed, based on examination of milkweed reports. Later sightings could be interpreted as a sign of reductions in monarch abundance (it takes longer to see the first monarch of the year). We also found a potential decline in the geographic range of the initial spring migration wave (a decline of 9% over 18 yr). However we detected no change in the continental area encompassed at the end of recolonization, indicating monarchs are still successfully filling their traditional breeding range in eastern North America.

There is compelling evidence that numbers of eastern North American monarchs are declining, as documented by the area they occupy in their Mexican overwintering grounds. Decreasing availability of breeding habitat has been implicated in this decline. However, it is difficult to document population size during the breeding phase of the annual cycle because monarchs are dispersed over a large area, and eggs and larvae are only monitored in remaining milkweed patches. We assess monarch egg densities on a per host plant basis from 1997 to 2014, using data from the Monarch Larva Monitoring Project (MLMP), a citizen science program. We analyzed the effects of habitat characteristics and overall trends in monarch egg densities within and between years. Gardens and sites with fewer milkweed plants tended to have higher egg densities, and natural areas tended to have lower densities. While there was a great deal of year-to-year variation in monarch egg densities, MLMP data document declining densities after 2006. Finally, breeding area egg density is a significant positive predictor of the area occupied in the Mexican overwintering grounds. Additionally, the area planted in herbicide-tolerant crops is a significant negative predictor of the area occupied in the Mexican overwintering grounds. Our findings suggest that monarchs are not compensating for the loss of breeding habitat by laying more eggs in the remaining habitat. We conclude that declining egg densities over the past eight years could indicate a lack of critical mass needed to ensure that monarchs find remaining habitat.

The eastern North American monarch population is declining, as evidenced by the area occupied by overwintering adults. Recently, decreasing availability of breeding habitat has been most strongly implicated in this decline. An alternative, nonexclusive explanation for the recent population decline is decreasing survival. We used 18 yr of data from the Monarch Larva Monitoring Project, a citizen science program, to determine immature monarch mortality rates over time as well as factors associated with increased mortality. Our data included field measures of mortality from egg to the final larval instar, and mortality due to parasitoids and other causes, assessed by rearing field-collected monarchs. Average egg to fifth-instar survival ranged from ∼7 to 10% across all regions. Survival from fifth instar to adult ranged from ∼60 to 90%, although this overestimates survival because monarchs are not exposed to many mortality factors when reared indoors. Both survival rates showed a great deal of temporal and spatial variation. Survival tended to be higher in sites that were planted and had more milkweed plants. There was a negative effect of per plant egg density on survival, suggesting density dependence. Survival rates appear to be declining from 1997 to 2014, and we discuss possible reasons for this pattern. Finally, we estimate that across all years in the north-central United States, where we have the most data, a minimum number of ∼29 milkweed plants are required to produce an adult monarch that will be part of the fall migratory generation.

The decline of the eastern population of the migratory monarch has become a topic of great concern, but has been based entirely on patterns observed in overwinter colony sizes. Less attention has been paid to population trends during other phases of the migratory cycle. Here, we present an analysis of trends using three monitoring programs, one focused on overwinter colony size and two focused on summer breeding grounds. We discovered an alarming steepening in the decline of winter colony size since 2008. However, population indices from two independent summer monitoring programs were characterized by high year-to-year variability and no statistically detectable trends over time. Despite the mismatch in summer and winter patterns, there is still an association between the yearly fluctuations between these key periods, suggesting a link in population dynamics throughout the year. Further, a suggestion of a downturn near the end of the summer time-series should be carefully tracked into the future. We discuss two possible reasons for this disconnect: 1) higher levels of variance or possibly biased sampling could weaken any statistical signal, and 2) losses during fall migration could potentially contribute to overwinter declines.

Annual estimates of population size are important for tracking long-term population trajectories. There is concern that monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus L.) in eastern North America are declining because the Mexican overwintering colonies have been shrinking over the past 20 yr. We examined a 19-yr data set of fall monarch censuses at a site in northern Michigan (Peninsula Point) to determine if the number of monarchs counted here has changed over time. At this site, volunteers walk a standardized transect daily during the fall to record migratory monarchs. Our secondary goal was to evaluate the relationship between the annual numbers at Peninsula Point and the size of the subsequent overwintering colonies. A statistical model that included multiple predictors of 1,793 census counts revealed a small but significant positive effect of year on counts, but the mean annual count number was not significantly correlated with year. In either case, we found no evidence for declines in monarch abundance. We also found no relationship between annual estimates of abundance at Peninsula Point and annual estimates of overwintering colony size. We interpret the disparity between long-term patterns here versus those in Mexico to be the result of mortality during migration or other factors that reduce migration success. Given this conclusion, we argue that preserving migratory habitats and resources, as well as reducing anthropogenic activities that hinder migration, should be the highest priorities for conserving monarchs in eastern North America.

In Canada, the monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus (L.), is designated a species of “special concern.” During their southward journey each year, hundreds of thousands of monarchs funnel through Long Point, Lake Erie in Canada. Standardized daily counts of migrating monarchs have been conducted at two sites on Long Point for 20 consecutive years (1995–2014). Using a Bayesian framework, we estimated long-term trends in the number of migrants passing through Long Point. Over the 20-yr period, credible intervals for trends estimated at each site overlapped, with an estimated decline of 5.11%yr^-1 across sites. However, trajectories differed between sites. At the more inland site, a more constant 7.78%yr^-1 decline was detected, but at the tip of the peninsula, counts increased by 10.04%yr^-1 from 1995–2005, followed by a decline of 11.9%yr^-1 from 2004–2014. This resulted in an estimated 20-yr decline of 2.74%yr^-1 at this site. Lower and less variable counts since 2010 appear to be driving the apparent long-term population declines. Relative to the tip site, counts from the more inland site are less likely to be biased by large accumulations of monarchs blown off-course during headwinds or stopping over to replenish fuel supplies. Trends from the more inland site also show strong correspondence with declines in egg production and milkweed abundance in the upper Midwest, which suggests that the number of individuals counted on migration is evidence of a potentially broader-scale condition. Additional years of data should be collected to determine whether the apparent decline will continue.

In total, 11,333 fall migrant monarch butterflies were captured, measured, tagged, and released in southern Pennsylvania over an 18-yr period from 1992 to 2009, excluding 1996 and 2004. Fifty-six (0.494%) were recovered at the Mexican overwintering sites. Hind wing tags had a much higher recovery rate (1.13%) than forewing tags (0.138%). When compared with published recovery rates east of the Appalachians using the same tag type, Pennsylvania was higher than all coastal sites but similar to that of inland Virginia, indicating that inland migrants are more successful. Six U.S. recoveries indicate that monarchs experience considerable eastward wind displacement after leaving the tagging sites. The wild monarchs were divided into three groups for analysis: early (20 Aug–9 Sep), middle (10 Sep–1 Oct), and late (2 Oct–20 Oct) to determine temporal trends. The average forewing length decreased over time, while the percentage of female migrants increased. These trends were not seen in a comparison set of raised monarchs originating from the same general area. As over half the Mexican recoveries came from storm-killed fall 2003 migrants, recoveries were analyzed with and without 2003, and for 2003 alone. More early than middle migrants and no late migrants were recovered. Female migrants were more likely to be recovered from 2003 and overall, but not when 2003 was excluded. The recovery data suggest that males are less likely to make it to Mexico and suffer higher mortality once there during normal overwintering seasons. It also suggests that while early migration is beneficial to both genders, it is even more beneficial for females.

Telenomus remus Nixon is a platygastrid egg parasite of the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith), with a history of use as an augmentative biological control agent in Central and South America. Efforts were made in 1975–1977 and again in 1988–1989 to introduce T. remus into the fall armyworm overwintering regions of southern Florida to mitigate infestations by this migratory pest, but in neither case was evidence of long-term establishment found. However, in 2009 and again in 2013, an unidentified Telenomus species was found attacking fall armyworm sentinel egg masses placed on corn plants or pasture grasses in the north-central Florida counties of Levy and Alachua. Taxonomic uncertainties have so far not allowed a conclusive identification of species by morphological keys. DNA barcode comparisons showed a single Florida haplotype in all collections that was identical to that found in a T. remus colony from Ecuador and very similar to a T. remus colony from Honduras. The T. remus barcode sequences were phylogenetically distinct from a second Telenomus species from Ecuador, T. rowani, and from other related sequences obtained from the NCBI GenBank database. This represents the first observation of a permanent Telenomus population in the United States that targets fall armyworm and provides genetic evidence for its identification as T. remus. These findings have positive implications for the use of augmentative biological control methods to mitigate fall armyworm migration from Florida.

Insect polyandry often selects for increased male investment in ejaculates as it generates both sperm competition and the potential for cryptic (postcopulatory) female choice, a process males will seek to influence. Among the Coccinellidae, allomonal factors in male ejaculates are known to stimulate female fecundity and fertility and confer positive effects on the developmental phenotypes of progeny. We used the subtropical species Eriopis connexa (Germar) to test the hypothesis that male epigenetic factors will be diminished by sexual activity. We subjected virgin females to either a single mating, or 10 daily matings with the same male or different ones, either virgin or previously mated. There was no effect of male mating status or male novelty on female fecundity or fertility, but multiple matings with different virgin males resulted in faster production of clutches during the first 10 d of oviposition. When females were permitted only a single mating, their mean clutch size was diminished by males that had been previously mated two or more times and they took longer to produce 10 clutches, although egg viability was unaffected. Paternal effects did not vary with paternal mating history and progeny development was similar between first and tenth clutches, indicating an absence of the age-specific maternal effects observed in certain other species. The habitats occupied by this subtropical species provide prey for reproduction throughout the year and lack the strong seasonal patterns of prey availability that have been hypothesized to drive the evolution of age-specific maternal effects observed in some temperate species.

“Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum”, causal agent of zebra chip of potato and veingreening of tomato, is prolific in tissues of the oral region of its vector, Bactericera cockerelli (Sulc). The region has, evolutionarily, reflexed under the head (“opisthognathy”), so that the mandibular stylets are ventral to the maxillary stylets, and both are directed posteriorly. The region includes the labium, furcasternum, and tentorium. The tentorium is a minute, crate-shaped, extremely complex endoskeletal apparatus consisting of preoral and postoral sections, with the primitive mouth in between. Except for certain prominent structures, its functional anatomy is poorly understood, and provisional (generic) terminology is needed to identify them. It is formed from several panel-shaped and rod-shaped invaginations of the preoral orifice. Panels divide the preoral section into four tissue blocks: hypopharynx, epipharynx, and two lateral blocks of questionable homological identity. Those between the hypopharynx and lateral blocks are fluted into “holsters.” Holsters are extended into the postoral section as “loading sleeves.” Together, both house the stylets. Stylet manipulation muscles are attached to them, not to the stylets themselves. Loading sleeves also function to guide presumptive stylets into their functional positions during a molt. Rods are located in the postoral section, and they form “ecdysial gaps” which also assist in molting. Stylets converge toward the preoral orifice, designed to interlock the maxillars and redirect the mandibulars to their flanks to form a “stylet bundle,” and rotate the bundle 90° so that it can curve, about its most-bendable axis, into a cuticular pouch or “crumena” on exit.

Insects and other animals sometimes modify behavior in response to changes in atmospheric pressure, an environmental cue that can provide warning of potentially injurious windy and rainy weather. To determine if Diaphorina citri (Hemiptera: Liviidae) calling, mate-seeking, and phototaxis behaviors were affected by atmospheric pressure, we conducted analyses to correlate responsiveness with pressure trends over periods up to 48 h before laboratory bioassays. Mean responsiveness increased or decreased depending on the magnitudes and directions of pressure changes measured over different periods up to 24 h before bioassays, and changed differently in calling and mate-seeking bioassays than in phototaxis bioassays. For example, mean responsiveness decreased in mating behavior bioassays but increased in phototaxis bioassays when atmospheric pressure changed more than one standard deviation over a 24-h period. Such a result is consistent with a hypothesis that there may be survival benefits to focusing energy on dispersal or migration rather than mating after occurrences of sustained, unusual pressure changes. A finding that mean phototactic responses increased when pressure decreased over 9–24-h periods before bioassays is potentially of practical interest. More knowledge about the effects of atmospheric pressure and other environmental variables on behavior can lead to improved models of psyllid movement or other pest management tools as well as to improved timing of application of pest management tools.

This paper presents the first detailed faunistic study in Mexico for the family Cleridae, an important group of predatory beetles. The study was carried out in El Limón de Cuauchichinola, Tepalcingo, in the state of Morelos, Mexico, over a year of systematic collections (June 2006 to May 2007). The family Cleridae was found to be represented in the study area by seven subfamilies, 18 genera, and 44 species. The dominant genera were Phyllobaenus Dejean with nine species, followed by Cymatodera Gray with eight, and Enoclerus Gahan with seven. The nonparametric estimators Incidence Coverage Estimate, Chao2, and second-order Jacknife estimated that between 65 and 78% of the true richness was recorded. The family showed a marked seasonality, with greater richness and abundance found during the rainy season. Sweeping and beating vegetation were the most efficient collection methods, producing 71.7% of the recorded species richness. Of the species determined, 18 represent new records for Morelos and five of these are new records for the country. The results provide evidence that the tropical dry forest of the Sierra de Huautla Biosphere Reserve is an ecosystem rich in species. The new records also serve to contribute to our general knowledge of the distribution of Cleridae in Mexico.

Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) is a wood-boring pest of Asian origin that has caused widespread mortality of ash, Fraxinus spp., in North America since its accidental introduction in the 1990s. Studies conducted at the epicenter of the infestation in the Great Lakes region have discovered several species of native parasitoids capable of utilizing A. planipennis; however, little is known of how these natural enemy complexes vary across the shifting forest types and habitats encompassed by the expanding infestation. We characterized the assemblage of native natural enemies being recruited to A. planipennis at five sites in north-central Kentucky, where infestations have been documented since 2009. Through destructive sampling, dissection, and rearing of infested ash material, 12 native parasitoid morpho-species were found being recruited to A. planipennis, nine of which have not been reported previously. Catogenus rufus (F.) (Coleopter: Passandridae), Phasgonophora sulcata Westwood (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae), and Leluthia asgtigma (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) have been discovered utilizing A. planipennis in more northerly infested regions of North America and were present in our study. Native hymenopteran parasitoid responses to A. planipennis presence and associated ash decline, measured using visual assessments of canopy decline, revealed a positive correlation between parasitoid guilds and ash decline.

Bees are important pollinators of numerous crops, and monitoring their abundance and diversity in commercial agricultural ecosystems is of increasing importance due to pollinator declines. In season-long field studies conducted in Pennsylvania during 2011–2013, we evaluated five different bee monitoring passive traps—three pan traps (blue, yellow, and white) and two vane traps (blue and yellow)—for their effectiveness and utility for monitoring bees in commercial apple orchards. Traps were placed prebloom and were monitored weekly until the end of crop season (mid-October). We recorded 14,770 bees comprising 118 species, 27 genera, and five families. The most abundant species were Augochlora pura (Say) (34.4% of total), Ceratina calcarata Robertson (15.5%), Bombus vagans Smith (7.8%), Bombus impatiens Cresson (6.4%), and Apis mellifera L. (4.3%). Bee abundance was highly variable among trap types across the three years and during the bloom and postbloom period. Blue vane traps were found to be the most effective trap type, with significantly higher rates of per-sample species accumulation than all other traps. Species richness estimates were highest for the blue vane and blue pan traps. This study reveals the utility and effectiveness of various traps for studying abundance and diversity of pollinator bees in commercially managed apple orchards. It also provides baseline information about the bee community found during the bloom and postbloom periods in Pennsylvania apple orchards that can be used to measure changes in bee community structure and abundance due to conservation efforts, such as reduced risk IPM programs, habitat management, and augmentation.

The Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama, vectors the bacterium ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ responsible for the huanglongbing (HLB) disease. In Mexico, economic losses caused by HLB severely affect the citrus industry. Despite the threat that the presence of D. citri implies, due to its invasive characteristics, there are few ecological and biological studies addressing its adaptation to new and different environments in Mexico. Based on the temperature-size rule, stating smaller adult size at higher rearing temperatures, the aim of this study was to evaluate D. citri's body size variation at different temperatures related to an elevation gradient. Adults were collected at four different elevations in the states of Jalisco and Colima, Mexico. Right forewing length and width as well as prothorax width and right antenna length were measured. Statistical differences between the sexes were analyzed by a multivariate analysis using Hotelling's T² and Kruskal—Wallis nonparametric test to evaluate body size variation between elevations followed by a Nemenyi's pairwise comparison test. To evaluate relationships between size variation and elevation, a χ² independence test was performed. Females were shown to be statistically larger than males. All body structures except the prothorax were shown to be larger at location El Arenal (higher elevation) and smaller at location Tecomán (lower elevation). Forewing length and width best explained the differences observed between the sexes and at the four locations, showing that the temperature-size rule applies in this case.

Predaceous lady beetles are important natural enemies of many insect pests in agro-ecosystem. The altered agricultural practices associated with widespread adoption of Bt cotton may have potential effects on the spatio-temporal patterns of predaceous lady beetles, as the composition and abundance of nontarget sucking pests have been changed in Bt cotton fields. In the current study, the spatio-temporal patterns of two important lady beetles, Harmonia axyridis (Pallas) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) and Propylea japonica (Thunberg) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), were surveyed in Bt cotton fields. A nonparametric method associated with Monte Carlo tests was used to address and test whether niche segregation occurred between H. axyridis and P. japonica. The results showed that the dominant region occupied by P. japonica was toward northeast across the season, whereas H. axyridis had higher presence to the southwest. The temporal patterns of H. axyridis and P. japonica also differed significantly, and the highest levels of each species occurred in different locations from each other on each sampling date in the same Bt cotton fields. In total, there were strong spatio-temporal separation patterns between these two species in Bt cotton fields. These spatio-temporal patterns may produce complementary impacts on prey, and this in turn could be used to strengthen the biological control of insect pests by these two lady beetles.

The collophore of Entomobrya multifasciata (Tullberg) (Collembola: Entomobryidae) is composed of four segments. The third segment telescopes in and out of the second and the fourth is an eversible vesicle that is entirely enclosed in the third when not deployed. Low temperature scanning electron micrographs document that the collophore may remain adhered to the substrate even as the springtail initiates its jump. This adherence appears to force the posterior abdomen into the air, causing the jump itself to be initiated in a forward direction and accompanied by a forward flip. Among the several other documented functions of the collophore, we suggest that it may serve to affect the direction and trajectory of the springtail during its jump.

We investigated the effects of a diet prepared with varying lipid, amino acid, and sucrose contents on the total adult and female emergence and the total glycogen and protein levels in the life span of female Pimpla turionellae. Although the meridic diet containing any lipids had no significant effect on the ratio of emerging adults, increasing and decreasing the amount of lipids in the diet significantly affected female emergence. Increasing the amino acid content by 50% or omitting it in the control diet decreased the total adult ratio compared to the control diet. A maximum of 85.18% of adults emerged in this group when the insects were fed a synthetic diet containing 1.5 g of amino acid mixture. The insects lived for only 7 d without sucrose, whereas increasing and decreasing the amount of sucrose in the diet affected the total female emergence positively relative to the control diet. The meridic diet increased the emergence of P. turionellae females but reduced their total glycogen. The decrease in female emergence observed when sucrose and amino acids are removed is explained by a decrease in the phagostimulation and metabolic protein deviation. Ascertaining the exact combination of carbohydrates and proteins is essential for successful rearing of these insects.

The rich Israeli fauna of cynipid gall wasps (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) includes dozens of species, many of which induce complex, conspicuous galls on the five local oak species, in what constitutes the southern edge of distribution for both the wasps and their host plants. The taxonomy and life history of the cynipid species of the Levant in general, and of Israel in particular, are virtually unstudied, although some of the Israeli galls were recorded and keyed in the 1960s. As part of a comprehensive revision of the Israeli cynipid fauna, we describe here Andricus miriami n. sp., which induces one of the most conspicuous and complex galls in inflorescence buds of Quercus ithaburensis along the Galilee and Coastal Plain in Israel, and in north-western Jordan. The species has been treated in the literature as a nomen nudum since 1968, and its current description clarifies its taxonomic status and validates the name given to it when first reported. We provide a detailed description of adults of the asexual generation and the galls they induce, as well as information on their life history and distribution.

Three new species of pselaphine rove beetle are described from Washington—Lucifotychus lisowskii Owens and Carlton and Pselaptrichus rainierensis Owens and Carlton from Yakima County, and Tychus douglasi Owens and Carlton from Mt. Rainier National Park. These bring the total number of species in each genus to 21, 38, and 37, respectively. A checklist of the North American species of each genus is provided, and the new species are integrated into previously published keys and supported by illustrations of diagnostic characters. A total of 655 specimens of Pselaphinae collected from Mt. Rainier National Park and surrounding localities from 1995 to 2009 yielded records for 19 species, including eight new records for the state of Washington.

Because of problems of rarity, sampling bias, and general lack of informative characters, immature stages of parasitic Hymenoptera are seldom used to resolve phylogenetic relationships. However, the ant-parasitic Eucharitidae are an exception. The adults and immature stages of Schizaspidia diacammae n. sp. (Eucharitidae: Eucharitinae: Eucharitini) are described from collections of cocooned pupae of its ant host, Diacamma scalpratum (Smith) (Formicidae: Ponerinae: Ponerini), in Thailand. Additional collections of planidia and pupae of Schizaspidia nasua (Walker) from Odontomachus rixosus (Smith) (Ponerini) and related Eucharitini suggest a high degree of conservatism in larval morphology across a monophyletic group of ant parasitoids that attack Ponerinae, Ectatomminae, and Myrmeciinae (PEM Clade). Pupae are especially informative, having peculiar bladder-like processes projecting from the ocelli, dorsal mesoscutellum, and laterally from the abdominal tergites. There are also a set of unusual sclerotized bars found laterally on the basal metasomal tergite. Such processes are unknown elsewhere in Hymenoptera. These same pupae offer further insights into the development of the scutellar spines. Based on a molecular analysis of relationships within the PEM Clade, we propose that scutellar spines have evolved multiple times within the group and across Eucharitidae.

Two new species of Copris Geoffroy from two regions of the state of Oaxaca, Mexico, are described and illustrated: Copris chimalapensis n. sp., and Copris juanmorai n. sp. A key based on major males to separate the species of this genus of the remotus complex is presented.

The phylogenetic relationships of the Australasian diving beetle genus Sternhydrus Brinck, 1945 were studied based on a cladistic analysis of 16 taxa and 112 morphological larval characters. Larvae of S. atratus (F., 1801) were described and illustrated in detail with particular emphasis on morphometry and chaetotaxy. Primary chaetotaxy were unknown for the genus. The results supported the inclusion of Sternhydrus in a clade of Australian Cybistrini genera along with Onychohydrus Schaum and White, 1847 and Spencerhydrus Sharp, 1882 based on four synapomorphies: presence of additional pores on antennomere 1, tibial seta TI7 short and spine-like, and urogomphi longer than broad, included in the nonsclerotized ventrodistal area surrounding the anus. A sister group relationship of Sternhydrus and Onychohydrus is suggested by two synapomorphies: lateral projections of frontoclypeus serrate, and row of additional anteroventral setae on meso- and metatarsus composed of several thin setae of variable length. The genus Sternhydrus is characterized by two autapomorphies: presence of both spine-like and hair-like additional setae on the ventral surface of the femur, and absence of primary pores on the urogomphus.

Metapygmephorellus Rahiminejad, Hajiqanbar & Khaustov gen. nov. (Acari: Prostigmata: Pygmephoridae) (type species Metapygmephorellus colydius Rahiminejad & Hajiqanbar sp. nov.) is described and illustrated based on females phoretic on Colydium elongatum (F., 1787) and Dorcus parallelipipedus (L., 1758) (Coleoptera: Zopheridae and Lucanidae), respectively, which were collected from the forests in northern Iran. Another new species, Metapygmephorellus orientalis Khaustov sp. nov., collected from the bark beetle Hylurgops interstitialis Chapuis, 1875 (Col.: Curculionidae), from Far East Russia is also described. Pygmephorellus brachycercus Cross & Moser, 1971 is transferred to Metapygmephorellus gen. nov. A key to species of the genus Metapygmephorellus is provided.

Acoustic communications are prevalent in insects, and evidences show that acoustic characteristics could be used in taxonomy. With regard to Psylloidea, acoustic signals of 37 species have been recorded and described, indicating that acoustic knowledge of psylloids is limited compared with 3,800 described psylloid species, although the comparison emphasized on males only. Because many new psylloids were named based only on variations in the structure of male genitalia and host-plant records, we asked whether acoustic signal could be supplementary characteristics in recognizing the species. We studied the acoustic behavior of three closely related species of Cacopsylla Ossiannilsson, each explore and use distinct species of Pittosporum Banks, to examine the necessity of intergender duets and to determine their potential relevance in taxonomy. We conclude that duets are necessary for mating. The initial call and active search are usually made by the male. Females usually stay stationary and respond passively. Signals from males include two sections: a series of chirps followed by a long trill, whereas those from females include a long series of repeated chirps. The results of a discriminant analysis of acoustics showed that the three species of Cacopsylla were distinguishable from acoustic characteristics. We conclude that acoustic signals of psylloids provide useful information for the taxonomy of psylloids, especially at the species level.

The following new species from Laos are described, illustrated, and compared with related species: Orphinus (Curtophinus) cooteri Kadej and Háva, Orphinus (Orphinus) holzschuhi Kadej and Háva, Orphinus (Orphinus) laoticus Kadej and Háva, and Thaumaglossa barclayi Kadej and Háva. A differential diagnosis, keys to Laotian Orphinus and Thaumaglossa species, and additional faunistic records are provided.

A new species of eriophyoid mite, Metaculus diplotaxi n. sp. inhabiting Diplotaxis tenuifolia (L.) DC., is described from Serbia. To investigate interspecific variability between Metaculus spp. on three different Brassicaceae host plants (viz. D. tenuifolia, Lepidium latifolium (L.), Isatis tinctoria (L.)), we analyzed phenotypic variability of morphological traits and molecular sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (MT-CO1). Discriminant analysis identified seven traits that significantly differentiate three Metaculus spp: M. lepidifolii, M. rapistri, and M. diplotaxi n. sp. Analysis of MT-CO1 sequences supported the results obtained from the analysis of morphometric features.

Rhinoleucophenga myrmecophaga sp. nov., a Drosophilidae species associated with extrafloral nectaries of Qualea grandiflora Mart. (Vochysiaceae) and whose larvae are mostly predaceous on ants, is described from specimens collected in the Cerrado biome of Itirapina, state of São Paulo, Brazil. Illustrations of imagos, male terminalia, and immatures are also included. This is the first evidence of dipteran larvae that are closely associated with extrafloral nectaries and that feed on visiting ants.

In this article, the composition and distribution of bacteria associated with the gut of Tenebrio molitor (L.) larvae were investigated using both culture-dependent and culture-independent denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) methods. This work compares bacterial species associated with four different parts of T. molitor larvae gut: foregut, anterior midgut, posterior midgut, and hindgut. Five genera, Weissella, Lactococcus, Rahnella, Cronobacter, and Enterococcus, were isolated using nutrient agar. All of these strains were present in the posterior midgut and hindgut. The strains with milk-clotting activity in selective casein-plates assay were sequenced and identified as species of genera Weissella and Lactococcus, and those with proteolytic activity as Rahnella and Cronobacter, implying that they may be involved in protein utilization. But none of these strains showed cellulolytic activity. In DGGE experiment, 19 isolated bands belonging to nine taxa (Spiroplasma, Lactococcus, Lactobacillus, Bacillus, an uncultured Bacillaceae, Clostridium, Enterobacter, Pantoea, and an uncultured Clostridium) were extracted and identified from DGGE gels. These species could be assigned to three phyla Tenericutes, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria. According to the DGGE analysis, the bacterial communities of the four gut regions exhibited some differences, with the hindgut showing the highest bands abundance and diversity. The genus Spiroplasma, which is generally regarded as pathogen or male-killing bacteria in insects, had a high abundance in the gut environment, their potential role is worthy of a further study.

The Chrysobothris femorata (Olivier) species group has expanded to 12 recognized species. Many of these species are sympatric, share larval host plants, and are difficult to reliably separate morphologically. This study investigated species limits and relationships among the recognized species occurring within the southeastern United States. Results are presented from phylogenetic analyses including several group members using sequences from cytochrome oxidase I (cox I) and arginine kinase (AK). Cox I analyses validated the monophyly of several Chrysobothris species outside of the C. femorata species group and recovered group members C. adelpha Harold, C. viridiceps Melsheimer, and C. wintu Wellso and Manley as monophyletic. However, cox I analyses yielded well supported nodes that rendered C. femorata Olivier, C. quadriimpressa Gory and Laporte, C. rugosiceps Melsheimer, and C. shawnee Wellso and Manley paraphyletic. AK sequences provided statistical support for monophyly of C. wintu and two well supported clades that rendered C. femorata and C. quadriimpressa paraphyletic. Imperfect taxonomy cannot totally account for this phenomenon. The observed pattern could be the result of ancestral polymorphism or lineage sorting, yet introgression of these C. femorata species group members is possible. Although observed results from these genes suggest potential taxonomic synonymization, such steps are premature. Greater understanding of interactions between group members as occurs within their overlapping geographies and host plants is needed. We suggest future molecular studies adopting a population genetics approach utilizing several nuclear genes or SNiPs acquired subsequent to a NextGen sequencing campaign.

Genetic relationships within the Lygaeus kalmii complex were evaluated using specimens from multiple locations throughout the United States. Genes evaluated included the 18S ribosomal RNA (nuclear) and cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI, mitochondrial). The 18S rRNA sequences were 100% conserved among all Lygaeus specimens, rendering the gene ineffective for inferring phylogenetic relationships for this project. However, the COI sequences were informative, and a COI-based phylogenetic tree revealed that L. reclivatus Say and both subspecies of L. kalmii (Stål) are closely related, with all falling within the same clade. Twelve different haplotypes of the COI gene were found among the sequences within the L. kalmii angustomarginatus, L. kalmii kalmii, and L. reclivatus clade. Each haplotype differed from other haplotypes by one to six nucleotides (0.13–0.77%), falling within the range of reported intraspecific divergence. Therefore, our data validate the conspecific classification of L. kalmii angustomarginatus and L. kalmii kalmii and suggest that L. reclivatus is not a distinct species. The overlap of haplotypes also suggests possible gene flow among all three groups.