Oestrophasia (Cenosoma) sabroskyi (Guimarães) (Diptera: Tachinidae) is recorded as a parasitoid of adults of Artipus floridanus Horn (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). This report is the first host record for O. sabroskyi. The adult male and the immature stages are described and the adult female is redescribed.

Rhagoletotrypeta argentinensis (Aczél) was recovered from Celtis iguanaea (Jacquin) Sargent, and R. parallela Norrbom and R. pastranai Aczél from Celtis pubescens (Kunth) Sprengel fruit (Ulmaceae) in the provinces of Catamarca, Tucumán, and Salta (northwestern Argentina). All represent new host plant records, and for R. parallela, the first host plant record. Mean pupal weight of flies from C. pubescens (mean fruit weight 1.2 g) was 5.2 ± 2.3 mg and of flies from C. iguanaea (mean fruit weight 1.8 g) was 7.8 ± 1.3. Mean degree of infestation (number of larvae/100 g of fruit) was 29.6 for C. iguanaea and varied between 18.7 and 50.5 for C. pubescens. Most adults emerged after an 8–12-mo diapause period. Sixteen specimens of the larval-prepupal parasitoid Utetes sp., near U. anastrephae (Viereck) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae, Opiinae) were recovered from all fruit samples (overall parasitization rate was 37.2%). Parasitoids entered diapause that lasted up to 12 mo. We also describe a new species of Rhagoletotrypeta from Cuba belonging to the xanthogastra species group. Rhagoletotrypeta cubensis Norrbom, n. sp., is the only species in this genus known from the West Indies. The distribution records reported here also extend the known ranges for all four species of Rhagoletotrypeta known from Argentina. We discuss our findings in light of their taxonomic and ecological significance and with respect to the possibilities they open for the badly needed study of the zoogeography and behavior of flies in tephritid genera of no apparent economic importance.

Two new Japanese species, Pseudasphondylia kiritanii and Pseudasphondylia elaeocarpi (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), are described, and the three previously known Japanese species of Pseudasphondylia are redescribed. Geographical distribution, host plants, and biological notes are provided for each species. Morphological characters of Pseudasphondylia are discussed in comparison with some other genera of Asphondyliini. Keys to the world species of Pseudasphondylia males and to immature stages of Japanese species are provided. Possible host alternation by P. matatabi and P. kiritanii is suggested based on the results of previous and current studies.

Morphological examination of soldiers and imagos assigned to Nasutitermes corniger or N. costalis from 13 Neotropical countries and 42 West Indian islands revealed congruent characters and biometric overlap. A portion of the mitochondrial DNA 16S rRNA gene was sequenced from nine N. costalis and N. corniger samples. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of the N. costalis/corniger DNA sequences relative to other Nasutitermes spp. supported the morphological evidence that these species are conspecific. Complementary biological, behavioral, biochemical, and reproductive ecology further support the presented synonymy. The senior synonym, N. corniger, is given nomenclatural precedence. The geographical distribution of N. corniger is revised.

In a previous article, we reported that the male genitalia of two species of Parabrochymena and four of Brochymena were distinct, particularly the shape and length of the vesica. Here, we present genitalic information on an additional four species of Parabrochymena and 10 species of Brochymena that further supports consistent differences between the two genera.

A new species of Trichogramma (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) from Hokkaido that is uniquely univoltine and apparently host specific on the lepidopterous pest Ivela auripes (Butler) (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) is described and its biology is reviewed.

The influence of host plant phenology on the univoltine specialist lepidopteran herbivore Mitoura nelsoni Boisduval was investigated using incense cedar, Calocedrus decurrens Torrey. The hypothesis that new spring growth is an optimal resource for M. nelsoni was tested by rearing larvae on plants collected along an elevational gradient at two times in the spring (both before and during the typical flight period of M. nelsoni). The oviposition preferences of females were assayed with the same plants. M. nelsoni pupae grew to consistently greater pupal weights when reared on incense cedar branches in the earliest phenological stages (largely consisting of branches taken from trees that had not initiated new growth), although females avoided ovipositing on prenew growth branches. Trees in the earliest phenological stages, which resulted in the highest larval performance, were collected before the typical flight season of M. nelsoni. The phenology of M. nelsoni does not seem to be synchronized to host conditions that are optimal for larval development. These results are discussed within the context of host-associated speciation in the genus Mitoura and temporal isolation that may be an important component of reproductive isolation between M. nelsoni and a closely related species in northern California.

We studied the large-scale spatial–temporal distribution pattern of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae) to understand whether long-term dispersal may affect its maintenance in a highly patchy and isolated arid environment. The study area contained few dispersed settlements and agricultural plots covering 3,000 km², ranging from 100 to 900 m in altitude in southern Israel. Due to the arid nature of the study area, no wild hosts existed outside the settlements. Data were collected from three settlements at different altitudes from 1999 to 2002. During 2000, adult flies were monitored throughout the entire area. Data were incorporated into a geographic information system, and weekly spatial distribution charts were produced and analyzed. Our results suggest that, within the study area, C. capitata overwinters in sites <400 m in altitude with abundant winter hosts but not at higher altitudes. In remote settlements and agricultural areas at higher altitudes, flies reappeared every year in midsummer, which can only be explained by annual migration from the lower altitudes. Our results demonstrate that flies migrate at least 50 km, probably over a single generation, before reaching some of the remote havens within the study area. This long-distance migration has far-reaching consequences for maintenance of remote populations and should be taken into consideration for future basic research and applied control practices of C. capitata.

Species composition and seasonal distribution of dung beetles were studied on dairy and beef cattle pastures in North Carolina. Study sites included a dairy located in the piedmont region (North Carolina Department of Agriculture Piedmont Research Station, Salisbury, NC) and a combined dairy/beef facility in the coastal plain (North Carolina Department of Agriculture Center for Environmental Farming Systems, Goldsboro, NC). Dung beetles were trapped in cattle pastures from March 2002 through September 2003 by using dung-baited pitfall traps. Trapping yielded 4,111 beetles representing 14 species from the piedmont dairy, including Aphodius prodromus Brahm, a new record for North Carolina. Totals of 57,026 beetles representing 28 species and 28,857 beetles representing 26 species were trapped from the dairy unit and beef unit in the coastal plain site, respectively. Onthophagus gazella (F.), a second new record for North Carolina, was collected from the coastal plain. Beetles common to all collection sites include Aphodius erraticus (L.), Aphodius fimetarius (L.), Aphodius granarius (L.), Aphodius pseudolividus Balthasar, Onthophagus taurus Schreber, Onthophagus hecate hecate Panzer, and Onthophagus pennsylvanicus Harold. The introduced beetle O. taurus dominated the dung beetle population, accounting for >50% of the total beetles caught at either site. Beetle activity was greatest from March until November, with activity declining during the winter. Nine exotic species in the genera Onthophagus and Aphodius represented nearly 95% of the beetles trapped.

Stage-specific survival, growth, developmental biology, and biometry of the sharpshooter Homalodisca coagulata (Say) were studied in the laboratory under controlled conditions of 27 ± 1°C, 65 ± 5 RH, and a photoperiod of 14:10 (L:D) h. Nymphs and adults were individually reared on excised cowpea, Vigna unguiculata L. Walp., plants maintained in floral aquapics containing a hydroponic solution. Embryonic development of eggs was completed in 7.1 ± 0.8 d with 92.6% of the incubated eggs hatching. Nymphs molted five times, and the nymphal period of 61 ± 2.9 d for females was 1.2-fold significantly longer than that of males. The second nymphal stage was the shortest for both sexes (6.1 ± 0.5 d for females and 5.8 ± 0.8 d for males), whereas the last instar was the longest for females only. Stage-specific mortality was similar between instars; ≈36% of the nymphs molted to adults. H. coagulata adult sex ratio was not significantly different from a 1:1 ratio. Adult females lived 52 ± 11 d, and females deposited an average of 194 ± 35 eggs each. Analysis of life table statistics indicated that populations of H. coagulata increased at a rate of 1.045 per day and doubled within 15.6 d. The different H. coagulata growth stages were well described by body length, head capsule width, and hind tibia length; however, analysis of frequency distribution showed that head capsule width was the most suitable parameter for distinguishing the immature developmental stages of H. coagulata.

The neurohormone ovary ecdysteroidogenic hormone I (OEH I), originally identified from Aedes aegypti (L.), has an effect on mosquito ecdysteroidogenesis. Would there be a similar presence and function in other adult flies, e.g., black blow fly, Phormia regina (Meigen)? One pair of median neurosecretory cells (MNC_{OEH I}) and one pair of lateral neurosecretory cells (LNC_{OEH I}) were immunopositive to OEH I antiserum in the brain of sugar-fed and liver-fed female P. regina. In addition, two pairs of neurosecretory cells (SOGNC_{OEH I}) positive to this antiserum were found in the suboesophageal ganglion only in adult female P. regina at 16, 20, 23, 28, 36, and 72 h after a liver meal. In addition to the positive pairs of MNC_{OEH I} and LNC_{OEH I} in females, there were four more pairs of positive neurons (MSNFNC_{OEH I}) in the region between the MNC_{OEH I} and the esophageal foramen in P. regina males, but not in females. The presence of OEH I in male flies needs further attention as to the function of this hormone in male dipterans. We also found substances positive to Drosophila melanogaster Meigen insulin receptor antiserum located in the corpus cardiacum and the nerves going to the corpus allatum of adult female P. regina at 6 and 30 h after the liver meal, but not to the brain.

We report here the effects of vitamin E concentrations (0.0010%, 0.0015% and 0.0020%) in artificial diets on adult emergence and sex ratios of emerging adults of the parasitic wasp, Pimpla turionellae L. (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae). We found that average adult emergence was not affected by the absence or presence of vitamin E at the concentrations tested in the diet. However, the sex ratio differed significantly from a 1:1 ratio, favoring females, at 0.0010% and 0.0015%. A maximum of 65.63% females occurred at the 0.0015% level. When emergence and sex ratio data were viewed on a periodic basis between 10 and 34 d of age of the parasitizing parental females, considerable variation occurred but did not obscure the overall results. The dramatic decrease in the percentage of females emerging in the control and 0.0020% groups beginning on day 19 explains why the overall sex ratio in these two groups did not differ from 1:1. The only additional trend was an apparent decrease in adult emergence toward the end of the experimental period at the 0.0020% level

A caste structure is maintained in termite societies and juvenile hormone (JH) is generally regarded as the most important regulator in these termite colonies. Here, we demonstrate that the soldier caste regulates JH in workers of Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki. Worker termites (80–100 individuals) were placed in petri dishes with 0, 5, 10, or 20% soldiers. JH III titers of groups of these workers were monitored at 14, 28, 42, and 56 d. Any changes in soldier caste proportions also were noted at each sample date. On the first sample date, the JH levels in workers were similar among treatments with different initial soldier proportions, and no new soldiers were formed. Over the next three sample dates, the worker JH levels were higher for low initial soldier proportion treatments and vice versa. Concurrently, soldier formation increased with lower initial soldier proportions. JH titers in workers showed a positive and statistically significant relationship to soldier numbers until a certain soldier proportion was reached. These results provide evidence that soldier caste proportions regulate JH levels and thereby caste differentiation in workers. The means by which this regulatory mechanism may proceed is discussed.

External morphology of eggs of Tipula (Lunatipula) decolor Mannheims, Tipula (Lunatipula) dedecor Loew, and Tipula (Acutipula) latifurca Vermoolen were studied with both light and scanning electron microscopy. Mating pairs of these species were collected and maintained under laboratory conditions. Eggs were laid singly and were usually well separated from each other in cotton fiber batting. Eggs of these species are oval and black. The surface of the egg of T. decolor was covered by chorionic protrusions of similar size, and there was a single micropylar opening at the anterior end of egg. The egg surface of T. dedecor was covered with low protrusions with sharp tips, and there were numerous micropylar openings at the anterior end of egg. The egg surface of T. latifurca was smooth and lacked chorionic protrusions, and the anterior end of egg has a disc-shaped structure formed by coiled terminal filament.

The levels of polymorphism and the genetic relationships of eight populations of two thrips species, Thrips tabaci Lindeman and Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande), were studied using amplified fragment length polymorphism. We used two combinations of restriction enzymes (EcoR I/Mse I and EcoR I/Taq I) and studied six of these eight populations with each combination. The two species could be distinguished morphologically and are clearly distinguished one from the other by either enzyme combination. We found a few unique bands characterizing some of the populations within each species and a high level of polymorphism within each population. The relatively low polymorphism between populations compared with those between species, suggests that gene transfer between populations does occur. The high level of polymorphism within populations suggests a high level of heterozygosity and a significant level of sexual reproduction for both species.

Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) fingerprinting was used to examine the genetic variability and biogeography of the most important insect pest of coffee, Coffea arabica L., the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari). H. hampei samples (n = 101) from 17 countries on three continents were examined. Only 26 unique fingerprints (haplotypes) were discovered among all samples. Genetic variability was extremely low (10% average polymorphism per sample), but genetic differentiation was high (Φ_ST = 0.464). The distribution of the fingerprints and their genetic relatedness to each other suggested that a West African source population invaded both Asia and America. Three distinct lines entered the Americas through either separate introductions or a single introduction of multiple lines. At least two were first introduced to Brazil and subsequently dispersed throughout the Americas. The third was discovered only in Peru and Colombia. Observations were consistent with the high rate of inbreeding suspected of this pest. With such high inbreeding, undesirable mutations, such as those conferring insecticide resistance, might rapidly become homozygous in H. hampei. However, the low genetic variability observed also suggests that this pest may lack the genetic variability necessary to respond to an intensive control strategy.

Biological characteristics of two entities of the Anastrepha fraterculus complex (Diptera: Tephritidae), referred to in previous publications as A. sp.1 aff. fraterculus and A. sp.2 aff. fraterculus, were further studied by a combined analysis of isozymes, karyotypes, morphometry, and crossings, in samples from 10 Brazilian populations. A survey of 16 enzymatic systems comprising 19 loci showed significant differences in the allele frequencies at four loci, FUM, ME, HEX, and LDH, allowing the recognition of two population clusters. These clusters also differ in their karyotypes, especially in the length of the sex chromosomes and in the size and location of heterochromatic regions. A morphometric analysis of wings and the aculeus in samples from five populations clearly showed a distinction between the two clusters but not between populations within each cluster. A phenetic analysis based on the Mahalanobis distance matrix also arranged the populations into the same two clusters. Crosses between populations of the same cluster showed no significant differences in egg hatching and in the adult sex ratio. However, a significant decrease in egg hatching was observed in the intercluster crosses. In crosses of cluster 1 males to cluster 2 females, a significant deviation in the sex ratio was observed according to Haldane’s rule, but not in the reciprocal crosses, indicating that a certain degree of reproductive isolation occurs between populations of cluster 1 and cluster 2. The results indicate that the two population clusters actually represent two cryptic species of the nominal species Anastrepha fraterculus, corroborating previous studies on this complex. We propose that the denominations A. sp.1 aff. fraterculus and A. sp.2 aff. fraterculus should be maintained until an appropriate taxonomic revision is made.

We used mitochondrial DNA sequence data and 12 microsatellite loci to examine the genetic structure of Cotesia melitaearum (Wilkinson) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a parasitoid wasp reared from two common butterfly species, Melitaea cinxia (L.) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) and Euphydryas aurinia (Rottemburg) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae), across many localities in Europe and Asia, as well as from four more narrowly distributed related European species. The haplotypes of wasps reared from M. cinxia and E. aurinia show a complex geographic pattern presumably reflecting long-term history, but the microsatellite data yield two host-associated groups, each including populations across Europe and suggesting that currently there is no gene flow between the parasitoid populations attacking these two widely distributed host species. The cryptic species attacking E. aurinia also parasitizes the closely related Euphydryas desfontainii (Godart), but the three remaining host species have yet another, or possibly several, previously unrecognized parasitoid species. We support the cryptic species status of two C. melitaearum aggregate forms parasitizing M. cinxia and Melitaea athalia (Rottemburg) in the Åland Islands in Finland and provide behavioral and ecological data in addition to the molecular data.

By applying the 16S rRNA mitochondrial marker to 434 populations of Reticulitermes termites from North, Central, and South America; France; and Germany with other locations around the world that we have analyzed, identical DNA sequence data were obtained from Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar) in North America and Germany and for Reticulitermes santonensis Feytaud from undisturbed (nonurban) forested locations in western France. We also discovered identical DNA sequence data from previously unidentified Reticulitermes specimens from South America and Easter Island. Haplotypes F, M, and GG were observed in France; haplotype F in Germany; and haplotype GG was found on Easter Island, Santiago, Chile, and Montevideo, Uruguay. All of these haplotypes are found in numerous states within the continental United States. In light of their well documented morphological, chemical, and phylogenetic relationships, coupled with this new data that directly link these disjunct groups, R. flavipes and R. santonensis should be synonymized. Compared with other studies that largely suggest phyletic similarities, this is the first study that specifically matches haplotypes from North America (where populations of R. flavipes are endemic) with populations in Europe (where R. flavipes, described as R. santonensis, is presumed exotic).

To select efficient baits to attract fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae), the use of field cages represents a good compromise between laboratory and outdoor studies. Nevertheless, the methodological details of such experiments up to now have had little attention. To assess the influence of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on the efficiency of food attractants for Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett), a series of methodological experiments were conducted in field cages with McPhail traps. Baited traps should initially be randomly placed and furthermore regularly rotated to lower the influence of climatic conditions. During an experiment lasting 8 h, the presence of already captured flies did not influence the attractiveness of the traps. The presence of potted host plants in the field cage allowed for better dispersion of the flies and enhanced the discrimination potential of the experiment. Moreover, yellow traps should be painted black to limit visual bias. Finally, in the conditions of these experiments, the sex of tested flies and the diet given to them during rearing, with or without protein, had no influence on the qualitative results of choice experiments. However, these factors greatly influenced the total amount of captured flies: protein-deprived females were more responsive than all others. Furthermore, whether the tested flies were sexually mature had a significant influence on their responsiveness to protein baits. These results are discussed to establish recommendations for further field cages experiments.

The influence of chemical and physical stimuli on the diel patterns of oviposition behavior of the borer Stenoma catenifer Walsingham (Lepidoptera: Elachistidae) were investigated. All experiments were conducted in the laboratory (25 ± 2°C, 60 ± 20% RH, photoperiod of 14:10 [L:D] h) by using five pairs per cage (n = 5). To evaluate response to chemical stimulation, the cages were lined internally with a paper towel containing different treatments: 1 and 2) avocado fruit of ‘Margarida’ and ‘Breda’, 3) artificial fruit, and 4) no fruit (natural or artificial). Quilted paper towel, nonquilted paper towel, and a smooth sheet of paper were used to evaluate response to the substrate. The numbers of eggs in all treatments that included avocado fruit were statistically higher than the others. Likewise, the numbers of eggs on quilted paper towel were statistically higher than on nonquilted paper towel or on smooth paper. The peak egg-laying time in the laboratory occurred from 2000 to 2400 hours.