Distribution records for caddisflies (Trichoptera) collected during the summers of 2011–2013 in Lassen Volcanic National Park, California, U.S.A. are presented. Fourteen families, 34 genera, and 59 species are listed, based on adult, pupal and larval records. Exceptional species records are noted and brief comments are given.

Optical microscopy of scales from the wings of the male butterfly Apatura ilia reveals parallel fibers with a spacing of about 710 nm. These fibers, together with tiny transverse grooves, cause violet blue or blue iridescence due to interference of light on the wings, which normally have brown pigmentation. Here we establish the dependence of the sudden color changes on variable illumination and observation angle.

Phalangium riedeli Staręga, 1973, previously known only from the male in Syria, is redescribed on the basis of newly collected material from Turkey. The female of this species is described for the first time. Its description, characteristic features, distribution, measurements and photographs of genitalia and general habitus of both sexes are presented.

Parasitoid populations having optimum male: female ratios are generally released in the field during the cocoon stage for an effective bio-control program. Due to the distinctive habit of forming a cocoon within the shrunken larval body of the host, cocoons of both sexes of the icheneumonid wasp, Hyposoter ebeninus, displayed morphological similarities. Therefore, male and female cocoons cannot be differentiated based on normal morphological parameters. In this report, we tested several combinations of morphological parameters and size indices and developed a simple technique for separation of sexes at the cocoon stage of this wasp. Among ten possible parameters tested, the weight of the cocoon was found to be the most appropriate and reliable parameter for sex separation with a 100% success rate. Since this technique involves only one parameter, it is simple, robust and requires minimum technical skill. This technique would be very useful for research workers, commercial biological control laboratories and other related agencies working on H. ebeninus.

The genus Plagiozopelma Enderlein, 1912 is newly recorded from Vietnam. The following two new species are described: Plagiozopelma botrachense sp. nov. and P. vietnamense sp. nov. Two species, Plagiozopelma elongatum (Becker, 1922) and C. flavipodex Becker, 1922, are newly reported from Vietnam. A key to the species of the genus from Vietnam is given.

Exaggerated traits can be the result of both sexual selection, including mate choice and male-male competition, and natural selection. Comparing the morphology of exaggerated traits between sexes, and observing interactions involving that trait, can be a powerful tool in understanding the evolution of exaggerated traits, mating systems, and life history. The leaf beetle Sagra femorata has enlarged hind legs, but little attention has been paid to this morphology and its function. We found sexual dimorphism in the hind legs of Sagra femorata and observed competitive male-male interactions that involved the hind legs. Males grasped and removed rival males with their hind legs, both to guard females while mating and to defend their feeding territories. Moreover, male hind legs were not used in courtship or to coercively grasp mates. These results indicate that the evolution of enlarged hind legs in leaf beetle Sagra femorata is likely the result of male-male competition.

Cephalonomia stephanoderis Betrem (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae), a parasitoid of coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei Ferrari (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) were reared in large numbers and released in different coffee growing areas of Pulney Hills, Tamil Nadu, between 2003 and 2007. During surveys from 2003 to 2006 parasitism rates were ranged between 11.36% and 44.88% at release sites. Seven years after the last release, 16% to 45% parasitism was recorded from samples collected from five different areas of Pulney Hills.