The species of the firefly genus Vesta occurring in Taiwan are revised. Three species are recognized: Vesta scutellonigra Olivier (nomen emendatum), V. impressicollis Fairmaire, and V. rufiventris (Motschulsky). Vesta chevrolatii var. scutello nigro Olivier is automatically emended to scutellonigra under ICZN rules. Okada described as a distinct species V. scutellonigra, employing the same name and material as Olivier, thereby automatically rendering his taxon a junior synonym (n. syn.). The name V. scutellonigro, simultaneously employed by Okada, is considered an incorrect subsequent spelling and therefore unavailable. Vesta formosana Pic (n. syn.) is a new junior synonym of V. scutellonigra. The spelling chevrolati, employed by Gemminger and Harold, is determined to be an incorrect subsequent spelling of chevrolatii and thus unavailable. Lectotypes are newly designated for V. scutellonigra Olivier, V. impressicollis Fairmaire, and V. formosana Pic. A key to the species of Taiwan is provided. Vesta flaviventris (Fairmaire) (n. comb.) from China is transferred from Lucernuta.

A key to the Chinese species of Hydrotaea is given. Four new species from China are descripbed, viz. Hydrotaea unidenticulata n. sp., Hydrotaea plumitibiata n. sp., Hydrotaea subscambus n. sp., and Hydrotaea bidentipes n. sp., and Hydrotaea spinosus Ye and Ma, 1992 is given a new name, viz Hydrotaea dispilipes n. n. The type specimens are deposited in Institute of Entomology, Shenyang Normal University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China.

Five new species of the leptonyx gorup of genus Exallonyx from China are described: Exallonyx concavus Xu, He et Liu, n. sp., from Shaanxi, Huoditang; E. planus Xu, He et Liu, n. sp., from Guizhou, Fanjingshan; E. areolatus Xu, He et Liu, n. sp., from Zhejiang, Tianmushan; E. longimalus Xu, He et Liu, n. sp., from Guizhou, Fanjinshan; E. wuae Xu, He et Liu, n. sp., from Zhejiang, Qingyuan.

Copidosoma sosares (Walker) (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) is a specialized polyembryonic parasitic wasp native to Europe. Here we report the distribution of C. sosares from western North America. We located C. sosares parasitizing Depressaria pastinacella (Duponchel) (Lepidoptera: Elachistidae) from several sites throughout Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. Specimens collected from the Netherlands and several populations in the western US were indistinguishable morphologically. Reciprocal crosses between individuals from the Netherlands and from the western US strongly suggest that US populations of this wasp are C. sosares. In view of the absence of any recorded effort to introduce this species for biological control or any other purpose, it is likely that this species was accidentally introduced along with its host sometime in the recent past.

Russian wheat aphid, Diuraphis noxia (Kurdjumov), was introduced into North America in Mexico during 1980 and by 1988 had spread north across the Western US into Southern Canada. South Africa has been suspected as the source of the introduction. Russian wheat aphid is the major insect pest of wheat and barley in the southern and central plains states. Resistant wheat with the Dn4 gene was the primary management tactic from 1996 to 2003. During 2003, a biotype able to injure Dn4 wheat (designated RWA2) appeared in Colorado. The source of the biotype is unclear, that is whether it represents a new introduction from another country or if it arose from the extant population in the US. We examined a 332 bp portion of the cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene (COI) in the mtDNA of Russian wheat aphid collected in the US from 1986 through 2006. Also included were specimens from Mexico and South Africa. Except for two nucleotides in two individual aphids, no COI sequence variation was found in US populations over a 20 yr period. US populations had COI sequences which were identical to those found in Mexico, Turkey, France, and one aphid from South Africa. A second aphid from South Africa differed by only two bp. The lack of COI nucleotide variation suggested that biotype RWA2 did not represent a second introduction of a genetically distinct population from another country. The data are consistent with a single introduction from South Africa and no other introductions of virulent biotypes into the US occurred since 1986.

Although there is a worldwide concern about anthropogenic causes of pollinator declines, little is known about how specific land use practices, such as agriculture, urbanization, and logging, influence the diversity and abundance of native bees. We investigated the impact of logging on native bees (Apoidea) in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State (USA) in an area isolated from the effects of both agriculture and introduced honey bees. Specifically, we measured midsummer bee abundance and diversity on matched 5-acre plots two and three years after experimental logging cuts to remove 30, 60, and 100% of the trees. We obtained additional data on floral abundance and weather in relation to bee abundance. We found that bee abundance and diversity was highest in areas where the most trees had been removed. Also, we found little difference in diversity between the two study years, despite major differences in weather. The observed diversity patterns were best explained by the observed increase in abundance of flowering plants such as Rubus and Solidago. Despite the overall relationship between logging and bee diversity, the abundance of four species of Lasioglossum were significantly greater in the 60% tree removal plot than the 100% removal clear cut. Overall, our results suggest that a small-scale tree removal within a northern hardwood forest increases diversity and abundance of many bee species in the short term.

The effects of shape, size, and capture resolution on digital area measurement were investigated to accurately and precisely estimate leaf surface area. A digital scanner was used to measure two simple shapes (circle and square) at three resolutions (118.159, 236.270 and 472.441 pixels/cm) and five sizes (3.14, 12.58, 28.29, 50.29, and 78.60 cm²). Additionally, the accuracy and precision of two digital scanner models were compared using two shapes (circle and square) of similar size at five resolutions (29.528, 39.370, 59.055, 118.159, 236.270, and 472.440 pixels/cm). A method is described to measure leaf area using an image histogram and photographic software tools (Photoshop®). This method was validated by comparison of the digitally captured images to a leaf area meter (LI-COR® 3100). Overall, simple changes in shape have a statistically significant effect on the accuracy of digital measurements of area for some sizes and resolutions.

Male behavior and the significance of odor signals in mate-seeking were investigated in the spiral-horned bees Systropha planidens and S. curvicornis. In both species the females are oligolectic on the bindweed Convolvulus. Males held territories containing Convolvulus flowers, suggestive of resource defense polygyny. They patrolled fixed routes over flower patches and defended them against other males. In physical combat, grappling males struck each other repeatedly with the sharp-edged apex of their metasoma employing the conspicuously enlarged eighth sternum as a ram. Head width measurements showed that males in both species are larger than conspecific females. Most copulations occurred in Convolvulus flowers. Behavioral experiments with scented bee dummies revealed evidence for odor-cues in mate recognition. It is probable that long-range visual signals are used to locate competitors and mates on flowers, whereas at close range, chemicals presumably on the cuticle surface are responsible for sex and species recognition.

Although hilltopping behavior has rarely been reported for crabronid wasps, three species of Tachytes wasps defend hilltop perch sites in central Arizona during the late summer. All three species (T. ermineus, T. spatulatus, and T. sculleni) can be found at the same hilltop during August and September and they perch in many of the same plants at this location. The three species are, however, spatially segregated to some extent in that T. ermineus perches very near the top of large shrubs and small palo verde trees on the hilltop, T. spatulatus perches somewhat lower within many of these same plants, while T. sculleni perches very close to or on the ground about the outer edges of shrubs growing on the hilltop. Males of all three species tend to be site faithful with marked males returning to their perch sites over several days. In experiments in which resident males of T. spatulatus were removed, the replacements that arrived to occupy the trees tended to be smaller, suggesting that large body size confers an advantage in the defense of perching sites in this species. The mating system of these species can be labeled landmark territoriality, with males defending visually conspicuous sites on hilltops that presumably attract receptive females to the territory holders.

The efficacy of sweeping and vacuuming as methods of sampling native bees were compared to those of passive blue and yellow translucent-vane traps located adjacent to a highly attractive forage source, Helianthus spp. (Asteraceae). A total of 35 species of native bees belonging to 12 genera were caught during September, 94% in the passive blue-vane traps, 63% by sweeping, and 54% by vacuuming and yellow-vane traps. Overall, 55.7 % of all the native bees trapped in the study across the four treatments were collected in the blue vane traps. There were almost double the number of species, and over five times more individuals in blue vane traps than in the yellow. Agapostemon virescens (Fabr.) was the predominant species collected across all methods (400 of 1208). The majority of females (> 99%) captured in the blue vane traps lacked pollen suggesting that the bees may have been diverted by the reflected light from the trap during their flight to the floral sources rather than on their return flight to the nest. Very few Apis mellifera (L.) were taken in the traps, whereas they dominated in sweeping and vacuuming samples. These studies suggest that the blue vane traps can serve as an effective sampling tool for bee diversity studies in proximity to stands of intense floral competition.

Honey samples belonging to Scaptotrigona mexicana Guérin and Apis mellifera L. from 10 localities in northern Puebla State were evaluated by means of melitopalynologic analysis. Pollen from nine plant taxa had values of importance (≥10%): Ageratum houstonianum Mill. (Compositae), Bursera spp. (Burseraceae), Coffea arabica L. (Rubiaceae), Muntingia cf. M. calabura L. (Tiliaceae), Heliocarpus donnell-smithii Rose (Tiliaceae), Miconia argentea DC. (Melastomataceae), Pimenta dioica (L.) Merr. (Myrtaceae), Quercus sp. (Fagaceae) and Vernonia sp. (Compositae). Honey samples of S. mexicana had relatively high numbers of pollen grains per gram and diversity indexes. Both stingless bee and honey bee samples suggested heterogeneous foraging behavior. In addition, high correlation indexes were registered between honey samples of S. mexicana and A. mellifera. Botanical relationships among S. mexicana (PAE: Parsimony Analysis of Endemism) honey samples were established by A. houstonianum, H. donell-smithii, M. argentea and Piper sp.