We conducted surveys of wild bee diversity at the University of Florida Ordway-Swisher Biological Station (OSBS) in Putnam County, north-central Florida, using colored cups (bee bowls; pan traps) and netting from flowers including Balduina angustifolia (Pursh) Robins and other Asteraceae and the legume Dalea pinnata (J. F. Gmel.) Barneby. The 5462 bees captured comprised 76 species in 29 genera and five families. Megachilidae was the family represented by the most species, whereas Halictidae included the five most numerous species. Notable differences in species composition and abundance from the bee fauna found in adjacent Alachua County included the presence of several rarely collected autumnal species associated with sandhill habitat such as Colletes howardi Swenk, a new state record for Florida, and Trachusa (Heteranthidium) fontemvitae (Schwarz) and its probable cleptoparasite Stelis (Heterostelis) grossa (Mitchell). Males of Florida endemic species Colletes longifacies Stephen and Perdita (Hexaperdita) blatchleyi Timberlake were discovered and are briefly diagnosed, as is a possible new species of Perdita (Cockerellia). In general, the bee fauna of OSBS is quite different from that of sites further south in Florida but shares apparent sandhill specialist species with Southern Pines in North Carolina, a site of historical interest due to extensive surveys by T. B. Mitchell. Striking differences between the bee community and their floral hosts of OSBS from those of relatively well-sampled sites in nearby Alachua County highlight the need to inventory species-level diversity in different landscapes.

Extraction, thin layer chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy analyses revealed 13 free fatty acids in young, mature, and senescent leaves of Helianthus annuus L. (Asteraceae) representing 75.65, 75.38, and 68.01% of total free fatty acids, respectively. α-Linolenic acid, linoleic acid, and linoleic acid were the major free fatty acids in young, mature, and senescent leaves, accounting for 22.71, 31.48, and 30.60%, respectively. The free fatty acids from young, mature, and senescent leaves attracted the female insect, Diacrisia casignetum Kollar (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae) at minimal concentrations of 12.5, 12.5, and 25 µg, respectively; whereas the synthetic mixtures of fatty acids mimicking free fatty acids of young, mature, and senescent leaves attracted at minimal concentrations of 12.5, 12.5, and 50 µg, respectively. Diacrisia casignetum insects showed attraction toward an initial amount of individual synthetic palmitic, palmitoleic, stearic, oleic, linoleic, and α-linolenic acids at 2.39, 4.63, 2.28, 3.08, 29.20, and 25.20 µg, respectively. A synthetic blend of 2.39, 4.90, 4.53, 3.14, 43, and 25.20 µg of palmitic, palmitoleic, stearic, oleic, linoleic, and α-linolenic acids, respectively, the proportion present at 100 µg concentration free fatty acids of mature leaves produced highest attractions for D. casignetum and might be used for insect pest management programme such as baited traps.

This is the first study of the nesting ecology of Megachile (Pseudocentron) alleni, a common ground-nesting solitary bee found throughout the Bahamas. While apparently an important pollinator in coastal communities, very little is known about its nesting behavior. Previously, we observed females collecting three plant resources: nectar, pollen, and leaves. We hypothesized which plants would be used for nectar and which for pollen based on the architecture of the floral display and observations of insect behavior. To test these hypotheses, we isolated and identified pollen occurring in cocoons from nest cells.

We observed 412 interactions between M. alleni individuals and the flowers of 26 plant species in 14 families. Fifteen pollen species were identified from 15 dissected cocoons; cells averaged 5.5 pollen species ±1.7 SD. Two-thirds of the cocoons contained pollen from three species (Corchorus hirsutus, Jacquemontia cayensis, and Lantana involucrata), and more than half of the pollen species were found in at least twenty-seven percent of the cells. We found pollen from eight of the hypothesized sources, but also pollen from four species hypothesized to provide only nectar, and from three species not previously recognized as floral resources. Leaves of at least four species were used for nest cell construction.

Females searching for suitable nests flew over the ground, often searching in cavities under rocks or asphalt. Substrate under 52 nests was usually light sand (78%) or darker sand with humus (16%). Nests averaged 2.88 cells ±2.0 SD (N  =  37). Actively nesting females made numerous provisioning trips daily, each preceded by a brief orientation flight. One female was observed carrying leaf pieces, and later pollen, into her nest. On average, she spent 50% more time in the nest and 150% more time away from the nest while handling pollen. We observed one species of beefly parasitizing the nests.

The aquatic macroinvertebrates of Sand Creek, a first order Front Range Colorado stream, were surveyed from March–September 2012 with an additional winter adult collecting trip on 2 March 2013 using both qualitative and quantitative techniques, emphasizing EPT (Ephemeroptera/Plecoptera/Trichoptera) taxa. One hundred and thirty macroinvertebrate taxa were identified from both qualitative samples and quantitative benthic samples. Of these, 53 mayfly/stonefly/caddisfly species were collected from Sand Creek, a remarkable number for such a small Front Range stream. The macroinvertebrate community of Sand Creek is dominated by collector-gatherers (50–76%), collector-filterers (9–33%) and shredders (3–24%), with the other feeding guilds comprising low overall percentages of the community. The collector-gatherer taxa were primarily mayfly taxa, chironomid midges, stratiomyid flies, the elmid genus Optioservus, and oligochaete worms; collector-filterers were primarily net spinning hydropsychid caddisflies; and shredders were primarily nemourid stoneflies. Sand Creek should be protected from cattle grazing which causes degradation of the riparian zone and stream bank integrity.

Stichotrema kathirithambyi n. sp. is described from the Dominican Republic. Of the 47 valid species of Stichotrema, S. kathirithambyi n. sp. becomes only the fifth extant species from the New World. Stichotrema kathirithambyi n. sp. appears morphologically to most closely resemble Stichotrema mexicanum but differs in shape of the head and thoracic sclerites and shape of genitalia, as well as other minor differences.

In this study, the fauna of Papilionoidea (Lepidoptera) (sensu van Nieukerken et al., 2011) in West Taurus (Southern Turkey) has been investigated. Field studies were carried out during the years 2004–2009. Specimens of butterflies were collected from 43 different localities for this study. These specimens belong to 125 species distributed in 5 families. The distribution of species (by families) was given as: Papilionidae (5); Pieridae (14); Nymphalidae (45); Lycaenidae (44) and Hesperiidae (17). A review of the relevant literature revealed that 92 of 125 species determined in this study are newly recorded for the Lepidoptera fauna of Anamur and all of them are new for the study area.