Three subspecies of the migratory grasshopper Melanoplus sanguinipes (F.) are recognized by Gurney and Brooks (1959) who, on the basis of morphology and presence of intergrades in collections, do not consider the taxa sufficiently different to warrant according them species status. Present experiments show that members of distant populations, when crossed, readily produce viable and fertile hybrids of both sexes. It is, however, premature to claim that the groups are conspecific without confirmatory information on, for instance, genetic distances and mating discrimination indices. Nonetheless, it is hypothesized that these parameters are expected to have low values given the hybridization results.

Five species of Berytidae are reported to occur in Canada, Acanthophysa echinata Uhler being recorded for the first time. A key for identification, descriptions, a summary of the distribution, and notes on the biology are given.

The efficacy of alpha-terthienyl (α-T) for reducing larval populations of black flies was determined in two streams in southeastern Ontario. By 24 h post-treatment, larval black fly population reductions greater than 90% resulted from exposure to calculated dosages of 0.04 and 0.10 mg-L−1 α-T emulsifiable concentrate over distances of 1.0 and 1.5 km, respectively. Significant population reductions were not observed 2.3 km downstream from injection of the 0.10 mg·L−1 dosage, probably because a marshy area upstream from this sampling site slowed the transport and enhanced photodegradation of α-T. Alpha-terthienyl initiated catastrophic drift of benthic invertebrates that was not selective for any functional feeding group. Significant increases in post-treatment drift, relative to pre-treatment densities, were observed downstream from treatment for eight of 10 taxa studied and included filter-feeders, grazers, and predators. Upstream from treatment, significant increases between sampling days were observed for only two taxa. The catastrophic and nonselective impact of α-T on invertebrate drift preclude its usefulness as an alternative to black fly larvicides used currently, although specialized applications for α-T may exist in integrated black fly control programs.

The efficacy of mating disruption for controlling the grape berry moth, Endopiza viteana (Clemens) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), was evaluated from 1987 to 1989 in the Niagara peninsula, Ont. Mating disruption was tested in commercial vineyards with high-, moderate-, and low-density grape berry moth populations using the Biocontrol Ltd. tape-type and wire-type pheromone dispensers. Pheromone-baited trap catches were reduced by 92% or more in plots treated with pheromone. Treatment with pheromone significantly reduced damage (percentage infested clusters) compared with an untreated control in each of two tests, and provided control as good as or better than an insecticide control programme in two of four tests. Damage increased from 1.3- to 12.8-fold between successive generations in plots treated with pheromone, and was greater on the borders of some plots treated with pheromone or insecticide. It is concluded that mating disruption may have potential as a control method for use in the integrated management of E. viteana.

Five species of Aphis Linnaeus from Leguminosae in North America which have large dorsal sclerotized areas on apterous viviparous females are known: A. craccae Linnaeus, A. craccivora Koch, A. cytisorum Hartig, A. astragalina Hille Ris Lambers, and A. gallowayi sp.nov., described from Astragalus pectinatus Douglas, Bow Valley Provincial Park, Alberta.

Morphological and distributional data are presented for the North American species of the genera Phreatobrachypoda Cook, 1963 and Bharatalbia Cook, 1967. These mites live in gravel deposits associated with riffle areas and the hyporheic zone of streams. Female adults of Phreatobrachypoda multlpora Cook are redescribed, and males of this species are described for the first time. Adults of P. robusta Cook and P. acuta Habeeb are redescribed, and males and females of these two species are correctly correlated for the first time. Male and female adults of two new species of Phreatobrachypoda are described. The male mite described as Japonaxonopsis nuiakiensis Imamura is reassigned to Phreatobrachypoda, and the name Japonaxonopsis becomes a junior synonym of Phreatobrachypoda. Two subgenera, Phreatobrachypoda (s.s.) and Ameribrachypoda subgen.nov., are proposed and diagnosed based on the morphology of the dorsal shield, genital field, and fourth pair of legs of males. A key to known species of die genus is presented. Male and female adults of two new species of Bharatalbia (Japnnalbia) are described, and the deutonymph of one of these species is correlated with adults and described. This is the first reported occurrence of this genus in North America.

All North American species of Phreatobrachypoda and Bharatalbia inhabit coastal areas in Oregon and California. The highly disjunct distributions of these genera suggest that species of both were widespread throughout western North America and eastern Eurasia during the Tertiary Era, but survived the Pleistocene only in isolated temperate refugia well beyond the southern limit of glaciers.

Morphological, life history, and distributional data are presented for North American species of the subgenus Stygomomonia (sensu stricto) Szalay, 1943. Adults of the seven previously recognized species are redescribed, and deutonymphs of five of these species are described for the first time. Two species, S. (s.s.) neomexicana Cook and S. (s.s.) occidentalis Cook are substantially revised on the basis of an examination of the types and extensive series of newly collected specimens. Three new species are described, S. (s.s.) californiensis on the basis of deutonymphs and adults, and S. (s.s.) imamurai and S. (s.s.) cooki on the basis of adults. A new diagnosis of the subgenus is proposed and discussed, the relationships of the various species are discussed, and a key to deutonymphs and adults of North American species is presented. New distributional data are presented for all species, and dispersal patterns from Pleistocene refugia are discussed.

A new species of Proteremaeus, P. nebaikini, is described from Khabarovsk District, Soviet Far East, on the basis of adults. Evidence is presented for considering Sibiremaetts Ryabinin and Krivolutsky. 1975 as a junior synonym of Proteremaeus Piffl, 1965 A key is given to adults of the eight known species of Proteremaeus. Extant members of this genus are known only from the Palaearctic. Thus, a recently discovered fossil specimen of this genus from the late Tertiary, from Ellesmere Island, Canada, has important biogeographic implications which are discussed.

Two new species of the mite family Erythraeidae (Acari: Prostigmata: Parasitengona) found associated with the spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana (Clemens) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), in Maine are described. Larvae of Leptus treati sp.nov. parasitize spruce budworm adults; L. treati is the first member of the genus to have both larval and postlarval instars described. Adults of Balaustium kendalli sp.nov. prey on spruce budworm eggs; B. kendalli is only the second member of the genus to have both larval and postlarval instars described.

Siculaphis vittoriensis gen.nov., sp.nov., Myzocallis (Hoplocallis) microsiphon sp.nov., and M. (Agrioaphis) cocciferina sp.nov. are described. The new taxa have a Mediterranean distribution, and Quercus calliprinos Webb is their main host. Accounts are given of their morphology, taxonomic position, and ecology. A key is presented for the four species in the subgenus Hoplocallis.

The mullein bug, Campylomma verbasci (Meyer), was successfully established on eggplant cv. “Black Beauty” using the twospotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch, as a source of prey for early instars. Colony-raised teneral females lived 17.4±0.8 days (mean±SE) at 25°C, and their progeny averaged 6.7±0.6 nymphs per 48-h oviposition period (range 0–36). Fecundity peaked during days 6–10 and declined steadily beyond day 16. Over their lifespans, females produced eggs that hatched into 37.5±8.2 nymphs (range 2–184). Eggs from a 24-h oviposition period required from 7.2±0.1 days at 27°C to 13.0±0.2 days at 20°C for 100% hatch. An estimated developmental threshold of 9.5°C (r2 = 0.50) was obtained using the equation: rate of development = −0.075 + 0.008 (temperature). The frequency distribution of hatch at each of four constant temperatures was unimodal and approximated a normal distribution. Nymphal development at 22°C required 2.8±0.2, 3.8±0.2, 4.0±0.3, 3.9±0.2, and 6.0±0.3 days for instars 1–5, respectively.

A double application of Disparvirus, a nuclear polyhidrosis virus, at 1.25 × 1012 polyhedral inclusion bodies (PIB) per hectare, giving a total of 2.5 × 1012 PIB per hectare, was applied aerially on three plots in an emitted volume of 10.0 L per hectare. The two applications were 3 days apart and most larvae were in the first instar. Three plots were selected as untreated checks; each was paired with a treated plot on the basis of pre-spray gypsy moth egg-mass numbers and locality. The pre-spray egg-mass counts ranged from 1430 to 8520 per hectare in the six plots. Assessment of the treatment was based on numbers of pupae and fall egg masses as well as on estimates of defoliation and on microscopic examination of larvae collected at weekly intervals to determine the incidence of virus infection. Between 12 and 19 days post-spray, 49, 61, and 85% of the larvae were infected with virus in the three treated plots compared with 3, 7, and 14%, respectively, of larvae in the check plots. Red oak was 14% defoliated in two of the treated plots compared with 82 and 90% in their corresponding check plots. The third plot suffered 46% defoliation due to leaf-eating caterpillars other than gypsy moth; defoliation in its corresponding check plot was 31%. Reductions in egg-mass numbers in the treated plots were 76, 93, and 98% compared with an increase of 56% and decreases of 50 and 70%, respectively, in corresponding check plots. Corrected population reductions (Abbott’s formula) were 84, 85, and 92% in the three treated plots.

Larch sawfly oviposition activity as revealed by scarring of long shoots of eastern larch, Larix laricina (DuRoi) K. Koch, was measured at various locations in the high boreal forest and forest tundra in Québec in 1988 and 1989. The data show that larch sawfly is established up to the tree line, even on isolated larch growing under climatic conditions that are extreme for this tree. Frequency distributions of scarred shoots as a function of time suggest thai larch sawfly populations reached outbreak levels in the 1980s, with peak numbers in 1981 for the high boreal, and in 1985 for the subarctic regions sampled. Trends in long shoot production by larch trees started to fluctuate simultaneously with the sudden increase in larch sawfly populations along the Grande Rivière de la Baleine in 1984. In this region in 1985, the proportion of long shoots used by Pristiphora erichsonii averaged 20–35%, which may have limited further population increase. Although foliage reduction and branch mortality were observed, mortality of whole trees was not a general characteristic of this outbreak.

Rudolfina digitata sp.nov. (Diptera, Sphaeroceridae, Limosininae) is described from the Yukon and Alaska and from alpine tundra in Alberta, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, and New Hampshire. This distribution is discussed with respect to the hypothesis that these areas are postglacial refugia for arctic and subarctic species.

The larvae of 17 species of Hydroporus Clairville were described and characterized; a key for their discrimination and illustrations of structural features of first- and third-instar larvae are provided. Many structural features, especially those of chaetotaxy and porotaxy of head capsule, head appendages, legs, last abdominal segment, and urogomphi, were found to be useful for taxonomic and phylogenetic comparisons. Based on 21 larval characters, the phylogenetic relationships among the five main lineages of Hydroporus (s. lat.) occurring in North America were studied. Structurally, the species of the subgenus Hydroporus (s. str.) and of the vilis species-group (H. planiusculus Fall) were found to be the most generalized taxa whereas the subgenera Neoporus Guignot and Heterosternuta Strand encompassed the species with the most derived condition. The subgenus Heterosternuta was closely related to the subgenus Neoporus and both subgenera were hypothesized to form a distinct monophyletic unit on the basis of five synapomorphies. The only representative of the oblitus species-group studied, H. paugus Fall, was related to Hydroporus (s. str.) and the vilis species-group by the shape of the siphon. This species was a very peculiar clement within Hydroporus (s. lat.) because it was the only known species of the genus without stemmaia in the first- and second-instar larvae, with stemmata greatly reduced in size in the third-instar larvae, and with a secondary dorsomedian seta on antennomere 2. The larval features of Hydroporus (s. lat.) were compared with those of Hygrotus Stephens. The comparison suggested that both genera form a monophyletic unit, that each of them is a distinct monophyletic unit, and that Hydroporus (s. lat.) is the sister-group of Hygrotus Stephens.

In May 1990, the carabid beetle fauna of an urban Edmonton, Alta., garden was sampled by hand, and specimens were identified using Lindroth (1968). The most common carabid in the garden was Acupalpus meridianus (L.). Other carabid species found in the same small area included: Carabus nemoralis Müller, Clivina fossor (L.), Amara familiaris (Duftschmid), A. apricaria (Paykull), Agonum placidum (Say), and Pterostichus melanarius (Illiger). All of these except A. placidum are introductions from Europe (Spence and Spence 1988).

Corn rootworm (Diabrotica spp., Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) is a serious pest insect of corn production. It is estimated that farmers in the United States have losses of over $1 billion each year as a result of crop damage and treatment costs for this pest (Metcalf 1986). Chemical control is the main method of suppressing corn rootworm populations and the amount of insecticide used against Diabrotica spp. is greater than for any other pests of corn in the United States (Suguiyama and Carlson 1985). The development of nontoxic and biodegradable alternatives to chemical insecticides is highly desirable.

Codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.), is a major pest of apples, pears, and certain stone fruits and tree nuts. Alternatives to conventional insecticides are needed to manage codling moth infestations in the field and after harvest. In an earlier evaluation of codling moth ovipositional behavior on stone fruits, “Queen Ann” plums were found to be highly acceptable (Yokoyama and Miller 1988). We present preliminary testing of plum fruit volatiles for effect on the ovipositional behavior of codling moth, with emphasis on the ovipositional deterrent activity of 1-nonanol.

Sympatric, synchronous populations of conifer-feeding Choristoneura (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) occur in western North America (Powell 1980). Choristoneura occidentalis Freeman, the western spruce budworm, co-exists with C. retiniana, the Modoc budworm, in mixed stands of Douglas-fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco, and true firs, Abies spp. Choristoneura occidentalis has brown larvae and a broad geographic distribution associated with one of its principle hosts, Douglas-fir (Stehr 1967). Larvae of C. retiniana are green and feed on true firs, particularly white fir, Abies concolor (Gord. & Glend.) Lindl. (Stehr 1967; Carolin et al. 1987).

While studying the types of the Crambinae in the National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, I came across an odd-looking specimen with a crambine facies but with a very faint wing pattern unlike any crambine I had ever seen. A note that it was probably a member of the Pyraustinae (Pyralidae) had been written by A.B. Klots on the label of the female genitalia slide (prepared by Carl Heinrich on 30 August 1930). Closer examination showed that the tympana1 organs were of the pyraustine type, with the praecinctorium bilobed. Upon my request, E.G. Munroe examined the specimen and discovered that it belonged to the genus Udea Guenée in the Pyraustinae. The specimen is the type of Platytes aenigmatica Heinrich (1931), a species described in the Crambinae (Pyralidae). It is here transferred to the genus Udea as Udea aenigmatica (Heinrich), new combination. Because this name was classified incorrectly, the species was not treated by Munroe (1966) or included in Munroe (1983).