The relative concentration of elements in adults of the red turnip beetle, Entomoscelis americana Brown, as determined by X-ray energy-dispersive spectroscopy (XES), was used with discriminant analysis to identify source populations of beetles from different fields in the same district. Classification of dispersed beetles from the same district, using discriminant functions, suggests that XES is a promising technique for dispersal studies. However, multivariate analysis of variance and canonical analysis of XES results of groups of beetles given different foods over varying times in the laboratory indicate that highly significant changes occur in the chemoprint. Methods of minimizing the effect of such changes are suggested for future studies of dispersal.

Keys are provided to the five genera and 12 species of Philaenini in North America. Philaenus (Stål) is redefined to include only two species, one of which, spumarius L., 1758 (= rubra Capanni, 1894, = aurata Capanni, 1894, new synonymies) is represented in North America by three introduced subspecies: quadrimaculatus (Sch.) in eastern and western continental America, spumarius s.s. in Newfoundland, and tesselatus (Mel.) from one locality in southern Ontario. Philaenus parallels Stearns is removed to Paraphilaenus Vilb. as its sole Nearctic representative (new combination) and Philaenus lineatus (L.) belongs to the distinctive genus Neophilaenus Hpt. Philaronia Ball is represented in North America by five species: abjecta (Uhl.), canadensis (Wal.), fuscovaria (Stål) new combination, pauca n. sp. and superba n. sp. Philaenarcys new genus includes three species: bilineata (Say), 1831, new combination (= Ptyelus basivitta Wlk., 1851, new synonymy), killa n. sp., and spartina n. sp.

Larvae of both Aedes triseriatus (Say) and Aedes atropalpus (Coquillett) produce oviposition attractants active for A. triseriatus, even when the larvae are pretreated with kaolin. These experiments demonstrate that the earlier observed attractancy of larval holding waters was not simply due to the presence of waste matter or associated microorganisms from the larval gut. It is further shown that the active material may be extracted directly from the larvae into hexane or ether. It is also demonstrated that the larval produced oviposition attractants of these species are similar in their ability to attract gravid females of A. triseriatus.

Twelve holotypes of Neotropical Sarcophagidae described by C. H. T. Townsend are redescribed. Discomyiophora aurata Townsend and Sisasarcophaga metallica Townsend are transferred to the genus Notochaeta. Notochaeta aldrichi Lopes is a new junior synonym of aurata Tnsd. Chlorosarcophaga cochliomyia Townsend is a new senior synonym of Robineauella calliphorina Enderlein.

Black fly larvae and pupae were collected on aquatic vegetation from the Penobscot River, Maine in August 1977. Cephalic apotome measurements were made on larvae of Simulium penobscotensis Snoddy and Bauer and indicated the presence of seven instars. Simulium vittatum Zetterstedt, S. fibrinflatum Twinn, and S. penobscotensis were the principal species found. The proportion of S. penobscotensis in the samples increased with water depth to 1 m.

Larch sawfly larvae, Pristiphora erichsonii (Hartig), naturally reject single needles of newly elongated shoots and consume only tufted foliage from 1 year or older short shoots of tamarack, Larix laricina (Du Roi) K. Koch. Forest entomologists have recognized this unusual feeding behavior for over a century, but not until now has the mechanism been understood. In the bioassasy of unpurified single needle methanol extracts (concn. 1 g needle/ml), 88.5% of the larvae were feeding on the control end of the bioassay twig (solvent only) after 4 h. This was significantly different from a similar bioassay of tufted foliage extract (t-value significant at 0.02 level) and a non-treated control bioassay (distilled water on both ends of bioassay twig) (t-value significant at 0.01 level). In the bioassay of a purified extract of single tamarack needles (TLC fraction 7), 81% of larvae were feeding on the untreated end (t-value significant 0.02). Thin-layer chromatography fraction 7, of eight fractions delineated, alone induced significant feeding inhibition.

Oviposition and post-oviposition behavior of Telenomus fariai Costa Lima, when parasitizing the eggs of Triatoma phillosoma pallidipennis Stål, is described. Like other egg parasites T. fariai marks hosts by rubbing the ovipositor against the host and transferring a water soluble pheromone (chemical nature unknown) to its surface. Females that had never parasitized largely ignored the mark. Females that had parasitized generally did not oviposit on a marked host. The mark was fully effective for at least 3 days after being applied. The function of egg marking by T. fariai is discussed.

Apple maggot eggs, Rhagoletis pomonella (Walsh), hatched equally well in apples on the tree and in picked fruit. Many larvae completed development in all different maturities of picked fruit and development and survival were similar in different cultivars. In contrast, larval mortality was high in apples remaining on the tree, particularly in fruit infested in late June and July. More larvae survived in the unpicked fruit of the earlier ripening, softer cultivars, Wealthy and McIntosh, than in the later ripening Rhode Island Greening and Rome apples.

The distribution of lesser maple spanworm, Itame pustularia (Gn.) (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) larvae in red maple, Acer rubrum L., crowns and of pupae under these trees, and the relationship between the number of shoots on these trees and several easily-measured tree dimensions are used to design sampling techniques for estimating the mean number of larvae per shoot and the mean number of pupae per unit area in epidemic populations. An estimate of the total number of larvae per unit area is obtained from the product of larval density and the number of shoots per unit area. Some indication of how this latter estimate might be obtained is discussed. Because of the strong relationship between stem diameter and the number of shoots on a tree, a double sample procedure can be designed based on shoot counts from a relatively small number of trees. Auxiliary measurements on a large number of trees can improve the precision of the estimate.

Megastigmus grandiosus n. sp., reared from pine cones from Mexico, is described and illustrated.The genus Megastigmus Dahlbom contains many species occurring throughout the world. They are generally phytophagous on seeds of pine cones and entomophagous on insects associated with plant galls.A new species, Megastigmus grandiosus, was reared from the cones of Pinus montezumae Lamb., P. rudis Endl., P. ayacahuite Ehremb., and P. hartwegii Lindl. (Pinaceae: Gymnospermae). The specimens were taken at Calpulalpam, Tlaxcala, Mexico, and sent to me by Dr A. Hedlin, Pacific Forest Research Centre, Canadian Forestry Service, Victoria, B.C. I am describing this new species here so that it may be included in the publication by the North American Forestry Commission, FAO, on conè and seed insects of North America.

Emodin, a mixture of anthraquinones, occurs in the Rhamnaceae and functions as a deterrent to foliage-feeding insects. There was little attack on foliage of Rhamnus alnifolia in wild stands compared with associated species of woody plants. Anthraquinones extracted from foliage of R. alnifolia were similar to purchased emodin in thin-layer chromatographic and infra-red spectroscopic analyses. Quantities of emodin in foliage samples were high in May, declining to low levels in August. Leaf powders, leaf extracts, and purchased emodin all showed feeding deterrent activity when mixed with artificial diets and assayed with gypsy moth larvae. Purchased emodin showed similar activity when sprayed on foliage of small cherry trees and assayed with eastern tent caterpillar larvae.

Gross decomposition (wt./cal) losses of rabbit feces colonized by larvae of the sciarid fly Lycoriella mali Fitch as contrasted with feces incubated without fly larvae were studied in the laboratory. Under conditions of high larval density and intense grazing pressure, fecal weight and calorie losses (30 days) were double those from fecal samples incubated without flies. Decomposition losses among the samples in a given treatment showed limited variation although the number of emergent adults varied greatly. Although published caloric values obtained for microflora and flies are significantly higher than those recorded for the rabbit feces used in this study (4837 cal/g), feces colonized by flies and feces incubated without flies had caloric values equivalent to that of the unincubated control. Larvae consumed both the mycelium and sporocarps of coprophilous fungi.

Larvae picked up wettable powder particles on legs, setae, and mouth parts. Phosmet was 5 times more toxic in small droplets than in large droplets to first instar codling moth, but small droplets required 2.5 times the number/cm2. With large droplets, a larger treated area was required to produce 50% mortality. For any percentage area covered small droplets gave higher mortality. Speed of toxic action was related to amount of phosmet/cm2 and to no. of droplets/cm2.