The genus Carphoborus is widely distributed in the Holarctic realm. It occurs from the northern limits of tree growth south in the Old World to India and northern Africa and in the New World to Baja California, New Mexico, Mississippi, and Florida.

All of the North American species breed in the inner bark of coniferous trees of the genera Pinus, Picea, and Pseudotsuga. Branches that are being shaded out or are broken, but still hanging in the tree, are generally preferred for the construction of galleries. A few species have been reported from slash; however, they are usually not aggressive or abundant enough to survive in competition ivith other bark beetles normally found in slash. The economic importance of the genus is not great; the hahit of breeding in the unthrifty lower branches of coniferous trees contributes slightly toward accelerating the natural pruning of the trees and consequently aids in the production of a higher quality of timber.

The polyphagous fruit fly, Terellia serratulae (Linnaeus) (Diptera: Tephritidae), exploits hosts belonging to three genera of thistles: Carduus Linnaeus, Cirsium Miller, and Picnomon Adanson (Asteraceae). The difference in phenology among its hosts suggests intraspecific variation. Comparative morphometric and genetic studies revealed differences among its populations. Adults reared from different hosts showed intraspecific morphological variations. Canonical discriminant analysis based on two head and four wing measurements divided the adults into four distinct clusters with 70% accuracy, reflecting four host-associated populations. The most useful predictors in distinguishing adults associated with the different host plants were wing width and head length, in addition to ovipositor length for females. Only the ovipositor tip in females reared from Picnomon acarna (Linnaeus) Cassini was clearly distinct. Mitochondrial DNA sequencing revealed genetic differentiation among the different populations of T. serratulae with the P. acarna-associated population being most distinct. Sequencing a region of the mtND1 gene and mtCOXI gene revealed nine and seven haplotypes, respectively. Surprisingly, haplotype sequences of flies emerging from P. acarna showed a sequence divergence of over 3% for both genes. This study provides morphometric and molecular evidence supporting that the Lebanese T. serratulae population associated with P. acarna most likely constitutes a distinct host race.

Serious defoliation of spruce by a sawfly was discovered in the interior of the Gaspe peninsula, P.Q., in the autumn of 1930. The following year an aeroplane survey indicated that some 2,000 square miles of forest was heavily attacked. The species had not previously been recorded from America and was determined as Dipirion polytomum Hartig, which has been known for over 1OO years in parts of Europe but has caused little or no damage there.

The Strymon species now called falacer Godt., but until recently better known as calanus Hbn. was the subject, in the days of Scudder and Grote, of much controversy. It is not my intention at the present time to enter into the details of this discussion and the names involved; suffice to say that, after a careful study of the literature, I am of the opinion that the present synonym, as given in the 1937 Check List, is correct. The species has been figured on various occasions, but probably the most reliable figure is that given by Austin Clark (Butterflies of the District of Columbia and Vicinity, Pl. XXIV, Fig. 7, 8).

The length of the spermathecal duct differs in species of Sitophilus. It is suggested that this criterion may be of value as an additional means of separating the two very similar species S. oryzae and S. zea-mais.

The purpose of this study was to determine spider species composition and their temporal and vertical distributions in corn in southern Quebec. We sampled 30 corn plants weekly for 12 weeks from 9 July to 23 September in 1985. We found nine families, 14 genera, and 12 identifiable species. Web-building spiders were more abundant than hunting spiders. The dominant species was Tetragnatha laboriosa Hentz (Tetragnathidae). Web-builders were generally found under the ear of the plant, whereas the vertical distribution of hunting spiders was more even.

Insects of the genus Ceuthophilus although widely distributed in North America are seldom encountered by the collector unless attracted and captured by means of Hubbell's molasses traps. These traps, which consist of glass jars (Hubbell recommends pint-size Mason jars) containing half an inch to an inch of molasses diluted one-half with water, are buried to the brim in the ground or heaped around with stones, leaves, etc., to give access to the edge of the jar. Hubbell recommends placing them “…at least ten feet apart, and where ground-cover is scanty…, near such as does occur” in habitats or situations which are expected to yield specimens of Ceuthophilus: almost any type of forest, rock piles, stone fences, vicinity of the openings of mammal burrows, caves, certain grasslands, etc….

All ontogenetic stases of the yew big bud mite, Cecidophyopsis psilaspis (Nalepa), from British Columbia were studied by scanning electron and light microscopy and were compared with an English population of this species. The species was redescribed from the two populations, which were found to be quite similar in general appearance and in most of the morphometric data analyzed. Spermatophores in this species are similar to those observed in other Eriophyoidea. Details of a male spermatophoric organ are described and illustrated for the first time in an eriophyoid mite. Moulting in C. psilaspis is shown to be prodehiscent. The data reported here neither support nor reject the alternative hypothesis that the first active stase is larval versus nymphal. However, to account for the ontogenetic evidence, the first active stase is herein considered larval.

Penultimate Instar. Head width 1.4 to 1.7 mm. Body length about 7 mm. Otherwise similar to ultimate instar.

Ultimate Instar. Head width 1.7 to 1.9 mm. Body about 17 mm. long and 2.5 mm. in width; fusiform in general shape, each segment divided by a transverse fold into a broader anterior and narrower posterior portion; skin closely covered with minute hexagonal pits; ground colour light greyish-brown, with five well-defined longitudinal lines, as follows: a narrow dark grey middorsal line fading posteriorly, two wide grey-brown subdorsal lines, and two interrupted brown supraspiracular lines; oblique outfolded ridges in subspiracular position, separated by deep, infolded wrinkles, which are darkly pigmented and bear irregularly scattered pits, one series of these wrinkles forming a fine interrupted suprapodal line, the venter light brown.

Wings, legs and antenna unmodified; frons flat and oblique, yellowish buff dorsally, fuscous on sides; labial palpus fuscous laterally with some orange scaling, yellowish buff dorsally, whitish buff at base beneath; maxillary palpus prominent, fuscous tipped with orange; proboscis orange-scaled at base; eye fuscous brown; antenna light brown; vertex rough-scaled, light yellowish brown; thorax above light yellowish brown abdomen ahove light buff, with some yellowish scaling; body beneath whitish buff, darker posteriorly; legs yellowish buff above, whitish buff beneath. Forewing above translucent dull yellow; an oblique fuscoits dash at base; an orange, inwardly and outwardly fuscous-bordered, outwardly oblique sub-basal band, beginning at R, indistinct in cell; an antemedial band, parallel to the sub-basal band, beginning at R, orange, bordered inwardly and outwardly with fuscous; a fuscous dot in anterior parr of cell beyond antemedial line; an oiange, inwardly and outwardly fuscous-bordered band on each side of discocellular, beginning at R, briefly fusing behind angle of cell, then diverging in an oval loop, converging to fuse with postmedial band near posterior margin; some specimens with an oval fuscous spot in the loop; postmedial band arising at R4, well bevond cell; orange, bordered inwardly and outwardly with fuscous, broad and erect anteriorly, narrower and somewhat bowed outwards between M2, and Cu2, weakly retracted and broadened at junction with the two medial lines; subterminal line broad, orange, diffusely bordered inwardly and, except anterior to M1, outwardly with fuscous, parallkl to outer margin, a wedge-shaped excision of inner border in cell R4; a prominent, blackish-fuscous terminal line; fringe yellowish brown, with a darker line in basal half. Hind wing ahove translucent dull yellow; an orange, fuscous-bordered discocellular bar; an orange, inwardly and outwardly fuscous-bordered postmedial band, beginning at Rs,, retracted on Cu2, nearly to angle of cell, then sinuous to anal margin; a broad subterminal band, parallel to margin, orange, diffusely bordered on both sides with fuscous; terminal line and fringe as on forewing. Wing heneath translucent dull yellow, markings of upper surface very weakly repeated on hind wing and basal half of forewing, somewhat more strongly repeated on distal half of forewing. Expanse 21 to 24 mm.

The insecticide phosphamidon, both alone and mixed with other chemicals, was tested in the laboratory as a motor stimulant to female spruce budworm moths. For phosphamidon alone, the time to reaction of virgin female budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana) moths was about 40 min. However, small supplements of pyrethrum or synthetic pyrethroids reduced the reaction time to about 3–8 min. The slow reaction to phosphamidon alone could account for the failure of that insecticide to kill gravid females. It is postulated that moths quickly stimulated to flight activity within the canopy would be more likely to acquire a lethal dose of insecticide before the spray cloud dissipated.

If the species bearing this name in the LeConte ccllection is correctly determined, which I see little reason to doubt, its placement as synonymous with nigrinus Dej. by Horn is surely an error. There are in my collection six examples of this species from Massachusetts and Eastern Canada, and I have seen numerous other examples in the Blanchard and Frost collections, all of which differ very definitely from nigrinus in several particulars.

The longhorn beetle, Cerambyx welensii (Küster) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), is considered a critical factor in oak decline in southwestern Iberia, but populations vary over space and time, depending on several ecological factors. Adults feed on ripe fruits and tree exudates, and evidence suggests that feeding could impact fitness in hot, dry summers, especially under climate change. In the present study, we assessed the impact of adult feeding (sugar-fed, water-fed, or unfed) and remating (monandrous versus polyandrous) on female reproductive output. Lifetime fecundity increased with female size in most feeding–remating combinations. Sugar-fed females achieved the highest longevity and fecundity, unfed females the lowest, and water-fed females had intermediate values. The daily fecundity pattern was strongly dependent on female feeding. Longevity and fecundity of once-mated and remated females were similar in both unfed and water-fed groups; however, in sugar-fed females, remating enhanced fecundity and shortened life span. Preoviposition, oviposition, and postoviposition periods were distinctly affected by both diet and remating. Results show that females require sugar to maximise reproductive output and that a water supply may partially mitigate the fitness decline of unfed females. We conclude that female feeding must be considered to explain C. welensii spatio-temporal occupancy–abundance patterns in oak woodlands.

Œdaspis-solidago atra.

Galls do not differ from those of Œ. polita, as described by Osten Sacken (Tr. A. E. Soc. ii., 301; 1869).

This is an addition to the list of gall-making Trypetas given by Osten Sacken in Psyche for April, 1880. I bred both sexes from Solidago galls, Sept. 8, 1875, in Connecticut.

The effects of timing of applications on the persistence of chemical and biologically active residues of clofentezine were tested on apple foliage during two seasons. Residues from prebloom and petal fall applications were less persistent than those in mid-season. Early season applications were toxic to European red mite for 7–21 days but mid-season applications were toxic for as long as 50–62 days. Chemical residue losses were also faster in the early season. Persistence of chemical residues was related to the rate of leaf growth and expansion. In 1991, foliage area expanded 244% per week during the prebloom period, 23% per week at petal fall, and 10% per week in July (mid-season).In a field test, applications of clofentezine at petal fall reduced European red mite populations within 7 days and mite numbers remained below economic thresholds for 6 weeks.

First instar larvae of five spring Aedes spp. mosquitoes survived for at least 25 days beneath moderately thick ice (4.5 cm) in an open field habitat. While survival in the open field was in excess of 85%, larvae inhabiting a nearby deciduous woodland pool suffered 100% mortality within 25 days. Dissolved oxygen levels in the woodland pool fell drastically over the period of ice-cover indicating a trend toward an anaerobic condition which likely contributed to larval mortality.

The interesting new species of Branconid describedæ below, unless otherwise state, were all captured by my good friend. Mr. W. Hague Harrington, at Ottawa, Canada.

Bracon Fabr

(1)Bracon brachyurus n. sp.

♀—Length 2⅘ mm.; ovip ⅕ mm. Black, polished; mandibles, palpi and legs, except the posterior coxæ and the basal two-thirds of their femora, yellowish-brown. Tegulæ honey-yellow. The head is transverse, the cheeks rounded off posteriorly. Antennæ 22-jointed. The parapsides are not sharply defined, only indicated by slight depressions in the mesonotal surface.