Seventy-seven species of weevils are newly reported in New Brunswick, increasing the known provincial fauna to 206 species. Trichapion nigrum (Herbst), Ceutorhynchus semirufus LeConte, and Listronotus laramiensis (Angell) are recorded for the first time in Canada. Three species, Bagous planatus LeConte, Plocamus hispidulus LeConte, and Dryocoetes granicollis (LeConte), are removed from the province's faunal list. Components of the fauna are discussed with a particular focus on the introduced species found in the province. Monitoring to detect changes of both native and introduced species is emphasized.

The name Eupithecia deserticola McDunnough, 1946 is a junior secondary homonym of Tephroclystia deserticola Turati, 1934, now included in the genus Eupithecia Curtis. The replacement name Eupithecia jamesi Ferris and Mironov is proposed.

Amber coloration, called saffroning, extends from 1 to 15 mm across the hind-wing base in females of Sympetrum internum Montgomery from the prairie provinces but extends only from 2 to 3 mm in males. There are no substantial differences in hind-wing length between the sexes. A significant correlation was found between hind-wing length and the extent of saffroning for both males and females. Regressions of these characters against latitude and longitude revealed that (1) there is a significant decrease in hind-wing length northward for both sexes; (2) there is a significant decrease in saffroning northward that is more significant for females; (3) there is no significant effect of longitude on hind-wing length; and (4) saffroning in females significantly increases westward but there is no similar effect in males, and the trend in females is much less significant than the latitudinal trend. Within the prairie provinces, extensive saffroning is confined to the Prairie Ecozone and moderate saffroning occurs around the edges of this ecozone. The surrounding Boreal Plains Ecozone is characterized by females with very limited saffroning. There is generally extensive variation in the extent of saffroning within some Prairie Ecozone locations, ranging from limited to moderate or extensive, but limited and moderate saffroning were more frequent at most locations in the Prairie Ecozone. Various explanations for saffroning are considered. Since limited, moderate, and extensive saffroning occur together throughout an extensive area, and occur within many populations and within a group emerging at the same time, formal taxonomic recognition of individuals with moderate or extensive saffroning seems unwarranted.

Laboratory experiments were conducted to evaluate the contact and oral toxicity of commercial formulations of spinosad and deltamethrin to adults of the crucifer flea beetle, Phyllotreta cruciferae (Goeze). Method of exposure had a significant effect on flea beetle mortality and feeding damage to canola seedlings. Topical treatment of flea beetles with deltamethrin or different concentrations of spinosad resulted in significantly lower mortality and higher feeding damage than exposure to treated canola cotyledons. Results indicated that spinosad was more toxic by ingestion than by topical contact. Mortality from treated cotyledons was significantly higher with 60 ppm deltamethrin than with 80 or 120 ppm spinosad after 24 h exposure but not after 120 h exposure. Delayed mortality in the spinosad treatments did not result in high feeding damage; damage after 120 h was not significantly different in the spinosad and deltamethrin treatments. Low concentrations of spinosad (40 ppm) strongly inhibited feeding activity within 24 h after exposure. Mortality from spinosad was higher after beetles were exposed to treated cotyledons for 120 h than for 24 h. Mortality from spinosad, but not deltamethrin, was significantly higher at 25 °C than at 15 °C. An ionic surfactant, polyethylenimine, increased the toxicity of 40 ppm spinosad. Our study suggests that spinosad has potential for use as an insecticide against crucifer flea beetles on canola.

Seventy-nine species of weevils are newly reported in Nova Scotia and 66 species are newly reported on Prince Edward Island, increasing the known provincial weevil faunas to 244 and 92 species, respectively. Thirty-six species are recorded for the first time in the Maritime Provinces; of these, Ceutorhynchus pallidactylus (Marsham), Listronotus dietzi O'Brien, Corthylus columbianus Hopkins, and Orchidophilus aterrimus (Waterhouse) are recorded for the first time in Canada. Orchidophilus aterrimus has been collected only in exotic domesticated orchids and is not established in the wild. Fourteen species previously recorded on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, are reported from the provincial mainland. Four species — Curculio sulcatulus (Casey), Ceutorhynchus squamatus LeConte, Tachyerges niger (Horn), and Ips calligraphus (Germar) — are removed from the faunal list of Nova Scotia, and three species — Temnocerus cyanellus (LeConte), Curculio nasicus (Say), and Cryphalus ruficollis ruficollis Hopkins — are removed from the faunal list of Prince Edward Island. The combined known weevil fauna of the Maritime Provinces now totals 290 species. The adequacy of collection effort is discussed and in Nova Scotia, where collection effort has been greatest, distribution patterns of selected groups of species are examined. Island faunas are discussed with respect to those of Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton Island. Regional biogeographic patterns of species are also discussed, including possible disjunct populations in Nova Scotia and species that may not have crossed the isthmus of Chignecto to colonize Nova Scotia. Attention is drawn to the long history of introduced species in the region and to ongoing introductions through an examination of the earliest records for the 60 introduced species found in the region.

Variability in male gametic traits can depend on several genetic and environmental factors such as developmental instability as a consequence of inbreeding, developmental noise during spermatogenesis, or age- or condition-dependent changes in allocation to sperm cells. Variation in sperm size is particularly evident in species that produce more than one sperm morph but also occurs among males in sperm-monomorphic species. Both discrete and continuous sperm size variation have been implicated in male fertilization success when the sperm of several males directly compete for fertilization of the same set of ova. In this study, we investigated among-male variation in sperm length in field-collected, outbred male Scathophaga stercoraria (L.) flies, as well as in flies from the same natural population that had been subjected to 15 and 16 generations of inbreeding under laboratory conditions. Among-male variation in sperm length was significant and repeatable over subsequent matings in both inbred and outbred flies. We conclude that sperm length can be used as an individual male marker in sperm competition studies and that significant repeatability of sperm length supports heritability for this trait.

The first investigations of the mite fauna of Sable Island, Nova Scotia, Canada, are reported. Fourteen species have been found. Uropoda orbicularis (Müller) (Uropodidae) and Scarabaspis inexpectatus (Oudemans) (Eviphididae) are newly recorded for North America, Macrocheles nemerdarius Krantz and Whitaker (Macrochelidae) is newly recorded for Canada, and Trichoribates striatus Hammer (Ceratozetidae) is recorded for the first time south of the subarctic zone. Colonization, dispersal, and the zoogeographic origins of the fauna are discussed in the context of the biological, geological, and human history of the island.

Small numbers of larval wheat midge, Sitodiplosis mosellana Géhin, survived and matured in each of five field seasons in a plot of spring wheat carrying the Sm1 gene for antibiosis resistance against this insect. Wheat midge developing on resistant wheat had higher survival in the laboratory than in the field, but survival was always very low compared with that of larvae developing on susceptible wheat. The mass of these larvae and their survival during diapause were approximately half those of larvae developing on susceptible wheat in both the laboratory and the field. The survival of some wheat midge larvae on resistant wheat, and their reduced mass, is consistent with the hypothesis that a virulence allele allowing adaptation to Sm1 is present in the population. Assuming this to be the case, the frequency of the allele in the population was estimated to be between 0.8 × 10−4 and 1.6 × 10−2, if surviving larvae are heterozygous for the allele. Although rare, a virulence allele occurring at this frequency would likely allow the wheat midge to overcome the resistance gene Sm1 once resistant wheat is grown over a wide area.

We consider the role of generalist Diptera in the pollination of two dioecious plant species, Clematis ligusticifolia Nutt. (Ranunculaceae) and Shepherdia canadensis (L.) Nutt. (Elaeagnaceae). In particular, we assess (i) whether or not generalist pollinators are unable to distinguish between the sexes of dioecious species and so visit the sexes at equivalent rates, and (ii) the number of flowers that generalist flies visit and revisit during a foraging bout, which would affect self-pollination if plants were hermaphroditic. We determined the visitation rate to each plant species during 10 min periods and recorded the number of flowers that individual pollinators visited and revisited per foraging bout. Diptera were the main pollinators, visiting both sexes at similar rates for both plant species. The main visitors to C. ligusticifolia were muscoid flies (small and large), Culicidae, and halictid bees. The number of flowers visited in this species varied with pollinator group, but groups did not differ in the frequency of revisits. Visitors to S. canadensis were primarily Syrphidae and Empididae. Neither the number of flowers visited nor the number of revisits differed between these two pollinator groups. The results for each plant species are discussed and contrasted, particularly with other studies of the behaviour of generalist and specialist pollinators. We compare the observed pollinator behaviours, and their implications for plant mating, with the various theories of the role of pollinators in the evolution of the dioecious breeding system in plants.

The red turpentine beetle, Dendroctonus valens LeConte, 1860 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae), is a common bark beetle found throughout much of North America and China. In 2004, we observed that attack densities of the California fivespined ips, Ips paraconfusus Lanier, 1970 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae), in logging debris were inversely related to D. valens attacks on freshly cut stumps, which led to the demonstration that components of the aggregation pheromone of I. paraconfusus inhibited the response of D. valens to attractant-baited traps. In this study, we test the response of D. valens and Temnochila chlorodia (Mannerheim, 1843) (Coleoptera: Trogositidae), a common bark beetle predator, to racemic ipsenol, racemic ipsdienol, and (−)-cis-verbenol (IPSR) in the presence and absence of two release rates of (−)-verbenone. The addition of a relatively low release rate of (−)-verbenone (4 mg/24 h) to attractant-baited traps did not affect catch and had no significant effect on the response of D. valens to IPSR. IPSR significantly reduced D. valens attraction to baited traps. The addition of high release rates of (−)-verbenone (50 mg/24 h) to IPSR significantly increased inhibition; however, the effect was not significantly different from that observed with (−)-verbenone alone (50 mg/24 h). Temnochila chlorodia was attracted to traps baited with (−)-β-pinene, (+)-3-carene, and (+)-α-pinene. The addition of (−)-verbenone (50 mg/24 h) significantly increased attraction. Traps baited with IPSR caught significantly more T. chlorodia than those baited with (−)-verbenone. Few other beetles were collected. We are hopeful that these results will help facilitate the development of an effective tool for protecting Pinus spp. from D. valens infestations.

In 2002, two types of light traps were compared against sticky yellow cards for efficiency and selectivity in capturing adult swede midge Contarinia nasturtii (Kieffer) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae). Incandescent light traps were more efficient at capturing swede midge than were sticky traps. Incandescent light traps were more selective than blacklight traps and required less time for processing of samples and identification of captured midges. Emergence (2003 and 2004) and pheromone (2004) traps were used to assess swede midge population dynamics. Captures from emergence traps indicate up to five overlapping emergence events for swede midge each year. Emergence traps captured swede midge earlier in the season than pheromone traps, but pheromone-trap captures continued later in the season than those in emergence traps. Pheromone traps are small and portable, easy to maintain, and capture significantly more swede midge than emergence traps.

This study examined the effects of indoor fumigation with formic acid on survival of honey bee, Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae), queens and varroa mites (Varroa destructor Anderson and Trueman (Acari: Varroidae)). A relationship between cumulative formic acid concentration and varroa mite mortality was established for colonies subjected to high-concentration fumigation while held indoors at 2–4 °C during winter. We also examined the effects of the formic acid release pattern and room ventilation rate on queen loss and treatment efficacy during fumigation. Two experiments were conducted in a wintering building. In both experiments, room air had higher formic acid concentrations than hive air. In experiment 1, 50% and 95% of mites were killed when exposed to in-hive concentration × time combinations of 49 ppm × days (CT50 product) and 111 ppm × days (CT95 product), respectively. No queen loss was observed under either the increasing-concentration or constant high concentration fumigation pattern. In experiment 2, 33% of queens were lost when minimum ventilation was used with room air concentrations of 57 ± 8 ppm (mean ± SE), whereas no queens were lost in controls or colonies exposed to room air concentrations of 27 ± 8 ppm with variable ventilation. Queen loss was associated with peak in-hive formic acid concentrations >20 ppm, but not with CT product, suggesting that queens are affected by acute rather than chronic exposure to formic acid. Formic acid fumigation significantly reduced the mean abundance of mites under both minimum- and variable-ventilation treatments.

Mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I and II genes were sequenced for two invasive alien birch (Betula L. [Betulaceae]) leaf-mining sawflies, Profenusa thomsoni (Konow, 1886) (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae) and Scolioneura betuleti (Klug, 1816) (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae), accidentally introduced from Europe to North America. Ten North American and two European populations of P. thomsoni were sampled. As no genetic variation was observed for this parthenogenic species in Europe or North America, there is no evidence that this species was introduced more than once into North America. A single Canadian population of putative S. betuleti was genetically characterized and compared with populations of S. betuleti and Scolioneura vicina Konow, 1894 in Europe to resolve the species identity of the introduced Canadian population. Three haplotypes were present in European material but only one haplotype was represented in material collected in Canada. The haplotype in the Canadian population occurred in both S. betuleti and S. vicina in Europe. Thus, this preliminary genetic work cannot provide certain identity of the Canadian species. Moreover, there was no significant genetic difference between putative S. betuleti and S. vicina in Europe, leading us to suggest that S. vicina may not be reproductively isolated from S. betuleti, despite ecological differences.

We examined host abundance of limoniid flies between Agaricales (gill mushrooms) and Aphyllophorales (non-gilled fungi) and the importance of these flies as phoronts of mites inhabiting these fungal orders. Fungal sporophores were collected around transects established in five different-aged (13 to more than 100 years) forest stands from spring to fall in temperate forests of Japan. Limoniid flies and mites were collected from sporophores during transect sampling and reared from sporophores in the laboratory. All 11 limoniid species reared from sporophores used Aphyllophorales and six of these limoniid species also used Agaricales as their hosts. The total number of limoniid flies reared from Aphyllophorales was approximately seven times that reared from Agaricales. Eight of 15 Aphyllophorales species yielded multiple limoniid species. We conclude that Aphyllophorales are more important as hosts for fungivorous limoniid flies than Agaricales. Even a single fungal species can support more than one limoniid or mite species. One or two limoniid species are phoronts for one to three mite species inhabiting sporophores of Agaricales and Aphyllophorales. These flies have an important role as phoronts for some mite genera inhabiting fungal sporophores.

The cedar web-spinning sawfly, Cephalcia tannourinensis Chevin (Hymenoptera: Pamphiliidae), is a pest that has been causing serious damage to cedar (Cedrus libani) forests in Lebanon since 1990. The existence of a sex pheromone was shown in field experiments in a cedar forest in Lebanon and in laboratory tests in olfactometers with and without airflow. More males were caught in traps baited either with virgin females or with a hexane extract of the whole female body than in traps baited either with males alone or with mixed males and females. Male and female C. tannourinensis were active during the day. Mating and pheromone production were observed to occur during midday hours (1000–1400) in the field and under laboratory conditions. Olfactometer tests with extracts prepared from different body parts of the female indicated that the pheromone is produced in the abdominal region, and tests with different dilutions of female extract showed that the male response is dose-dependent.

Megaplatypus mutatus (= Platypus mutatus) (Chapuis), an ambrosia beetle (Coleoptera: Platypodidae) native to South America, is a forest pest that attacks live standing trees, affecting commercial poplar and other broadleaf plantations. Traditionally, single-chambered emergence traps have been used to collect live beetles for field and laboratory studies. However, the lack of separation in these chambers results in antagonistic interactions between individuals. Wounded M. mutatus are incapable of successful reproduction and are of little value in physiological and behavioral experiments. We introduce a new, multiple-chambered trap that isolates individual insects until collection, thus increasing the number of uninjured and fully functional insects available for physiological and behavioral experiments.

Each fall, honey bee (Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae)) colonies in northern temperate regions rear a population of long-lived winter bees that maintains a broodless nest throughout the winter and resumes brood-rearing activities in the spring. Pollen supply in colonies is closely tied to this phenomenon; winter bees sequester large reservoirs of pollen-derived nutrients in their bodies and the brood-rearing capacity of colonies is dictated by the availability of pollen. We determined the effects of manipulating pollen supply during the fall on the number of winter bees present in colonies by spring, their mass and protein content before and after winter, and their capacity to rear brood during the spring. Colonies were either supplemented with or partially deprived of pollen during the fall, while a third group of colonies was not manipulated (control). We found that the performance of winter bees was not enhanced by supplementing colonies with pollen in the fall, nor did worker function suffer if pollen supply was restricted. Similar numbers of winter bees survived to spring in colonies and workers had similar physiology and brood-rearing efficiencies. These results suggest that beekeepers would not benefit by investing in fall pollen supplements to maximize colony growth in early spring.

Native parasitoids of the adult Mexican corn leafhopper, Dalbulus elimatus (Ball), and corn leafhopper, Dalbulus maidis (Delong and Wolcott), are described and their rates of parasitism on maize, Zea mays L., common barley, Hordeum vulgare L., and sorghum, Sorghumbicolor (L.) Moench (Poaceae) in central Mexico are determined. The survey was conducted throughout an annual cycle, with sampling of the previous season's crops when they were available. Leafhoppers showing evidence of parasitism were reared individually in the laboratory to obtain adult parasitoids. Adult D. elimatus were parasitized on winter maize, barley, and sorghum by the fly Eudorylas subopacus (Loew) (Diptera: Pipunculidae) and the wasp Gonatopus bartletti Olmi (Hymenoptera: Dryinidae), whereas adult D. maidis were parasitized by these fly and wasp parasitoids on winter maize only. The highest rates of parasitism of D. elimatus by E. subopacus were 57.4% on maize, 39.6% on barley, and 48.8% on sorghum. The highest rate of parasitism of D. maidis by E. subopacus was 20.4% on maize. In contrast, the highest rates of parasitism of D. elimatus by G. bartletti were 9.4% on maize, 2.7% on barley, and 25.8% on sorghum. The highest rate of parasitism of D. maidis by G. bartletti was 7.1% on maize. These results indicate that winter crops are habitats of E. subopacus and G. bartletti during the winter season. This is the first report of D. elimatus and D. maidis being parasitized by E. subopacus and of D. elimatus being parasitized by G. bartletti.

A dual-choice behavioral bioassay and gas chromatography – electroantennogram detection (GC–EAD) were used to determine the effect of host terpenes and nonhost green-leaf volatiles (GLVs) on the oviposition preference of the spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana (Clemens). Some emphasis was placed on assessing the ability of females to distinguish between enantiomers of chiral monoterpenes because (+)-α-pinene but not (–)-α-pinene or (±)-α-pinene had been shown previously to promote oviposition. Headspace volatiles from white spruce, Picea glauca (Moench) Voss (Pinaceae), and balsam fir, Abies balsamea (L.) Mill. (Pinaceae), were sampled using solid-phase microextraction and identified by gas chromatography – mass spectrometry with the aid of a chiral column. Females deposited significantly more egg masses on filter paper substrate treated with host monoterpenes than on controls. Contrary to expectation, substrates treated with several GLVs were also preferred over the controls. None of the GLVs or terpenes was deterrent. Females showed no significant ability in either the behavioral or the GC–EAD bioassays to distinguish between enantiomers of selected chiral monoterpenes, including α-pinene, in contrast to earlier findings. We conclude that host terpenes serve as general rather than host-specific oviposition stimuli for spruce budworm.