The cave-living and monobasic fungus gnat genus Speolepta Edwards is reviewed with a description of the first Nearctic species, Speolepta vockerothisp. nov., from Canada (caves in Ontario and British Columbia) and the United States (Alaska). Its morphology, life history, and biology are documented and compared with the single European species Speolepta leptogaster (Winnertz). A further new species, Speolepta orientalissp.nov., is described based on a single male from northern Vietnam, representing the first record of this genus from the Oriental Region.

Induction of diapause under laboratory conditions is a valuable tool for the study of dormancy in economic pests such as the swede midge, Contarinia nasturtii Kieffer (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae). In the present study, diapause in larval swede midge was achieved via manipulation of rearing photoperiod and temperature. Frequency of diapause was assessed by sieve separation of diapause cocoons from pre-sifted peat substrate following emergence of pupating individuals. Mean diapause frequency for swede midge larvae reared under cool conditions with short day length or cool conditions with decreasing day lengths were 45.2% and 19.5%, respectively. Only 1.2% of swede midge reared under warm, long day length conditions entered diapause. A small percentage of larvae neither pupated nor entered diapause and remained in substrate long after other individuals had emerged as adults. This behaviour was more prevalent under cool and short or decreasing day length rearing conditions. Approximately 76% of the larvae used for diapause induction were recovered with the present larval and cocoon retrieval method, and premature (larval and pupal) mortality averaged 18.2%. Although diapause occurred in the present study, conditions resulting in higher diapause frequencies should be investigated and attempts should be made to improve survival and recovery of individuals.

Using immunostaining methodology, we traced the axonal projection of FMRFamide (Phe-Met-Arg-Phe-NH2)-like immunoreactive (LI) medial neurosecretory cells (MNCs) and lateral neurosecretory cells (LNCs) from the brain into the ventral nerve cord (VNC) and retrocerebral complex in Bombyx mori (L.) (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae). Of the seven pairs of FMRFamide-LI MNCs, one pair extended its axons from the brain pars intercerebralis into the VNC ipsilateral connective where they appeared to terminate. The axons of the remaining MNCs ran through decussation in the brain median region and contralateral nervi corporis cardiaci (NCC) I out of the brain, and eventually innervated the contralateral corpus cardiacum (CC). Axons from the single pair of FMRFamide-LI LNCs projected into the ipsilateral NCC II fused with NCC I without decussation in the brain, and finally terminated in the CC. These results suggest that transport of the FMRFamide-like neuropeptide from may be related to the modulation of functions such as gut contraction in MNCs terminating in the VNC, and regulation of production and/or secretion of specific hormones such as juvenile hormone in MNCs and LNCs terminating in the CC.

The Microphorella chillcotti species group is established for two new species from western North America: Microphorella chillcottisp. nov. and Microphorella vockerothisp. nov. The relationships of this lineage to the remainder of the Microphorella group of genera are discussed.

Vockerothempissubgen. nov., a new subgenus of Rhamphomyia, is described and includes the following species: Rhamphomyia (Vockerothempis) arakawae Matsumura, Rhamphomyia (Vockerothempis) calcarifera Saigusa, and Rhamphomyia (Vockerothempis) japonica Frey from Japan, and Rhamphomyia (Vockerothempis) umbrosa Loew, Rhamphomyia (Vockerothempis) brevisetosasp. nov., Rhamphomyia (Vockerothempis) chillcottianasp. nov., and Rhamphomyia (Vockerothempis) fortisetosasp. nov. from North America. Zoogeography, phylogenetic relationships within Vockerothempis and subgeneric classification of Rhamphomyia are discussed.

Parasitism of Diatraea saccharalis (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) larvae by Cotesia flavipes Cameron (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) or injection of C. flavipes polydnavirus causes numerous alterations in host physiology including developmental arrest, abrogation of host immunity, and biochemical changes in proteins, carbohydrates, glycogen, and lipids. This study focused on changes in haemocyte composition occurring in the cellular immune system of parasitised D. saccharalis larvae. We also analysed the effects of parasitisation by C. flavipes on humoral immunity in terms of phenoloxidase (PO) activity in the host. In nonparasitised D. saccharalis larvae, granular cells represented the main haemocyte type (39%) and plasmatocytes were also present at around 35% among the total haemocytes. The percentages of these two major haemocytes decreased significantly in parasitised larvae after 6 days of parasitoid oviposition and the total haemocyte counts exhibited a significant reduction in parasitised larvae 3 and 6 days following parasitisation. The parasitised larvae also showed a significant decrease in humoral immune capacity as evidenced by reduction of PO activity. Moreover, the plasma had more PO activity than the haemocytes and the parasitised larvae showed less PO activity than the control larvae. This research demonstrates that the parasitism of C. flavipes adversely affects the total haemocyte populations and PO activity of D. saccharalis larvae, which would contribute to host immunosuppression.

Contact pheromones are a subset of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons secreted on the cuticle and play an important role in the mating behaviour of several cerambycid species (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae). In this study, we investigated the relationship between maturation (newly eclosed and sexually mature) adult Monochamus scutellatus (Say) beetles and sex and the composition of the cuticular hydrocarbon blend to determine if this information is encoded in the blend and potentially available for communication purposes. Whole-body extracts of unfed females, and both mature females and males were analysed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry to identify and quantify the components of the cuticular hydrocarbons. There were no unique compounds present in any of the three groups, but discriminant analysis indicated that the relative proportions of the cuticular hydrocarbon components were unique for each group.

Predatory insects and spiders were collected from apple orchards in two geographic regions of Central Washington State, United States of America to assess seasonal phenology and diversity of the generalist predator community. Arthropods were collected from orchard canopy every 3–7 days over two growing seasons (March–October) at seven organically managed and two insecticide-free orchards. Over 35 000 specimens and 80 species of spiders (Araneae), ladybeetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), lacewings (Neuroptera), and predatory true bugs (Hemiptera) were collected. Composition of insect and spider communities differed between the two geographic regions. Indicator species analysis identified several species that had a significant association with one of the two regions. Counts of the most common taxa were examined in detail on a calendar date basis to determine seasonal phenology of adult and immature stages. We observed substantial differences among taxa in number of generations, seasonal timing of first appearance in orchards, overwintering stages, and seasonal occurrence of the adult and immature life stages in orchards. Understanding seasonal phenology of natural enemies in orchards is a core requirement in integrated pest management programs for apple pests, and results of this study provide this information for the generalist predator community of orchards in the Pacific Northwest.

Little is known about the acarofauna associated with wood-boring beetles in Canada, including long-horned beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae). Herein, we assessed the prevalence, abundance, diversity, phenology, and attachment location of mesostigmatic mites (Acari: Mesostigmata) associated with Monochamus scutellatus (Say), and tested whether the abundance and prevalence of mites differed between male and female beetles. A total of 176 beetles were collected in two sites in eastern Ontario in 2008 and 2009 using Lindgren funnel traps baited with α-pinene and ethanol lures, and 71% of hosts had mesostigmatic mites. A total of 2486 mites were collected, representing eight species, four genera, and three families (Digamasellidae, Trematuridae, and Melicharidae). Average prevalence was variable across mite species, and the number of mites per infested beetle also varied across species. Many of the mite species collected in this study have been reported from other cerambycid species, as well as from other wood-boring beetles, such as bark beetles. There was no significant sex bias in the abundance or prevalence of mites between male and female M. scutellatus, which suggests that there is no selective advantage for mites to disperse on females. This study represents the first quantitative investigation of the mites associated with M. scutellatus in Canada.

Host tree diameter is considered an important predictor of the population dynamics of the mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), but the relationship between host tree diameter and beetle traits is unclear. The primary objective of this study was to determine how the quality of individual mountain pine beetles, measured as body size (pronotum width) and lipid content, varied with the diameter of lodgepole pine trees, Pinus contorta var. latifolia Engelmann (Pinaceae). Naturally attacked trees, ranging in diameter from 10 to 35 cm, were selected from stands near Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. Colonisation density and pupal density generally increased with tree diameter, but the number of pupal chambers per gallery start remained constant. Tree diameter positively affected beetle body size, which in turn was positively correlated with absolute lipid content in both sexes and relative lipid content in males. However, tree diameter did not directly predict absolute lipid content, and relative lipid content decreased with tree diameter in males. Larger beetles emerged earlier in the emergence period with relative lipid content remaining constant throughout emergence. All relationships had considerable unexplained variation. Thus, the use of tree diameter or emergence time as predictors of population dynamics of mountain pine beetles should be done with caution.

Nine species of Icteromyza Hendel, a subgenus of Cerodontha Rondani, were previously known in the Nearctic: Cerodontha (Icteromyza) atrissima Spencer, Cerodontha (Icteromyza) capitata (Zetterstedt), Cerodontha (Icteromyza) churchillensis Spencer, Cerodontha (Icteromyza) fuscifrons Spencer, Cerodontha (Icteromyza) lineella (Zetterstedt), Cerodontha (Icteromyza) longipennis (Loew), Cerodontha (Icteromyza) montanoides Spencer, Cerodontha (Icteromyza) pilosa Boucher, and Cerodontha (Icteromyza) temeculensis Spencer. Three new species are here described for this region: Cerodontha (Icteromyza) griffonensissp. nov.; Cerodontha (Icteromyza) vockerothisp. nov.; Cerodontha (Icteromyza) woodisp. nov. Species descriptions and illustrations, additional notes, and a new identification key for the Nearctic species of Cerodontha (Icteromyza) are provided.

Rapid and recent lineage radiations pose challenges to systematists. Using members of the highly diverse Simulium arcticum Malloch complex, we tested whether the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) barcoding gene can differentiate black fly sibling species. Members of the S. arcticum complex were monophyletic in relation to two morphospecies and two cryptic species of the Simulium malyschevi Dorogostaisky et al. and Simulium noelleri Friederichs species-groups, respectively. Of five S. arcticum sibling species analysed, only Simulium negativum Adler et al. was monophyletic. No other members of the complex could be distinguished using COI barcodes. The inability to resolve S. arcticum sibling species resulted because (1) haplotypes were shared between species and (2) the distribution of interspecific genetic distances completely overlapped the range of variation within species. Potential sources of incongruence between barcode data and species boundaries include imperfect taxonomy, inadequate genetic information, incomplete lineage sorting, and/or introgressive hybridization. We ruled out imperfect taxonomy because chromosomal, ecological, and distributional evidence support the validity of S. arcticum sibling species. Therefore, current nomenclature should be maintained pending further study. We conclude that one or more of the latter three sources of incongruence could be responsible for the lack of reciprocal monophyly among species of the S. arcticum complex.

The Canadian fauna of the genus Amauromyza Hendel (Diptera: Agromyzidae) is revised and contains 11 species: Amauromyza abnormalis (Malloch), A. angulicornis Zlobin, A. flavifrons (Meigen), A. karli (Hendel), A. luteiceps (Hendel), A. nevadensis Spencer, A. pleuralis (Malloch), A. riparia Sehgal, A. scleritica Spencer, A. shepherdiae Sehgal, and A. subinfumata (Malloch). Among these, three species (A. luteiceps, A. nevadensis, and A. scleritica) are here newly recorded in Canada and A. angulicornis newly recorded in the United States of America. Other species are significantly more widespread in Canada than previously recorded. All species are redescribed and a new identification key to Canadian species is provided.

Regulations for the containment of arthropods stipulate that containment facilities be specially designed and operated to prevent arthropod escapes. A key area for security is the entrance–exit anteroom on the facility's periphery, which is to have an insect trap for capturing incident arthropods, and an inward directional flow of air. To test the efficacy of these features, a release-recapture study was conducted in the anteroom of an operational containment facility using different trap methods (ceiling-mounted ultraviolet [UV] or incandescent light traps, floor-situated pan water trap), and three insect species (dung beetle, Chilothorax distinctus (Müller) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) – formerly known as Aphodius distinctus; house fly, Musca domestica Linnaeus (Diptera: Muscidae); parasitic wasp, Urolepis rufipes (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae)). The optimum method for capturing insects within the anteroom varied with species and their behaviours; UV light trap + water trap for C. distinctus (mean catch: 82.3% ± 2.7% of recovered beetles), water trap + incandescent light trap for M. domestica (mean catch: 78.3% ± 4.1%), and UV light trap for U. rufipes (mean catch: 13.0% ± 8.5%; but no trap worked particularly well). Inward flow of air was deemed most effective for containing the small and active U. rufipes, with 23% of detected escapees moving deeper into quarantine. Awareness of insect behaviour in artificial environments is advised for determining whether additional security protocols are required.

Managed and wild colonies of common eastern bumble bee (Bombus impatiens Cresson) (Hymenoptera: Apidae) are effective pollinators of wild blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium Aiton) (Ericaceae) in Atlantic Canada. Because insecticides are used during bloom to manage insect pests, bumble bees may be at risk of exposure. We therefore assessed the susceptibility of B. impatiens to some insecticides used or projected for use in blueberry pest management. Workers were killed by topical applications of spinosad, spinetoram, deltamethrin, and phosmet, but not flubendiamide. Similarly, when ingested in honey solution, spinetoram and deltamethrin were toxic, whereas flubendiamide did not cause mortality up to double its recommended label rate. In another experiment, workers were fed one sublethal dose of contaminated honey solution and placed in microcolonies to assess impacts on feeding, life span, and reproduction. The highest concentration of deltamethrin (17 mg a.i./L) reduced feeding. Workers treated with deltamethrin had shortened life spans and produced fewer males. Flubendiamide (2000 mg a.i./L) and spinetoram (0.8 mg a.i./L) caused no sublethal effects. These results indicate that flubendiamide should be safe to apply to blueberries where B. impatiens is foraging, while some other insecticides we tested may be hazardous under different exposure scenarios.

Anastrepha woodisp. nov. is described and illustrated based on specimens from Colombia, Costa Rica, and Panama. Anastrepha loewi Stone, the species most similar to A. woodi, is redescribed, and the two species are compared.

An inexpensive, easily constructed, and effective trapping system for capturing flying insects is described. The trapping system is a pole with multiple moveable bowls. The catch is preserved in a killing solution (propylene glycol) between monitoring intervals. Applications for this trapping system include evaluating effects of insect phenology, climate factors, habitat preferences, climatic conditions, and trap colour and interactions of these factors.

A collection of 55 Canadian amber Ceratopogonidae is described, including two new species, Protoculicoides ciliatus Borkent and Stilobezzia pikei Borkent. The male of Protoculicoides depressus Boesel is newly described and the two males previously identified as members of this species are designated holotype and paratype of P. ciliatus. A new key to the species of Protoculicoides Boesel is provided. A male genitalia of Peronehelea chrimikalydia Borkent is additionally described and a specimen that is possibly a gynandromorph, a female with an associated male genitalia or a new species of Peronehelea Borkent is described.

The sympycnine genus Telmaturgus Mik is reviewed for the Nearctic region, and includes three species: Telmaturgus parvus (Van Duzee), Telmaturgus robinsonisp. nov., and Telmaturgus vockerothisp. nov. Species of Telmaturgus can be recognized by the reduced number of dorsocentral setae (three pairs in Nearctic species) and the projecting lower face of females. Examination of the holotype of T. parvus reveals that the widespread species previously thought to be T. parvus is T. robinsoni. A key to species and comments on the taxonomic history and ecology of the genus are provided.

Tetropium fuscum (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is a Palaearctic wood borer that has been established in Atlantic Canada since at least 1990. Neither the number of instars nor methods for determining the instar of field-collected larvae have been documented for this species. Head-capsule width was measured for 949 T. fuscum larvae in order to determine the number of instars in this species, estimate the mean and variance of head-capsule widths associated with each instar, and identify whether head-capsule width is sexually dimorphic. Head-capsule width data were analysed using maximum likelihood analysis of mixture models and the Brooks–Dyar rule. Our results provide strong support for the existence of six larval instars, with sexually dimorphic head-capsule widths in instars five and six. The probability of misclassifying larvae into instar-specific and sex-specific categories ranged from 0.6% to 12.8%, with the highest probabilities occurring when assigning a sex to fifth-instar and sixth-instar larvae.