Scarabatermes amazonensis n. g., n. sp., is described from Leticia, Colombia. The species occurs in the nests of Neocapritermes braziliensis (Snyder).

Two species of Rheumaptera occur in North America: R. hastata (Linnaeus) and R. subhastata (Nolcken). All stages of the two species are described and illustrated. Keys are given to separate the species in the adult and mature larval stages. Additional information on distribution (supplemented by maps), habits, and hosts is provided.

Cameraria macrocarpae Freeman is a univoltine blotch miner which feeds on the palisade parenchyma of bur oak leaves. The larvae have two morphologically distinct forms and seven instars. It overwinters in the sixth instar, inside the mined leaf. Females deposit their eggs in rows, usually beside the mid-rib, and the larvae enter the leaf directly under the chorion. The larvae from each egg cluster form a common mine on the upper surface of the leaf. The mines of C. macrocarpae are brownish and each contains several larvae, differing from the whitish mines of Cameraria hamadryadella (Clemens), each containing a single larva. Nine species of parasites are listed.

The morphology of the stylets of the six-spotted leafhopper, Macrosteles fascifrons (Stål), is described from light and transmission electron microscopy. The maxillary stylets are about 1/5 longer than the mandibular stylets. Both pairs of stylets contain central ducts running from their bases to their tips. The duct in the mandibular stylet is unbranched but that in the maxillary stylet bifurcates midway toward the tip. The mandibular duct contains 3 dendrites; the maxillary duct contains 5 dendrites. The fine structure of the dendrites is described.

Distinguishing features of male courtship behavior in Pleuropompha include the performance of all acts including genital presentation from a position completely off and behind the female (posterior position), and the occurrence of a unique non-tactual display termed antennal fanning. Non-receptive females frequently react to antennal fanning with an equally distinct rejection response. The communicant manifested through male display is unknown. Preliminary observations suggest that fanning is perceived by the female’s antennae. Vision does not appear to play a significant role.

Male courtship in Pleuropompha differs from that of any other genus of Meloidae studied. It corresponds most closely to the behavior of certain species of the nominate subgenus of Epicauta, E. puncticollis in particular. In this species a persistent posterior position also occurs and the antennae of the male are also employed in display, although in this case display is overtly tactual.

Females of Nasonia vitripennis (Walk.) lay a smaller percentage of fertilized (i.e. female) eggs on house fly, Musca domestica L., pupae previously parasitized by their own species, by Muscidifurax zaraptor K. & L., or by Spalangia cameroni Perk. (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) than on unparasitized hosts. They respond to changes in the fly pupae associated with death, and in the case of house flies attacked by N. vitripennis, to "venoms" injected at that time or to changes unrelated to death. By not fertilizing eggs that they lay on attacked hosts, the females also conserve sperm, for immature N. vitripennis on previously-attacked fly pupae are usually killed by parasite larvae already present.

The results of systematically-conducted, mid- to late-season observations and experiments on large populations of apple maggot flies, Rhagoletis pomonella (Walsh), in apple and sour cherry trees revealed the following sequences in courtship behavior. When environmental conditions are favorable, sexually mature males and females fly to the host fruit, the site of assembly for mating and the site of oviposition. Either sex may initiate the flight which takes it to the particular fruit occupied by a member of the opposite sex. Such flights by males are often in response to the visual stimulus of a female (or male) moving about on a fruit, while such flights by females seem to be primarily in response to the fruit as a potential oviposition site. Once on the same fruit, a male and a female locate one another apparently solely through vision, particularly movement. They walk to within 1–3 cm of one another, but there is no tactile contact until such time as the male attempts copulation by jumping onto the back of the female from this distance.

The position from which the copulatory jump is made is variable. Sometimes it is made from a face to face position, with one or both flies having waved its pictured wings at the other. Occasionally it is made from the side or from a flight from a nearby fruit directly onto a female’s abdomen. Most often however, it is made when a male is stimulated by the forward movement of a female, approaches her from the rear, and jumps onto her abdomen from the rear without the female having seen the male. Most copulation attempts, and especially most successful attempts, are initiated while the female is engaged in some phase of oviposition behavior. Males attempt copulation with other males just as often as with females, strongly suggesting that at least up until the time of tactile contact, males are unable to distinguish between the sexes. The fact that a number of male and female apple maggot flies was observed in copula with R. fausta flies in sour cherry trees suggests that neither sex may be able to discriminate too well between members of its own species and members of other species whose wing and body patterns are similar in appearance However males were usually, although not always, able to distinguish stable flies from apple maggot flies prior to tactile contact.

We discuss the known and possible roles of various visual, chemical acoustical, and physical-tactile cues involved in the courtship behavior and suggest that the most important factor insuring reproductive isolation in apple maggot flies at the pre-copulatory stage may be the selection of the proper host plant for oviposition and hence for assembly for mating.

This study investigates certain arthropod predator elements of the soil fauna of a mature red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) stand. It presents differences between abundance 2 years prior to and 1 year after aerial spraying with fenitrothion at 2 and 3 oz per acre.

One species of centipede, one species of pseudoscorpion, and three species of harvestmen were noted in fewer numbers during the year of spraying. Higher numbers occurred the following year. Spiders of the family Erigonidae showed no marked difference in numbers during the course of the study. Most other spiders were encountered in reduced numbers during the spray year but rebounded next year.

Apparently, fenitrothion does cause temporary reduced abundance of at least some predacious arthropod components of the soil fauna. The effect of such changes in the insect community on soil processes remains unknown; even more so, the influence of repeated annual applications of fenitrothion remains undetermined.

Competitiveness of laboratory-reared Lucilia cuprina (Wied.) has been examined under field conditions. The separate release of males and females each marked genetically and with fluorescent dust permitted estimates of dispersal, survival and mating competitiveness for both sexes. The ability of males to seek mates and introduce marker genes into a field population did not appear to be impaired as a result of several years of laboratory colonization. Released females were readily inseminated though suitable conditions did not exist for adequate assessment of their ability to produce offspring.

A study of the type specimens of species of Syrphini described by Matsumura in 1917 shows that Macrosyrphus is a junior synonym of Metasyrphus Matsumura, Mesosyrphus is a junior synonym of Melangyna Verrall, and Parasyrphus is a senior synonym of Phalacrodira Enderlein. Incorrect designations of type-species for Episyrphus and Stenosyrphus are noted.

A study was conducted in a mature apple orchard in Nova Scotia to compare the density of eggs of the European red mite, Panonychus ulmi (Koch), over the whole tree to their density on a selected area using a random selection and standard selection technique. Both methods provided nearly equivalent estimates of population densities for generations 2 and 4 but not for generation 3. The population estimates based on sampling from the selected area overestimated the whole tree population.

Optimum allocation of sampling resources may be obtained by sampling a small number of clusters from each of a large number of trees.

Aggregation sites for male Cuterebra grisea Coquillett were found near areas where deermice were infested by botfly larvae. At these sites which were near streams or roadsides, male C. grisea flew over heat-reflecting surfaces which often contained objects taller than their surroundings. Each male chased intruders, including other males, from a territory over which it flew at regular intervals in an oval or figure-of-eight pattern. They flew in mornings during July and August provided the shade temperature was above 19.5°–20 °C and the sun was shining or had been shining. On very warm mornings when 20 °C was reached early in the morning, males did not fly until about 33/4–4 hours after sunrise. Flight almost always ended by midday. Female flies were rarely seen because they appeared only long enough to be mated. The data on C. grisea led to the discovery of similar male aggregation behavior of the pack rat botfly, C. tenebrosa Coquillett.

Bessa harveyi (Townsend) is a common parasite of the larch sawfly, Pristiphora erichsonii (Hartig), in southeastern Manitoba but it is ineffective in preventing or terminating outbreaks of its host. Bivoltinism acts as a mortality factor in B. harveyi populations because bivoltine individuals do not contribute progeny to the next generation. Heavy mortality due to bivoltinism occurs when the parasite eggs are laid under long-day conditions and the summer is warm and prolonged. Regression analyses show that most of the variation in the incidence of bivoltinism between years and between dates within years can be described by equations involving the incidence of bivoltinism in the previous year, photoperiod, and temperature. The importance of a genetic factor in determining the incidence of bivoltinism was indicated by a strong negative correlation between the incidences in consecutive years. Photoperiod and temperature during development were positively correlated with incidence. The persistence of bivoltinism in Manitoba is postulated to be related to variability in weather and host development plus developmental advantages associated with the bivoltine phenotype.

It was very difficult to decide whether to introduce this paper by discussing taxonomic problems in the genus Euxoa and how certain different approaches might help to solve them, or whether first to describe a number of different approaches and then to reveal that the genus Euxoa provides an excellent opportunity to try them out. Chronologically speaking the second alternative is the more correct, the approaches existed and their acknowledgment was followed by the recognition and definition of a suitable problem.

The following new taxa of Quediini (Staphylinidae) are described: Quedius (Megaquedius) syphax spec. nov. (Washington), and Acylophorus (Acylophorus) pusillus spec. nov. (Florida).

The following new synonymy is established: Quedius (Quedius) neomolochinus Korge, 1962 is identical with Quedius (Quedius) laticollis (Gravenhorst, 1802).

Additional data on taxonomy, bionomics, and geographical distribution of many species are presented.

The larva of Ixodes cookei Packard, a common ixodid tick in eastern North America, is described. The description is based on specimens hatched from eggs in the laboratory. The eggs were from females collected from groundhogs (Marmota monax Erxleben) trapped in spring in southern Ontario.

A key is given to the three genera of the Phloeocharinae. Full generic descriptions with comparative and distributional notes are given for Rimulincola Sanderson, Vicelva paradoxica new genus, new species, Ecbletus Sharp, and Olisthaerus Dejean.

During courtship in Lytta nuttalli Say the male assumes the active role. Mounted above the female, he repeats a cycle of three stereotyped, stimulatory activities: antennal manipulation, abdominal vibration, and attempted genital insertion. The male uses both his antennae together to stroke alternately the tips of the female’s antennae, which he holds upright with his fore legs. With rapid lateral vibrations of his abdomen, he brushes the ends of the female’s elytra and her eighth tergum with the long bristles on his eighth sternum. He also repeatedly probes the end of the female’s abdomen with his aedeagus, attempting to establish genital contact. Abdominal vibration is performed alternately with genital insertion attempts; antennation usually is carried out at the same time as the other activities. Courtship lasts for a few minutes to 1 hour or more. Copulation is initiated by successful genital insertion and is executed with the male and female aligned end-to-end. Its average duration is 8 to 10 hours. Abdominal vibration seems to be unique to Lytta, whereas the dorsal orientation during courtship and the genital activity are similar to those observed in many other Meloinae. Though antennal manipulation is common in Meloinae, the method employed by L. nuttalli is different from that in other meloines. Anatomical modifications related to courtship are discussed.

Two new species, Micropeplus volcanus from Mexico and M. smetanai from British Columbia, are described and illustrated. New distributional and habitat data are given for nine other species of the subfamily. The male genitalia of Kalissus nitidus Leconte and Peplomicrus acumen (Sharp) are illustrated for the first time. A revised key to the New World species of the genus Micropeplus is presented.

An apparatus is described for maintaining constant air and water temperatures independently for weekly periods, and for photographically recording the nocturnal behaviour of aquatic insects at emergerce using automatic equipment.