Electroborus brighti, new genus, new species (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) is described based on two specimens from Dominican amber, which represents the first Hylesinini found in Dominican amber. A phylogenetic analysis of 24 Hylesinini species and a Strombophorus Hagedorn species based on morphological characters suggests E. brighti is not related to the Neotropical genus Phloeoborus Erichson, but shares a close affinity to African Hylesinini genera. The discovery of this new genus adds to the evidence that tropical South America and Africa shared similar faunas throughout evolutionary history. Although many Old World taxa have become extinct in the New World, the existence of E. brighti among Recent faunas is a possibility, given that the South American and African scolytine faunas are relatively poorly studied.

A nymph of an homopteran preserved in Cretaceous amber from Cedar Lake, Man., is described. It presents features of two recent families, Cercopidae and Cicadellidae, and so is recognized as a new family of intermediate position. Jascopidae new family contains only Jascopus notabilis n. gen., n. sp.

Photoperiodic responses are described for five clones of the potato aphid, Macrosiphum euphorbiae (Thomas) (Homoptera: Aphididae), from Manitoba, Canada, a region with a strongly seasonal, continental climate. When exposed to long nights, parthenogenetic wingless females produce winged males and parthenogenetic winged females that subsequently produce mating females. The young adult males and winged females are restless and take flight readily, which is typical of a post-teneral migratory phase that could carry them to a winter host. These traits are characteristic of host-alternating species. However, wingless females also produce mating females, and winged females also produce parthenogenetic wingless females, traits which are characteristic of nonhost-alternating species. Clones differ in the frequencies of phenotypes they produce, some being more host-alternating than others. Critical night lengths are shortest and frequencies of males highest for clones that are closest to the host-alternating type of life cycle. The importance of phenotypic and genotypic plasticity in the life cycle is discussed.

The elm zigzag sawfly, Aproceros leucopoda Takeuchi (Hymenoptera: Argidae), was reported for the first time in North America during the summer of 2020. Characteristic zigzag defoliation was reported in the province of Québec, Canada, on the community science website, iNaturalist. Field trips conducted to the site resulted in the collection of live specimens (a few larvae and a cocoon from which an adult emerged) and onsite observation of diagnostic defoliation and empty cocoons, confirming the presence of this exotic species in Canada. Subsequent inspection of elm trees by naturalists and scientists in the south of the province led to the conclusion that the species is more widely distributed than first expected and that the invasion is not localised to a small area. Preliminary genetic data pointed to a possible European origin of the Canadian population, but conclusive assignment to source will require examination of more specimens and the collection of reference sequences from different European and Asian populations. This is a good example of the importance of community science in the detection of new invasive species.

In view of the economic importance of blackflies as bloodsucking insects affecting animals and man, and the growing recognition of their actual and potential role as vectors of disease, it has been considered of interest to record the following notes concerning certain of their natural enemies, some of which may prove to be of value in developing biological control measures. These observations were made at various times over a period of several years, in connection with a study of blackflies carried out chiefly in the Ottawa district, the results of which have been published elsewhere.

Sequential sampling, in which decisions depend upon the accumulated results of a series of observations, leads to considerable saving of time and money. A sequential plan, based on the negative binomial distribution and providing for population estimates in three infestation categories, was drawn up for use in control of the imported cabbageworm, Pieris rapae (L.), on cabbage. An appraisal of the plan under field conditions showed that it reduced the sampling time by 75% while rating the infestation correctly in 94 of 100 cases. With the six discrepancies, population means lay between the limits set for the infestation categories.

The Forest Insect Survey of the Maritime Provinces has been observing an outbreak of the winter moth, Operophtera brumata (Linn.), since its discovery in Nova Scotia in 1949. In addition to noting annual changes in distribution, the Survey has made population counts on 8 to 20 tagged trees of red oak, Quercus rubra L., at each of seven locations along the south shore of the Province. These trees were sampled each year to show the abundance of larvae of the winter moth and the fall cankerworm, Alsophila pometaria (Harr.). Both species are commonly found on the same trees, and their life histories are similar. The collections and subsequent rearings also showed the degree of parasitism by native or introduced species of parasites. The defoliation of the trees was estimated at the time of sampling and again at the end of the feeding period to determine the relationship between larval population and defoliation. Some of the sampling data, which were collected from 1952 to 1955, are used to develap the sequential plan of sampling described herein. Use of the plan at the sampling stations should reduce the number of samples while retaining accuracy within predetermined limits.

Chrysodeixis includens (Walker) is a characteristic Plusiinae (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) species from the Western Hemisphere. The larva have already been found feeding on several different plant families, including economic value crops such as soybeans. This species coexists and can be confused with Rachiplusia nu (Guenée) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in soybean crops. Furthermore, some studies indicate that C. includens shows tolerance to various insecticides, leading to differentiation among these two species to be most important in relation to control procedures to be undertaken. To contribute to the correct identification of C. includens we made detailed redescriptions of all preimaginal stages (egg, larva, and pupa). Immature stages of C. includens were reared in laboratory under controlled conditions of 27±2 °C, 70–75% relative humidity, and 14:10 (light/dark) photoperiod. We consider opportune detection of preimaginal stages of Chrysodeixis includens will help to control this pest species, especially at admissible economical levels.

Stethorus punctillum Weise (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) is a Palearctic species first found in North America in the 1940s (Putman 1955). Commercial mass-rearing methods were developed in the late 1990s (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, London, Ontario, and Applied Bio-nomics Ltd, Saanich, British Columbia). The beetle is now released in North America to control two-spotted spider mites, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae). Knowledge of the life-history traits of S. punctillum is necessary for effective use of the predator in greenhouses. Putman (1955) provides useful information, but his results cannot be readily interpreted with respect to larval voracity, lower developmental temperature threshold, and developmental time in degreedays (°d), traits that affect efficacy. In this note I report new results relating to these life-history traits and to beetle releases in greenhouse vegetable crops.

First-stage forest tent caterpillar larvae were tested for the presence of active and sluggish behavior types such as Wellington found in Malacosoma californicum pluviale (Dyar). Larvae capable of directed movement towards a 30 w light source were classified as active. Larvae were tested on 3 consecutive days, and only a small percentage responded on all 3 days. A much larger percentage remained sluggish throughout the period. Chi-square tests confirmed that the differences in response were not random. There was a tendency for some larvae to respond to light during the test and for others not to respond. The reduced consistency in the response of "active" larvae in M. disstria Hübner compared with that reported for M.c. pluviale may be partly due to real behavioral differences, but it also may be partly due to some procedural differences between our tests and Wellington’s.

The genus Phorocera Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830, is shown to be holarctic, divisible into a palaearctic element, the subgenus Phorocera, with three species, and its nearctic sister-group, the subgenus Pseudotachinomyia Smith. 1917, with eight, of which four, angustiforceps, auriceps, convexa and exigua, are described as new. P. webberi Smith, the type species of Pseudotachinomyia, is removed from the synonymy of slossonae (Townsend) and longiforceps Brooks is synonymized with slossonae. Keys, descriptions and figures are provided for the adults and eggs of the eight nearctic species, and oviposition in P. webberi is described. Relationships of Pseudotachinomyia with the s.g. Phorocera and with other exoristine genera are discussed.

Acrocerid flies are often considered to be rare and their role in pollination is poorly understood. In this study, adult Eulonchus sapphirinus Osten Sacken were common on flowers of Geranium robertianum L. (Geraniaceae) in Olympic National Park, Washington, and have morphological and behavioural characteristics that indicate a dependence on floral nectar. Both males and females of this species are good potential pollinators from a behavioural standpoint. They make few revisits to individual flowers, remain highly constant to one flowering species in each nectar-foraging bout, and carry pollen on their bodies. Individuals were abundant and formed the majority of insect visitors to G. robertianum flowers. Males and females differed in their flower-visiting behaviour, with females visiting more individual flowers and doing so more slowly than males. This difference between the sexes appears to relate to mating behaviour, which takes place within the flower patches. The ramifications of the observed flower-visiting and mating behaviour for flower pollination are discussed. This study shows that based on both their abundance and their behaviour, these flies are potentially important pollinators in certain habitats.

A reproductive population of the Asian longhorned beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis (Motschulsky) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), an adventive insect from Asia, was discovered in 2003 in an urban landscape in Ontario, Canada. This polyphagous beetle, which attacks maples, Acer spp. (Sapindaceae), had the potential to seriously and permanently alter the composition and structure of forests in eastern North America. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) developed and implemented an eradication programme, with partners from various agencies in both Canada and the United States of America. Surveys were used to delineate the infestation and establish a regulated area around it. Treatment consisted of removing and destroying both trees with signs of A. glabripennis injury and trees assumed at high risk of being injured within the regulated area. After nine years of monitoring the regulated area, the CFIA declared A. glabripennis eradicated on 5 April 2013. Herein, we detail the response undertaken, summarise lessons learned, and provide preliminary observations and results pertaining to the arrival, establishment, and spread of A. glabripennis in Ontario.

Canadian peatlands are subject to disturbance and destruction, and drainage for agriculture is responsible for 85% of this degradation. Few studies have explicitly addressed the effects of habitat degradation on arthropod diversity in Nearctic peatlands. Because higher Diptera (Brachycera) in peatlands are diverse, are an important component of food webs, and exhibit a wide range of ecological requirements, we examined species richness, abundance, and community composition of Brachycera across transects at 1, 6, and 11 m from a collector drainage ditch in Johnville Bog and Forest Park, Quebec. In total, 1453 Brachycera were collected, representing 24 families and 166 species. Species diversity (based on Simpson’s diversity index) and rarefaction-estimated species richness were higher at 6 and 11 m than at 1 m from the ditch, probably because of the homogeneous moss cover and moister conditions at greater distance from the ditch. Species composition also differed between 1 m and other distances, based on cluster analysis, multiresponse permutation procedures analysis, and the presence of five predaceous species that were significant indicator species 1 m from the drainage ditch. Our results suggest that anthropogenic degradation of hydrological conditions may be responsible for the low species richness and high dominance of a few species currently seen at the ditch margin.

The influence of sex ratio on the reproductive ability of the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta, was examined under laboratory controlled conditions. The optimum sex ratio was found to be 0.50 (F/T) displaying the highest rate of oviposition and egg production. The fertility of the eggs laid was linearly dependent on the number of males present in each ratio. Unmated females lived longer and began oviposition later than mated females. The percentage of the total egg production retained by the females was highest for the 0.17 and 0.83 ratios and may be attributed to a stress-related impairment of reproductive behaviour.

Lygus species were sampled from the flowering heads and developing racemes of three species of Brassica [B. campestris L., B. juncea (L.) Coss., and B. napus L.] and two species of Sinapis (S. alba L. and S. arvensis L.) from cultivated fields during a survey from Prawda, Manitoba, to Lethbridge, Alberta. Lygus elisus Van Duzee and L. borealis (Kelton) were the most prevalent and abundant in Alberta and Saskatchewan; L. lineolaris (Palisot) was the most prevalent and abundant in Manitoba. Lygus rubrosignatus Knight, L. solidaginis (Kelton), and L. shulli Knight, previously unreported on Brassica, occurred in low numbers at most sites in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Public participation in home vegetable gardening and small farm operations is increasing in North America. This is expected to intensify the use of insecticides and disproportionately increase public exposure to them. For instance, von Rurnker et al. (1972) estimated that on an area basis homeowners in the midwestern United States applied ca. 5.0 lb of pesticides per acre. This amount when compared with 1½ to 3 lb per acre applied by the farmer suggests that backyard gardens receive a heavier pesticide application than most other land areas in the United States. It is, therefore, important to develop ecologically less aggressive control methods for small farm operations.

Placing preserved animals in the wide arm of a fluid-filled U-shaped open tube provides an accurate linear measure of biomass. Changes in fluid level are monitored by projecting an image of the tube into a dissecting microscope equipped with an ocular micrometer. Precision of the calibration curves is equivalent to length–weight regressions. However, only a single curve need be generated to predict wet weight of many taxa. Separate calibration curves are required to predict dry weights of hard- and soft-bodied taxa. The instrument is not suitable for measuring biomass of living individuals.

Dicofol was applied to bean leaf discs in various ways. The number of drops per disc, the concentration of dicofol in each drop, and the size of the drops were related to egg laying and mortality of adult female mites placed on the discs. Under the conditions of the experiment, an increase in concentration above normal field strength (0.046% active ingredient) had little effect, even though the deposits were discontinuous and similar to those expected from low-volume spraying. Repellency of dicofol to mites was reaffirmed and toxicity effects were significant when about one-quarter of the leaf surface was covered by deposit.