Although the species of Ophiogomphus are well defined in the adult stage their nymphs are extremely uniform in structure and are difficult to separate. This is perhaps not remarkable in view of the similarity of their habitats, all the species being shallow burrowers in running streams, usually clear, with a sandy or pebbly bottom, where they occupy the edges of currents, gentle riffles, or pools at the foot of rapids.

The morphological differences in the larva and the adult of Tetropium parvulum Casey and T. cinnamopterum Kirby are reported. Diagnostic characters are the urogomphi of the larva. The shape of the eye, scutellum, and genitalic structures and the number of punctures on the pronotum distinguish the adult. The genitalia are also compared with a third species, T. velutinum. Larvae of T. cinnamopterum have been recorded from a number of conifers, while T. parvulum larvae have only been recorded from spruce.

A lectotype is designated for T. cinnamopterum. Examination of type specimens confirmed that T. alaskanum Fall is a synonym of T. parvulum and that T. schwarzianum Casey and T. parallelum are close to T. cinnamopterum. A key is given to distinguish T. parvulum from T. cinnamopterum.

Trembling aspen, Populus tremuloides Michx. (Salicaceae), is the most widely distributed tree species in North America (Perala 1990) and is considered to be an ecologically (Hogg et al. 2002) and economically important (Brandt et al. 2003) component of the boreal forest. Due to the recently increased economic value of trembling aspen (Brandt et al. 2003), the impact of native insect defoliators on tree growth and mortality has become commercially important. Two of the most significant defoliators of trembling aspen throughout its range in Canada are the forest tent caterpillar (FTC), Malacosoma disstria Hübner (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae), and the large aspen tortrix (LAT), Choristoneura conflictana Walker (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae).

Male and female adults of Mideopsis (Nudomideopsis) magnacetabula n. sp. are described. This is the first species of this subgenus described from the New World, and knowledge of the new species necessitates modification of the subgeneric concept.

The emitted aliphatic hydrocarbon profile of four Indian Coccinellidae (Coleoptera), Coccinella septempunctata (Linnaeus) (C7), Coccinella transversalis Fabricius (Ct), Menochilus sexmaculatus (Fabricius) (Ms), and Propylea dissecta (Mulsant) (Pd) has been investigated by simple solvent-less headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) technique coupled with gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). Identified volatile and non-volatile compounds were confirmed by running corresponding standards and comparing with the National Institute of Standards and Technology library. Among the 56 identified aliphatic hydrocarbons, saturated aliphatic hydrocarbons were more in number than unsaturated ones. Among saturated hydrocarbons, methyl branched hydrocarbons were more in number in C7 and Ct than Ms and Pd. Menochilus sexmaculatus and Pd had higher percentages of unsaturated hydrocarbons than C7 and Ct. Among branched chain-hydrocarbons, mono-methylated saturated hydrocarbons were more in number than dimethylated saturated hydrocarbons. Further analysis of the semiochemical profile revealed a closeness between C7 and Ct, and between Ms and Pd. Quantitative analysis revealed that straight chain hydrocarbons form separate clusters to branched chain methylated hydrocarbons. This is the first attempt to identify the semiochemical profile of some Indian coccinellids using the headspace solid phase micro-extraction technique coupled with the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry technique. This report will be helpful for various chemotaxonomic studies of the species in the future.

Since the last revision of the genus Pristiphora Latreille by Marlatt (1896), several new species of this genus have come to the attention of the authors. The following descriptions of these are essential to the development of other studies concerning the biology of individual species, and a study of the evolution of the genus by the senior author.

Trachyphloeus Germar, 1817, is judged to be introduced in North America; the two species described from the United States are considered European imports. Consequently, the names T. davisi Blatchley, 1916, and T. bifoveolatus (Beck), 1817, are considered synonymous, as are the names T. asperatus Boheman, 1843, Chaetechus setiger Horn, 1876, and T. olivieri Bedel, 1883. Chaetechus Horn, 1876, is synonymized with Trachyphloeus. T. aristatus (Gyllenhal), not previously reported from North America, is recorded from Carleton Place, Ontario.

Triarthria Stephens is known from two species in the New World. One is T. setipennis (Fallen), introduced into North America from Europe early this century as a biological control agent against its host, the European earwig (Forficula auricularia L.) (Dermaptera: Forficulidae). The second species is T. parva (Townsend), a widely distributed earwig (Doru spp.) parasitoid in the Neotropical region. Triarthria parva was originally described in the monotypic genus Parkerella Townsend; Parkerella is newly synonymized with Triarthria (syn.nov.), and T. parva is a new combination (comb.nov.). The genus Triarthria is diagnosed and the four included species are keyed: T. legeri (Villeneuve) (western Palearctic region), T. tienshanensis Ziegler (Uzbekistan), T. setipennis, and T. parva. The two species in the New World are diagnosed, illustrated, and their known distributions mapped.

Five new species of the Neotropical geocorid genus Epipolops are recognized, raising to 14 the number of known species. The new species E. angelaesp. nov., E. kathrynaesp. nov., E. scudderisp. nov., E. slaterisp. nov., and E. thomasisp. nov. are described, the identity of E. mucronatus Distant is clarified, and the nine previously known species are diagnosed and redescribed. Photographs, scanning electron photomicrographs, outline illustrations of all pronota and hemelytra, and an identification key are provided to help distinguish species.

Notes are given on the five species of Synergus Hartig, 1840 recorded from Central and South America, including a key for their identification. A new species, S. colombianussp. nov., is described from Colombia. The new species is an inquiline of an unidentified cynipid gall on Quercus humboldtii Bonpl. (Fagaceae). Synergus colombianus is the first Synergus species recorded from Colombia and the most southerly record of this genus in the Neotropical region. The new species is closely related to S. cultratus Ritchie et Shorthouse, 1987, S. filicornis Cameron, 1883, and S. nicaraguensis Díaz et Gallardo, 1998, but differs from these species in characters that are discussed in the text.

Larvae of the European wheat stem sawfly, Cephus pygmaeus (L.), in hibernacula in wheat stubs were obtained from Russia and Sweden in the fall of 1959 by the Entomology Research Institute for Biological Control in a renewed attempt to find parasites for use against the wheat stem sawfly, Cephus cinctus Nort., in Western Canada. An earlier attempt to colonize the parasite Collyria calcitrator (Grav.) from England failed in spite of early promise of success (Smith, unpublished reports). Though Collyria spp. were expected to predominate in the Continental collections, their different geographical origins opened the prospect of finding different species or strains better suited to Canadian conditions. There was also the possibility of discovering additional parasites suitable for trials in Canada.

The geometrid larvae feeding on spruce form a large and varied group. In collections taken from all parts of Canada where spruce is found, the Forest Insect Survey has identified 31 species (Brown, 1). To the best of the author's knowledge, there are descriptions for only 16 of these species. In this and the two following papers, seven more are described and two are redescribed.

High levels of azinphos-methyl (0.4–0.8 µg/L) were detected in the Wilmot River, Prince Edward Island, Canada, following runoff from an agricultural field after a heavy rainfall on 19 July 2002. Benthic macroinvertebrate abundance and diversity were sharply lower in samples collected 1 d after the event compared with samples collected in the same manner in July or October 2001. The greatest effects were noticed on the aquatic insects, whose abundance declined from >10 000 individuals per 3-min kick sample in July 2001 to <900 individuals per 3-min kick sample in July 2002. One family of Diptera, one family of Plecoptera, and three families of Trichoptera disappeared entirely from the study reach after the runoff event, and several other families were severely depleted in number. This led to low taxonomic similarity values between the communities before and after the runoff event and a change relative to reference streams on PEI. Examination of biological metrics (including indices such as % EPT (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, or Trichoptera), % chironomids, % burrowers, etc.) confirmed that aquatic insects were more heavily targeted by the insecticide than non-insect invertebrates. This resulted in a shift in the community towards non-insect taxa that were better able to avoid or tolerate this type of pollution.

Either (E)- or (Z)-11-tetradecenal, the two pheromone components, or one analogue, 9-(cyclopent-2-en-1-yl)-nonanal, effectively reduced mating of spruce budworm moths, Choristoneura fumiferana (Clem.), in the laboratory. The results suggest that different behavioural and physiological processes may be occurring in pheromonal attraction and close range mating prevention in the spruce budworm.

It is known that selenium is highly toxic to mammals (1, 3) and to some insects (6, 8). Aphids cannot tolerate any appreciable quantities of selenium in host plants (4, 5, 10). A selenium content higher than 5 p.p.m. in cotton plants was reported toxic to cotton stainers (Dysdercus howardi Ballou) and to pink bollworm (Platyedia gossypiella Saund.) (6, 8).

Photoperiods influence diapause beyond the maternal generation in Cotesia vestalis (Haliday) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). The sizes, 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E), and juvenile hormone III (JH III) contents in the G1 diapausing prepupae, G0 nondiapausing prepupae, adults, and G1 eggs from C. vestalis cultures reared under three photoperiods (8:16 hours light:dark, 12:12 hours light:dark, and 16:8 hours light:dark) were measured to investigate the hormones’ roles on maternal information transmission and diapause regulation. Results showed that the body size of G1 diapausing prepupae was significantly larger than that of G0 nondiapausing prepupae. The sizes of G0 prepupae, female abdomens, and G1 eggs under eight-hour light were significantly larger than those under 16-hour light. The 20E content in diapausing prepupae was significantly lower than that in nondiapausing prepupae, whereas JH III content did not show significantly difference under the same photoperiod. The 20E content in maternal prepupae, mated females and G1 eggs decreased as the light period was reduced. Juvenile hormone III contents in G0-mated females and G1 eggs (after oviposition) under three photoperiods showed no significant differences. These findings suggest that 20E may play a critical role in diapause regulation of C. vestalis, and be used as a maternal environmental message to be transmitted to the next generation.

In seed orchards of Douglas-fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirbel) Franco (Pinaceae), located in Washington State and Oregon, United States, we tested whether catches of male Douglas-fir cone gall midges, Contarinia oregonensis Foote, in pheromone-baited traps can be used to predict the extent of galled scales (= seed loss at harvest) caused by developing larvae. In 2000, 27 experimental blocks (4–7 ha each) were selected. In each block we recorded mean numbers of (i) male C. oregonensis captured in 20 pheromone-baited Wing traps, (ii) egg-infested scales in up to 50 conelets in early spring, and (iii) galled scales in up to 50 cones in late summer. In 2001, the experiment was repeated with 20 Delta traps in each of 26 experimental blocks. Moreover, catches of C. oregonensis and nontarget insects in Delta traps and Wing traps were compared in one additional orchard block in 2001. In both years there were positive correlations between mean numbers of egg-infested and galled scales and between mean numbers of captured male C. oregonensis and mean numbers of both egg-infested and galled scales, particularly when only experimental blocks with ≥50% of trees bearing at least 5 conelets were considered. Our results suggest that 4 or 2 captured male C. oregonensis in Wing or Delta traps, respectively, warrant insecticidal control of C. oregonensis. Delta traps, which captured fewer nontarget insects, would be more suitable than Wing traps for operational implementation of this technology.

Five species of leafhoppers in the genus Erythroneura subgenus Erythridula have been collected and reared on birch hosts in New Brunswick. These species, E. cornipes Beamer, E. sinua Johnson, E. noeva (Gillette), E. aspera Beamer and Griffith, and E. betulaspera Richards and Varty, have similar seasonal histories and habits, but there are differences in their host relationships and ecology. The morphology of adults and nymphs is described and illustrated.

Laboratory observations revealed that late-instar larvae of the eastern spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana (Clemens)) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) spend most of their time spinning, wandering, and resting; less than 10% is spent feeding. Larvae feed in a discontinuous pattern of short feeding bouts separated by much longer intervals of nonfeeding activity. Over a 2 h observation period, feeding bouts averaged 2.2 min and were separated by 17.4 min intervals for 4th-instar larvae as compared to 3.3 min bouts separated by 33.4 min intervals for 5th-instar larvae. The duration of a feeding bout was positively correlated with the duration of the subsequent interval, not with the duration of preceding intervals, suggesting that feeding-bout frequency is governed primarily by post-ingestion processes. It is postulated that short feeding bouts followed by long intervals limit the window for ingesting an efficacious dose of aerially applied insecticides such as Bacillus thuringiensis.