Populations of native North American parasitoids attacking Agrilus Curtis (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) species have recently been considered as part of an augmentative biological control programme in an attempt to manage emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire, a destructive wood-boring beetle discovered in North America in 2002. We evaluate trapping methods to detect and monitor populations of two important native larval parasitoids, Phasgonophora sulcata Westwood (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae) and Atanycolus Förster (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) species, attacking emerald ash borer in its introduced range. We found that purple prism traps captured more P. sulcata than green prism traps, yellow pan traps, and log samples and thus were considered better for detecting and monitoring P. sulcata populations. Trap type did not affect the number of captures of Atanycolus species. Surprisingly, baiting prism traps with a green leaf volatile or manuka oil did not significantly increase captures of P. sulcata or Atanycolus species. Based on these results, unbaited purple prism traps would be optimal for sampling these native emerald ash borer parasitoids in long-term management programmes.

In February, 1951, specimens of chrysanthemum stools received from a nurseryman near Sardis, British Columbia, were found to be injured by maggots. Examination showed dipterous larvae feeding in channels bored in the centres of the roots, crowns, and new shoots.

As available literature contained no reference to an insect having this habit in chrysanthemums, material was caged for rearing. Adults began emerging on March 17, and were determined by Mr. J. F. McAlpine, Systematic Entomology, Division of Entomology, Ottawa, as Psila nigricornis Meig. This was a new record for North America.

Dietary honey bee royal jelly increases insect growth rates and adult body size. Royal jelly as a dietary supplement could enhance mass insect production by increasing the body size of mass-reared model species. To determine the effect of royal jelly on a cricket species, Gryllodes sigillatus Walker (Orthoptera: Gryllidae), farmed for human consumption, we ran two experiments. We tested the dose-dependent response of G. sigillatus to royal jelly using a range of diets across 0–30% w/w royal jelly. We also measured the individual-level life history responses to royal jelly over time by individually rearing G. sigillatus nymphs on two separate diets: half were fed a commercial cricket diet, and half were fed the same diet mixed with 15% w/w fresh royal jelly. We found sex-dependent effects: females fed the royal jelly diet were 30% heavier, and this effect was driven by significantly longer abdomens containing 67% more eggs compared to those fed the standard diet. Female mass was optimised at approximately 17% w/w royal jelly. Our results reveal that although a royal jelly dietary supplement can increase the yield of mass-reared insects, the life history responses are species and sex specific.

Carvalho and Usinger (1957) divided the North American genus Dacerla Signoret, 1881, into two. Dacerla now contains those species with a spinelike projection on the posterior margin of the pronotum, and Paradacerla Carvalho and Usinger contains those species wqithout a spinelike projection.

In this paper Paradacerla species and Dacerla mediospinosa are compared, especially concerning the genitalic characters, and a new species, P. hirsuta, is described. Distinguishing external characters of the species and a key toParadacerla are provided

Using aerial sketch map data spanning more than 1 000 000 km2 across Canada, I use cluster analysis to show that outbreaks of forest tent caterpillar, Malacosoma disstria Hübner (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae), through the 20th century have occurred regularly every decade or so; however, there are two distinct aspects to the patterning of outbreaks. The dominant mode of variability is a nonrecurring pattern of singular spike anomalies, lasting just a few years, that are regional in extent but are not synchronised across the country. The regional time series derived from cluster analysis that are dominated by these singular spike eruptions exhibit extreme skewness and kurtosis, are not stationary in mean or variance, and are not amenable to classical time-series analysis. Although these regional-scale eruptive anomalies tend to occur periodically in aggregate, their central location always varies in an unpredictable manner, resulting in aperiodic local behaviour. Range-wide periodicity is thus an emergent property from asynchronous, aperiodic eruptions aggregated across regions. The second mode of variability is a low-amplitude fluctuation of weak periodicity that is weakly synchronised across the country. These observations support a hybrid cyclic–eruptive theory of outbreak occurrence that is not consistent with the simpler idea of spatially synchronised cycling.

The wasps belonging in this family have a peculiar habitus quite their own. The head is always wider than the thorax, the front wings have three cubital cells, while the abdomen, in nearly all the species, has usually a strong constriction between the first and second segments, the first segment being most frequently much narrowed. In only a single genus, Trachypus, Klug., is the abdomen distinctly petiolated. The eyes are large and normal, but occasionally exhibit a slight emargination within, and, more rarely, with a distinct emargination, or reniform as in Trypoxylon and Pison. Most of the species have the abdomen strongly punctured or punctate, and have also a constriction between all the abdominal sutures, although some also have the abdomen smooth and polished, and are without a constriction at the sutures.

Hexacola sp. near websteri (Crawford), an imported larval–pupal parasite of Hippelates eye gnats, was reared in the laboratory on this host and its immature stages were diagrammed. The duration of each stage at 26 °C was as follows: egg, 2 days; first instar larva, 2 days; second instar larva, 3 days; third instar larva, 4 days; and pupa, 6–7 days. The morphological characters are compared with those of related species and the feeding activity of the larva is described.

One of the more interesting details of a recent investigation of the mosquitoes of the Rocky Mountains Park, Alberta, was the finding of Aedes nearcticus Dyar—a mosquito hitherto considered to be restricted to the Arctic regions of Europe and North America. A few specimens were first taken at Lake Louise in 1921, when Mr. Arthur Gibson, the Dominion Entomologist, and the writer made a brief survey of mosquito conditions. In 1922 further specimens came to hand through the kindness of Mr. N. B. Sanson who sent the writer living larvae collected at Simpson's Summit at about 7000 feet. Adults were successfully reared from these. During 1924 and 1925 a number of trips were made by the writer and his assistant, Mr. A. G. Mail, to secure data on this interesting species, and several hundred specimens of larvae, and both sexes of adults were taken.

To our knowledge, reports of Betula spp. resistance against damage caused by the birch leafminer, Fenusa pusilla (Lepeletier), have not been published. Becker (1938), Friend (1933), and Johnson and Lyon (1976) stated that B. populifolia Marsh., B. papyrifera Marsh., and B. alba L. are the most commonly attacked species. Friend (1933) and Johnson and Lyon (1976) stated that B. lenta L., B. alleghaniensis Britt, and B. nigra L. have never been observed infested or are rarely fed upon.

Argynnis cybele Fabr. is generally distinguished from the closely allied A.aphrodite Fabr. by the following two features : (I) the veins of the central area of the primaries in the male sex are thickened by sex-scales; (2) on the underside of the secondaries the yellow submarginal band is broad and clear and not invaded by the red-brown color of the basal section.

While collecting in Nova Scotia during the months of June aud July, 1934, at South Milford and at White Point Beach, near Liverpool, I took a series of an Argynnid which struck me at the time as strongly resembling aphrodite on the underside but which on the upperside of the forewings showed the heavy sex-scaling on the veins in the male sex which would consequently indicate cybele.

Twice as many larvae of the dark-sided cutworm, Euxoa messoria Harr., were found in rye fall-seeded tobacco field plots than in winter-fallowed tobacco field plots. There were corresponding differences in numbers of injured tobacco plants. Cutworm aggregations were more prominent in the winter rye than in the winter fallowed area of the tobacco field with low populations of dark-sided cutworms.

Larvae of the variegated cutworm, Peridroma saucia Hbn., appeared 2 to 4 weeks later than dark-sided cutworm larvae and winter cultural methods had little effect on their numbers.

Sitona lineatus (Linnaeus) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is an important pest of Pisum sativum Linnaeus (Fabaceae) and Vicia faba Linnaeus (Fabaceae). Managing S. lineatus is difficult. There is currently no forecast that can be used to predict S. lineatus population densities between growing seasons (when management decisions are made). Sitona lineatus populations are monitored in spring by assessing adult-induced feeding damage. We assume the quantity of feeding damage is indicative of population density. However, the effects of abiotic factors, including temperature, on feeding rate are not known. We assessed the effects of temperature, population density, and sex on S. lineatus feeding rate by counting feeding notches on host plants exposed to adult weevils for 24 hours at four densities and under five temperature regimes. Individual females consumed more than male weevils. As expected, feeding damage increased with weevil density. The influence of temperature increased as weevil densities increased. Feeding rate did not differ between constant and fluctuating temperature regimes of equal mean daily temperature. Thus, a model based on mean daily temperature may predict weevil density if temperature and damage levels are known. Historical survey data for S. lineatus could be used to develop and validate new models.

The length of mature, fusiform plasmatocytes is a suitable character for distinguishing between last instar larvae of the closely related species Euxoa annir (Streck) and E. lutulenta (Smith). This is a consistent character for a number of Euxoa species, but unreliable in E. altera (McD) where it changed in constant fashion during this stage. The relationship between plasmatocyte length and the duration of aestivation was also examined and showed no clear correlation.

The first paper of this series is in the January number of this Journal (pp. 9–14); the second is in the April issue of the Journal of the New York Entomological Society. The present instalment deals chiefly with species found in the Western Provinces of British America and a few others that are likely to occur there. The determination of a new species of Rancora from Calgary and Manitoba makes some general remarks on that genus timely. There is a number of excellent collectors now hard at work on th Noctuid fauna of that general region an extending westward to Vancouver, whose work deserves the greatest praise and to whose efforts is due the development of a totally new faunal region for this family of moths.

Neophasia Terlootii was described a great many years ago, and the description being in Latin, it is not surprising that Dr. strecker overlooked it in the hurry to publish his description of the female I sent him, which he supposed had not been previously described. It is a little surprising, however, that Dr. Skinner, who had the first opportunity to examine one of my examples of Terlootii, should have failed to recognize the generic characters of the insect until Dr. Strecker's description as Neophasia epyaxa was published.

To the courtesy of some of my correspondents from British North America I owe a series of specimens, some of which proved undescribed. The species sent by Dr. Fletcher is of some economic importance, and its prompt description seems desirable. The other species have been in MSS. for sonle time, and were intended to form part of a lengthy deescriptive paper. Their publication together at this time gives this contribution a somewhat faunal character.