Though historically noted as one of the most noxious pests of vines in Europe, California, and other places where vinifera-type grapes are grown extensively, the grape phylloxera, Phylloxera vitifoliae (Fitch), was for many years of little concern to grape growers in Canada. In the Niagara Peninsula, where more than 98% of Ontario grapes, and more than 95% of Canadian wine grapes, are grown, the insect has been known for many years in its most conspicuous form, in galls on the leaves of wild grapes and a few unimportant cultivated varieties. The more infamous root form was known to be present, but the resistance of the older American varieties growing in most of the vineyards was regarded as sufficient protection from a native American pest that at one time threatened to destroy the French wine industry.

The role of insects as pollinators within plant communities is well established, yet our knowledge of insect biodiversity in many habitats is lacking. Given the growing concern that insect biodiversity is declining, it is increasingly important to document insect assemblages from a wide range of geographic locations and habitats. Pan trapping is a common means of sampling local insect diversity. Many studies have found different insects associated with different-coloured pan traps. Here, eight different-coloured pan traps were used to sample local insect diversity in habitats supporting Platanthera (bog and rein) orchids on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. A total of 16 sites supporting seven orchid species resulted in 435 insects from 53 families being caught over 64.9 hours of pan trapping. Both Shannon and Simpson diversity index values were low despite sampling in markedly different habitats. Yellow traps caught higher numbers of insects, but no statistical difference was found among colours overall. No activity indicating pollination was recorded from a total of 254 insect observations over 21.5 hours. Our results contribute important baseline data on the diversity and behaviour of insect communities in orchid habitats of Vancouver Island and on the use of pan traps to characterise insect communities.

To the great kindness of Prof. French I owe a copy of the Bulletin of the U. S. National Museum No 38, which contains Prof. Smith's Revision of the North American Species of Agrotis. In view of the fact that out of the 252 species reviewed by Prof. Smith, no less than 110 are credited to myself, besides five species “not placed,” it might be reasonably supposed that I was interested to receive this publication and that I must regret not having received it before publishing my New Check List.

While preparing the Agrilus portion for a handbook on the Buprestidae of Canada and Alaska, an item of nomenclatural interest was discovered. I wish to thank Dr. G. H. Nelson, Pomona, California for his review of this note.

Gilbert and Raworth (1996) propose a general theory to explain the effects of temperature on the development and growth rates of insects. The theory is evolutionary rather than physiological. They propose that insects are selected for a high rate of increase (i.e., rapid growth and large size) in spring, and for rapid development in summer. They claim that these selection pressures explain five “puzzles:” (1) the linearity of the relationship between development rate and temperature, (2) a reduction in the genetic variation of development rate at high temperature (i.e., average midsummer temperature), (3) a reduction in the genetic variation of growth rate at low temperature (i.e., average spring temperature), (4) slow development at the time of emergence after overwintering, and (5) a greater reduction in development rate than growth rate at low temperature.

A new leaf-mining nepticulid was discovered in Ontario in 1957 during a study of leaf-mining sawflies on birch in the province (Lindquist, 1959). Severe browning of white birch foliage in the Bruce Peninsula in 1958 precipitated an investigation on the identity, biology, and distribution of the species. Adults obtained in the spring of 1959 were tentatively identified as Nepticula sp. by T. N. Freeman, Entomology Research Institute, Ottawa. An introductory note on the life history of the species was published in 1960 (Lindquist, 1960) and distribution data have been recorded since 1958 in the Annual Report of the Forest Insect and Disease Survey of Canada. Freeman (1962) described the adult stage and assigned the name Nepticula lindquisti to this species.

In the Report of the Entomologist and Botanist to the Dominion Experimental Farms for 1905, at pages 179 and 180, considerable space is given to a discussion of an outbreak of a large noctuid caterpillar, which appeared in considerable numbers in Canada during 1905. Complaints of injury by this insect were received from a wide area, extending from Nova Scotia as far west as Lake Superior. During July many kinds of plants in gardens were attacked by smooth cutworm-like caterpillas, which when small were greenish in colour, having the body divided into two equal areas above and below the spiracles by a wide black stigmatal band.

Rev. Cyrus Thomas, in his Acrididæ of North America, page 132, says: “There are no permanent characters by which to distinguish alcoholic specimens of Œdipoda corallipes, Haldemanii, paradoxa and rugosa from each other.” He therefore considers them the same. Probably Œ. discoidea might be considered as another as another variety of the same. This much named grasshopper is abundant in Nebraska from the middle of June to about the middle of August.

In 1972, an organophosphate resistant strain of the phytoseiid predator Amblyseius fallacis (Garman) from Michigan compared favourably with the endemic Typhlodromus occidentalis Nesbitt, from Summerland, B.C., in laboratory and greenhouse trials against European red mite, Panonychus ulmi (Koch), and was later released into an orchard. By August 1972, A. fallacis had decreased whereas population densities of T. occidentalis increased. Examination of leaves and bark from the trees, and weeds, grass, and litter beneath the trees in 1973 confirmed that A. fallacis failed to survive in the Okanagan environment.

In 1925 Cushman (Jl. Wash. Acad. Sci., XV, 392) transferred Meniscus mirabilis Cress. to the genus Asphragis, and synonymized with it Asphragis pulcherrimus Ashm., Clistopyga pleuralis Ashm. and Meniscus ostentator Davis. Up to the present this species has constituted the only representative of the genus reported from the United States and Canada.

Observations were made during 1967 to 1969 at Ithaca, N.Y., supplemented by collections at New Cumberland and Carlisle, Pa., on arthropods associated with fungi occurring on alfalfa, Medicago saliva L. Five species of Coleoptera, two species of Diptera, one species each of Collembola and Psocoptera, and nine species of Acari were reared or collected consistently from fungus-covered alfalfa leaves, stems, and seed pods. Attraction to fungi on the plants, principally Alternaria sp., accounted for the presence on alfalfa of arthropod species that normally might be considered as accidentals or visitors. The mycetophagous species thus contributed to the richness of the alfalfa fauna. Immature stages of several species were collected only in late fall or on 3- or 4-year-old plants. The possible role of the fungus-feeding species in seasonal changes in the alfalfa fauna and changes in the fauna in successive years is discussed.

Ramakrishnaia is a south Indian genus of Pyrgomorphidae related to Colemania. A lectotype for the type species of the latter, C. sphenarioides, is here designated. Two species of Ramakrishnaia have hitherto been described: the type species, R. notabilis (for which a lectotype is here designated), and R. raoi. R. gracilis, a new species from Coorg, is described. R. raoi, on the basis of its phallic structures and external morphology, is removed to a new genus, Nilgiracris.

The following brief account of the formation and growth of the Lyman Entomological Museum, and of some of the main figures associated with it, is not intended to be complete in detail. For those readers who wish further information a list of references is included. These are not referred to in the text.

Entomology began in this country, and indeed in most countries, as a direct result of the efforts and interest of amateur naturalists. The Lyman Entomological Museum began in this way. Henry Herbert Lyman was a pioneer entomologist of Canada, and although his busines commitments were extensive, he still made time to follow his primary interest, studying and collecting Lepidoptera.

H. Mourier (1965) described a “novelty effect” in the response of houseflies, Musca domestica L., to a “new object” (usually a 15×15 cm square black tile) placed on the floor of their cage. On its first introduction into their familiar environment, the tile appeared highly attractive and received many visits. The number of visits thereafter decreased and approached a constant level after about 20 min. If the tile was then removed and replaced after an interval of less than 5 min there was no novelty receptivity, but this gradually returned as the time the tile was out of the cage was more and more extended. After 40–60 minutes the response was equal to the “new object” attractiveness. The flies did not seem to miss the tile when it was removed (Mourier, pers. comm., 1971).

The author of this paper is indebted to Dr. C. P. Gillette of the Colorado State Agricultural College for the privilege of studying a part of the State College's collection of Siphonaptera, in which were found the two new species described below. Unfortunately the specimens of these two new species are somewhat mutilated but after careful examination it is possible to publish the following descriptions.

The species of Bothromus Townes and Townes are discussed from the standpoint of their taxonomy, distribution and hosts; and a revised key to species is presented. Bothromus bicolor n. sp. is described from Alberta, British Columbia, Quebec, South Dakota and Washington.

In 1947, while a caragana breeding improvement program was being carried out on the Forest Nursery Station, Indian Head, Saskatchewan, it was discovered that a large percentage of seed was being destroyed by an insect. This insect, the caragana seed chalcid, which interfered seriously with the plant breeding work, is apparently identical with the Russian Bruchophagus caraganae (Nik.) (Nikol'skaya, 1952).