Our present day concepts of the classification of insects are the result of a long period of development in the observations and thinking of the early naturalists, zoologists, and in more recent times, the more specialized entomologists. We are now so far removed from the original concepts on which the early classifications were based that many of us fail to realize that the systematic arrangement of animals, and particularly the invertebrates, was long a difficult and complicated problem which gave risk to much confusion. It may, therefore, be profitable as well as interesting to review the development of insect classification with respect to the ideas that have had a profound influence on the subject, and the men who have proposed these ideas and exerted the greatest influence. So, I propose to attempt to examine, evaluate and report to you some of the more important ideas and episodes in the development of this phase of insect taxonomy.

During an investigation of California Tortricinae, I had the opportunity to study Archipsini in the Canadian National Collection from western North America, and the following two species became evident. It seems appropriate to describe them at the present time because of their potential concern to Canadian forest entomologists and in order to make the names availalble for N. S. Obraztsov's projected generic revision and catalogue of Nearctic Tortricinae.

Lectotypes are designated for Cryphalus amabilis Chamberlin and C. grandis Chamberlin. The lectotypes are in the Canadian National Collection, Ottawa.

The macadamia nut borer, Gymnandrosoma aurantianum Lima (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), is the main pest of Macadamia integrifolia Maiden and Betche (Proteaceae) in Central America. We identified five compounds in female sex pheromone gland extracts, (E)-8-dodecenyl acetate, tetradecyl acetate, dodecyl acetate, (E)-8-dodecenol, and (Z)-8-dodecenyl acetate, in a ratio of 100:44.9:33.4:6.5:1.2, respectively, from Guatemalan populations of this insect. All compounds except tetradecyl acetate elicited electroantennography responses in two- to five-day-old males. In field tests, traps baited with single compounds did not capture males, except for the major component (E)-8-dodecenyl acetate. Mixtures of (E)-8-dodecenyl acetate with secondary components were active in field tests, but the number of G. aurantianum males trapped did not differ between these mixtures and (E)-8-dodecenyl acetate alone. Doses of more than 1 mg (1.5 or 2 mg) of the major component did not significantly increase capture. The gradual loss of the amount of (E)-8-dodecenyl acetate in rubber septa under field conditions indicates that septa should be renewed every four weeks. In conclusion, the addition of secondary components to the major component of the sex pheromone gland contents does not improve capture of G. aurantianum males. Our results demonstrate that 1 mg of (E)-8-dodecenyl acetate could be used as an attractant for monitoring populations of this moth.

As if the apple tree with its sixty or more insect enemies were not sufficiently afflicted, a distant relative of the Canker-worm has been making itself so notorious in Georgia, as to give apprehension of the total destruction of apple orchards in the locality infested. The insect complained of is Eugonia subsignaria Pack., a measuring worm which at times has been a veritable nuisance upon shade trees in New York and Philadelphia.

In pursuance of my duties as a Special Agent of the Census Office (in the fruit interest), and through subsequent correspondence, the following facts were obtained from Mr. Adam Davenport, of Fannin County, in the State named. In his first communication, received some months since, it is stated that the worm made its appearance upon Rich Mountain, a spur of the Blue Ridge, about four years ago, attacking forest and fruit trees; and that it had since spread over a large area, doing great damage. Apple trees in June last were as destitute of leaves as in mid-winter, the fruit growing to the size of marbles and falling off.

Two species of moths are known to kill shoots of larch (Larix) by mining them: Argyresthia laricella Kearfott in Canada and A. laevigatella Herrick-Schäffer in Europe. The biology and economic status of these insects are compared by Eidt and Sippell (1961).

Opinions differ as to whether the Argyresthia on larch in Europe are one, two, or three species (Edwards, 1911; Grosvenor, 1911; Adkin, 1918). Beirne (1942) believes that only one species is involved but Kratochvil (1943), who did not know of Beirne's work, recognized two species. A. atmoriella Bankes in England and Silesia; A. laevigatella in central Europe. I have referred to all European material as A. laevigatella.

This new form was founded by my friend, Mr. James Behrens, of San Francisco, at Upper Soda Springs, Sisikiyou County, near Mount Shasta. The hind wings and abdomen are wanting, but the fore wings are present and in a very fair state fo presevation.

Attention is called to some characters used by the writer. The dorso-central bristles are numbered from the anterior edge of the mesonotum designating the bristle in front of the transverse suture as the first dorso-central. Hering (1927) numbers them in the reverse direction calling the bristle in front of the transverse suture the fourth dorso-central. Previous papers on the chaetotaxy of Diptera have not numbered the dorso-central bristles. The number and arrangement of the setae along the lower and hind margin of the cheeks also lend good characters. The writer speaks of the cheeks collectively as the portion between the eyes and the mouth including the gena or wangen arrd the bucca. The term occiput has been used to designate the whole of the back of the head. The color of the occiput has been found valuable especially when the yellow of the cheeks continues back of the eye. In some cases the yellow of the cheeks is interrupted near the vertex by the black of the occiput.

Some time ago Prof. C. F. Baker sent me a lot of small bees collected by Dr. R. E. Kunzé at phoenix, Arizona, May 12, 1897, “on willows and various low herbs.” I have examined these with interest, as they belong to genera not recorded from that region; they prove to be as follows:

(1.) Perdita salicis, Ckll., 1896.–♂. ♀. Very many specimens.

(2.) Prosapis messilae, Ckll., 1896.–A few, mostly males.

(3.) Halictus meliloti, Ckll., 1895.–One ♀.

(4.) Halictus pseudotegularis, Ckll., 1896.–On April 12, 1897, I took at flowers of Sisymbrium, in Messila, N. M., a single Halictus which differed decidedly from Illinois H. tegularis, but, to my surprise, almost agreed with the Mexican H. pseudotegularis, except that the wings were clear. Now, among the Arizona bees I find examples of pseudotegularis with slightly dusky wings, as in the type, of that species; the second submarginal cell is noticeably smaller than in tegularis, and receives the recurrent nervure further from its end.

When writing (p. 330) on the genus Apista, F. Smith, 1861, I unfortunately overlooked the fact that the generic name is long preoccupied (Apista, Hübn, 1816, and the similar Apistus, Cuvier, 1829). The bee genus from Brazil may therefore be known as Egapista, n. n., type Egapista opalina (Apista opalina, Smith).

I find that the name of the African bee-genus Serapis, F. Smith, 1854, is also preoccupied (Serapis, Link, 1830); it may be changed to Serapista; type Serapista denticulata (Serapis denticulatus, Smith).

The name Eumorpha proposed by Friese for a group of bees, is also preoccupied. The group Rhodocentris, Friese, includes the type of the prior Heterocentries, Ckll.; so the latter name must be used for the group, unless (as seems probable) it can be divided.

Twenty-five varieties of common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and 25 durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) grown in the Western Canadian Co-operative Tests were studied at Morden, Manitoba, in 1964, for their resistance to natural infestation by a spider mite, Tetranychus sinhai Baker. Some of these were heavily infested whereas others showed no infestation. The differences were statistically significant. Generally, the commonly grown varieties, such as, Selkirk, Thatcher, Ramsey, Stewart were resistant, but some of the hybrid varieties, such as Sask. 6070, Q2331-5 under test were susceptible.

Optical brighteners were recently discovered to function as UV protectants for baculoviruses of insects (Shapiro 1992) and, also, to enhance entomopathogenic activity of these viruses (Hamm and Shapiro 1992; Li and Otvos 1999a). Enhancement of viral activity by brighteners varied greatly from one virus–host system to another: for example, from 1500-fold in LdMNPV against Lymantria dispar (L.) (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) (Argauer and Shapiro 1997) to 2- to 13-fold in a multicapsid nuclear polyhedrosis virus of Choristoneura fumiferana (Clemens) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) (CfMNPV) against Choristoneura occidentalis Freeman (Li and Otvos 1999a). The reason for this variation in enhancement of viral activity is still unknown. In this study, we used CfMNPV to compare the levels of viral enhancement by an optical brightener between C. occidentalis and C. fumiferana.

Calliopsis andreniformis is a panurgine bee that inhabits much, if not all, of the eastern area of the United States. It is a small inconspicuous species. The females are about 8 mm. in length, exclusive of antennae, quite robust, general color gray, abdomen fasciate, maculation luteous. The males are more slender, smaller, maculation yellow, face and legs entirely yellow.