The insect commensal microbiota consists of prokaryotes and eukaryotes. We explored the effect of diet and the persistence of the gut microbiota across generations in Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae). We transferred subsets of a single population of D. suzukii to different fruit-based diets (blueberry (Vaccinium Linnaeus; Ericaceae), raspberry (Rubus Linnaeus; Rosaceae), and strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duchesne; Rosaceae)) for three generations and then returned them to a common, banana-based, diet. We used 16S rDNA (Bacteria) and ITS (internal transcribed spacer; Fungi) sequencing of female endosymbiont-free flies to identify the microbiota. We identified 2700 bacterial and 350 fungal operational taxonomic units (OTUs); there was no correlation between the number of bacterial and fungal OTUs in a sample. Bacterial communities were dominated by Proteobacteria (especially Acetobacteraceae); Ascomycota dominated the fungal communities. Species diversity of both bacteria and fungi differed among diets, but there were no differences in species-level diversity when these D. suzukii were returned to a control diet. A principle coordinates analysis revealed no differences in the bacterial or fungal community in the first generation on fruit diets, but that the communities diverged over the next two generations; neither fungal and bacterial communities converged after one generation on control food. We conclude that diet changes the D. suzukii microbiota, and that these changes persist for more than one generation.

Newly moulted sixth instar larvae of spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana, were force fed graded dosages of preparations containing (1) purified crystals, (2) purified spores, and (3) mg/mg mixtures of purified spores and purified crystals. The LD50 for purified crystals was 0.094 μg/larva and for the mixture 0.096 μg/larva but the latter preparation had an LD50 of 0.048 μg/larva based on crystals indicating that the presence of 2.4 × 105 spores enhanced the toxicity of crystals twofold. The LD50 spore crystal corresponded to LD60 for crystals alone. The LD50 for spores treated with proteinase to remove residual crystals was 20 μg/larva, or 1,0 × 108 spores. The regression coefficients were not significantly different from each other in all three preparations indicating a common or similar mode of action. It is concluded that spores play little or no role in mortality of spruce budworm induced by Bacillus thuringiensis insecticides.

Females of species in Cicindela have a groove or pit in the mesepisternum which is concluded to be a mating structure, "coupling sulcus," that is held by the mandibles of the male. Six character states of the coupling sulcus are described, and may be useful for identification at the species and species group levels. Primitive (groove) and advanced (cavity) states of the coupling sulcus are derived by comparison with a classification of North and South American Cicindela based on the male genitalia. I suggest the following hypothesis: the female mating structure evolved in response to the highly agile behaviour of diurnal tiger beetles; the advanced cavity-like coupling sulcus is a result of population adjustments to long periods of hot conditions; and the non-agile, crepuscular, and nocturnal habits of primitive tiger beetles such as Amblycheila, Omus, and Megacephala have resulted in no selection for a female mesepisternum coupling sulcus.

The soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsamura (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is a pest of soybeans in the People's Republic of China, Korea, Thailand, Japan, North Borneo, Malaya, and the Philippines (Blackman and Eastop 2000). It was first identified in North America in 2000 from soybean fields in 10 states in the north-central United States of America, although the route of entry and time of introduction are not known (North Central Regional Pest Alert 2001). Dai and Fan (1991) reported that yield losses caused by soybean aphids on soybeans in the People's Republic of China were greater when the crop was infested soon after planting, and the presence of large populations of the aphid throughout the growing season resulted in 20%–30% yield losses. The soybean aphid can also transmit several viruses that infect soybeans in North America, including alfalfa mosaic, soybean mosaic, bean yellow mosaic, peanut mottle, peanut stunt, and peanut stripe (Hartman et al. 2001). In North America, the soybean aphid is known to transmit soybean mosaic virus and alfalfa mosiac virus (Hill et al. 2001). A survey of Ontario soybean fields revealed the presence of tobacco ring spot virus, soybean mosiac virus, and bean pod mottle virus (Michelutti et al. 2001); all of which could potentially be spread by this newly introduced aphid.

Mindarus abietinus Koch causes leaf-curl and shoot-stunting of the new foliage of Fraser fir in North Carolina. Although this injury usually has a minimal impact on the trees' health and vigor, the injury can reduce the aesthetic quality and hence the marketability of Christmas trees. The overwintering egg gives rise to the fundatrix in late March. In May and June the fundatriginia and sexuparae appear. In June the sexuales are produced and by late June oviposition has occurred. The egg remains dormant until the following spring. The within-crown distribution of the various life stages is presented. Most of the injury can be minimized by maintaining vigorous growth, and timing necessary insecticide applications. Under most circumstances chemical control should only be considered during the last year or two before harvest. Dimethoate, pirimicarb, acephate, or chlorpyrifos will provide adequate control after egg hatch but before bud break.

The Lygus complex was treated as a number of genera and subgenera in a recent paper (Kelton, 1955). The genus Liocoris Fieber now contains the economically important species, the pratensis group, referred to collectively in the literature as the “lygus” bugs.

In the Prairie Provinces of Canada, several species of the pratensis group are of economic importance mainly in the growing of alfalfa seed, especially in the north-central agricultural region and in the irrigated areas of the southwest. A review of the names used in dealing with these pests on the Canadian prairies showed that most of them were based on misidentifications, although fortunately the use of the names has been fairly consistent. Such widely recorded and used names of Lygus pratensis (L.) and L. elisus Van D. have each been used for specimens of another species, and L. hesperus Kngt. for those of three other species.

The recognition of four taxa within the calligraphus species group of the genus Ips DeGeer is supported by breeding experiments, karyology, morphology, ecology, and distributions. Ips calligraphus calligraphus (Germar) occurs in the eastern United States and adjacent parts of Canada. Ips c. ponderosae (Swaine) occurs in the range of Pinus ponderosa in the Black Hills, eastern Rocky Mountains, and in the northern Sierra Madre Oriental in Mexico. Ips c. interstitialis (Eichhoff) occurs in the Caribbean Archipelago but the homogeneity of populations on the islands of Hispaniola and Jamaica and the true type locality are uncertain. Ips apache Lanier infests various pines (excluding pinyon pines) at lower altitudes from southeastern Arizona through Mexico. Populations south of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Caribbean pines on the east coast of Central America are provisionally considered to be I. apache. Pairings of female I. calligraphus subspecies with male I. apache were infertile. Reciprocal pairing produced rare, sterile hybrids. Fertility of I. calligraphus subspecies was normal when I. c. calligraphus was the female but reduced when the female was either I. c. ponderosae or I. c. interstitialis. All members of the group had 15 pairs of autosomes plus a sex bivalent (2n = 32) that assumed a “parachute” configuration to give a male meiotic formula of 15 AA + Xyp. Second meiosis chromosomes of I. apache lack some of the heterochromatic arms present in I. calligraphus. Meiotic divisions of rare interspecific hybrids (I. apache ♀ × I. calligraphus s. lato ♂) had numerous autosomal rearrangements, a possible translocation, and oversized (probably tetraploid) spermatozoa. Meiosis was mostly normal in intersubspecific hybrids, but the presence of occasional anaphase bridges or nonmigrating chromosomes and alignment of pachytene homologs revealed inversions and other possible rearrangements. Univariate and multivariate analyses of pars stridens strial width, pronotal width, and male genitalia revealed significant differences among all four taxa.

Four different types of insect viruses have been isolated from the eastern spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana (Clem.), but most research efforts have been concentrated on developing the nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NPV) as a viable control agent (Cunningham 1985). There are no published reports of LD50 values for this important forest pest. Recently, a LC50 of 483 viral polyhedra per square millimetre of diet surface for fifth-instar budworm larvae was determined using surface contamination feeding techniques (Cunningham et al. 1983). Because the dosages used in efficacy trials are derived from laboratory LD50 values, experiments were conducted to determine the virulence of this NPV to eastern spruce budworm. Bioassays were conducted with all feeding instars. Reported here are values for the LD50 dosages for third-, fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-instar spruce budworm larvae.

Anatoecus Cummings (Phthiraptera: Philopteridae) is a genus of chewing lice with four species infesting Anseriformes in North America: Anatoecus cygni (Denny), Anatoecus dentatus (Scopoli), Anatoecus icterodes (Nitzsch), and Anatoecus penicillatus Kéler. Males of A. dentatus and A. icterodes are distinguishable by their genitalia; however, there are no known anatomical characteristics to distinguish females. Anatoecus dentatus and A. icterodes are recorded from at least 55 of the same host species worldwide. The mitochondrial gene cytochrome c oxidase subunit I was examined from the four Anatoecus species, specifically to examine the taxonomic status of A. dentatus and A. icterodes. When sequences from these species were analysed using neighbour joining analysis, A. dentatus and A. icterodes were recovered in a well-supported cluster. However, A. dentatus and A. icterodes were mixed within the same cluster. The average interspecific genetic distance of A. dentatus and A. icterodes (0.04%) was almost the same as the average intraspecific genetic distances of A. dentatus and A. icterodes 0.02% and 0.05%, respectively. Therefore, we formally synonymise A. dentatus and A. icterodes as Anatoecus dentatus (new synonymy). In addition two new hosts for A. penicillatus were recorded: Branta canadensis (Linnaeus) (Anseriformes: Anatidae) and Chen caerulescens (Linnaeus) (Anseriformes: Anatidae).

Allozymes at several polymorphic loci were assayed in larval collections of 12 recognized species and two possible new species of Choristoneura and two species of Archips. Most of the 48 collections came from high density populations, and those of C. fumiferana, C. occidentalis, and C. pinus represented much of the geographic range of these species. Mean percentage heterozygosity ranged from 2.0 to 18.6%, based on nine polymorphic loci. Three loci are sex-linked in C. fumiferana, two in C. pinus and C. occidentalis and probably in some other members of the group. Allozymes of aspartate transaminase (AAT-1) were most varied among the species and permit identification of individual C. fumiferana in better than 95% of cases. Among the group of coniferophagous Choristoneura species genetic distances were small (max. Nei = 0.232); C. fumiferana was the most distinct species. Wagner trees based on modified Rogers’ distances supported the above conclusions but indicated that separations among C. biennis, C. orae, C. occidentalis, C. carnana, C. subretiniana, and the two new species of Choristoneura were very small and probably below the species level, based on the allozymes measured.

In 2010–2011, we studied the European oak borer (EOB), Agrilus sulcicollis Lacordaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), in Michigan, United States of America, and made comparisons with the native twolined chestnut borer (TLCB), Agrilus bilineatus (Weber). EOB adult flight began and peaked before TLCB. More EOB females were captured on purple and white compared with yellow and green sticky traps. More TLCB females were captured on purple, followed by yellow, green, and white, respectively. Male EOB and TLCB did not show a significant colour preference. EOB completed development primarily from areas of artificially girdled trees where the phloem had died soon after trees were girdled, while TLCB usually developed in areas of girdled trees that had some live phloem present. Both EOB and TLCB successfully attacked and emerged from girdled Quercus alba Linnaeus, Quercus robur Linnaeus, and Quercus rubra Linnaeus (Fagaceae) trees. No live EOB or TLCB were found in two ungirdled and apparently healthy Q. robur trees that were dissected. EOB attacked and emerged from Q. alba, Q. robur, Q. rubra, and Quercus velutina Lamarck trap logs. Differences in the pronotal groove and terminal processes can be used to distinguish EOB from TLCB larvae. Five species of parasitoids were reared from EOB and four from TLCB.

Ovarian development and egg production in the larch sawfly, Pristiphora erichsonii (Hartig), were studied in the development of a method for measuring reproductive capacity for population studies. Most of the oöcytes are mature at the time of adult emergence but some mature in the following few days. Quantitative differences in foliage consumption during the larval stages have an appreciable effect on egg production but normal environmental temperature differences and exposure to flooding during the spring development period influence ovarian development only to a limited extent.

Reproductive capacity can be determined by oöcyte counts of dissected adults of uniform age. The sample size necessary for estimates of various degrees of precision was calculated.

Several size measurements have a significant correlation with the numbers of oöcytes produced. The regression of numbers of oöcytes on adult weight is of limited usefulness in the estimation of reproductive capacity. This is largely due to the individual variability in the extent to which fat body tissue is utilized in ovarian development particularly in the case of the larger adults.

Comparison of type material and series of Ips cribricollis (Eich.) and I. grandicollis (Eich.) showed that the species are readily separated by external morphology, the pars stridens of the females, and, especially, the genitalia of the males. Earlier work showed that representatives of the two species were not able to interbreed and that their chromosomes were different. These data and the discovery of the two species at the same locality in Central America are compelling reasons for recognition of these entities as separate species.

The reliability of three methods for sampling aphidophagous coccinellids and syrphids in a winter wheat field was compared.

In the first method, an observer recorded predators seen during 2 min per 25-m2 sub-plot. In the second, two observers worked successively through each plot, scanning the full height of wheat plants and collecting predators. This method enables calculation of predator density using De Lury’s technique. The third method consisted of collecting wheat plants from each sub-plot for examination in the laboratory.

The first method may be used for appraising populations of adult coccinellids on a large scale. The detailed searching method is appropriate for studies of the population dynamics of adult and fourth-instar coccinellids. The plant sampling method is the most accurate for assesssing densities of syrphid larvae and pupae.

Vertical gradients in biotic and abiotic factors may create small-scale spatial variation in arthropod communities, a phenomenon that continues to be understudied. We investigated heterogeneity in the vertical distribution of spider and beetle assemblages in the canopy of sugar maples (Acer saccharum Marshall) (Aceraceae) in a deciduous forest in eastern Canada. Comparisons across four strata (understorey [UN] through upper canopy [UC] crown) documented variation in density, diversity, and species composition. Density of all common families decreased significantly with height and overall species richness of both spiders and beetles was highest in the UN and lowest in the UC crown. We observed greater spatial variation in spider assemblages compared with beetle assemblages and documented differences in spider guild structure: web-spinning spiders were most common in the UN and jumping spiders dominated the canopy. Our results suggest that arthropod assemblages are not homogeneous with respect to vertical space and that heterogeneity exists even at the scale of several metres.

The toxic effects of a number of orchard spray chemicals on predators and parasites were given in an earlier paper (MacPhee and Sanford, 1951), which presented results obtained before 1953 and gave a list of biotic control agents, their hosts, and periods of activity. It also gave a review of the literature, showing in tabular form the effects of orchard pesticides on beneficial species.

The effects of Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis de Barjac (B.t.i.) on the feeding habits of two black fly predators, Nigronia serricornis (Say) and Acroneuria lycorias (Newman), and a detritivore, Prostoia completa (Walker), were examined. We assessed whether B.t.i.-killed and hot water-killed black fly larvae were less or more desirable to these consumers than live larvae. Nigronia larvae showed no significant differences in predation on larvae within the three categories. Acroneuria nymphs consumed more live than dead prey. Experiments with the detritivore, Prostoia, showed that they preferred dead black fly larvae to live ones. Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis treatment may have little direct effect on nontarget organisms, but these studies indicate that there still may be consequences for predators and detritivores when a viable population of larval black flies is transformed into dead organic matter.

To test the hypothesis that bark beetles and some associated insect species are attracted to ponderosa pines infected by Ceratocystis wageneri, insect visitations on 11 severely diseased, 9 moderately diseased, and 10 apparently healthy trees were monitored from 1 August to 15 October 1972. Larger numbers of Dendroctonus brevicomis, D. ponderosae, Temnochila chlorodia, and buprestids were captured on diseased trees uninfested by bark beetles than on apparently healthy ones, thus possibly indicating attraction to diseased trees. There was strong evidence that D. valens and Spondylis upiformis were attracted more frequently to wounds on diseased than on healthy trees. Arrival patterns of beetles were recorded for trees that became infested during the study. Predators became abundant on traps as bark beetle catches increased.

The chorionic structure of the main body and the specialized opercular region in the egg of Zelus exsanguis (Stål) is described. The chorionic architecture of this species is typical of the ova in the Harpactorinae.

The sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius), was accidentally imported into Canada on poinsettia, Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd., cuttings from the United States in 1987 and in 1988. The biology and population dynamics of B. tabaci were reviewed by Butler et al. (1986). It is a worldwide pest of more than 500 plant species in 74 families. Prior to 1986, there was only one report of this insect as a greenhouse pest, on vegetables in Turkey (Lopez-Avila and Cock 1986). Bemisia tabaci was first reported on poinsettia in Florida greenhouses in November 1986 (Price et al. 1987). In 1987, this insect was reported as a pest on field tomatoes in Florida (Schuster and Price 1987).