Mounting levels of insecticide resistance within Australian Helicoverpa spp. populations have resulted in the adoption of non-chemical IPM control practices such as trap cropping with chickpea, Cicer arietinum (L.). However, a new leaf blight disease affecting chickpea in Australia has the potential to limit its use as a trap crop. Therefore this paper evaluates the potential of a variety of winter-active legume crops for use as an alternative spring trap crop to chickpea as part of an effort to improve the area-wide management strategy for Helicoverpa spp. in central Queensland's cotton production region. The densities of Helicoverpa eggs and larvae were compared over three seasons on replicated plantings of chickpea, Cicer arietinum (L.), field pea Pisum sativum (L), vetch, Vicia sativa (L.) and faba bean, Vicia faba from the plants after oviposition. Plantings of field pea as a replacement trap crop for chickpea under commercial conditions confirmed the high level of attractiveness of this crop to ovipositing moths. The use of field pea as a trap crop as part of an area-wide management programme for Helicoverpa spp. is discussed.

Discriminant function and cluster analyses were performed on 19 morphometric variables of the aculeus, wing and mesonotum to determine whether populations of Anastrepha fraterculus (Wiedemann) from different parts of Mexico could be distinguished from populations from South America., Samples were collected from seven localities across Mexico, two from Brazil, and one each from Colombia and Argentina. Results showed there were statistically significant differences between Mexican and South American populations with respect to the aculeus (tip length, length of serrated section, mean number of teeth) and wing (width of S-band and connection between S- and V-bands). The degree of morphological variation observed among Mexican populations was extremely low, and as a consequence, the Mexican populations were identified as a single morphotype by discriminant analysis. The ‘Andean morphotype’ consisting of the Colombian population, and the ‘Brazilian morphotype’ consisting of the two Brazilian populations plus the single Argentinian population were also distinguished. It was concluded that the macro-geographical morphotypes from Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil plus Argentina correspond to three distinct taxonomic entities. Comparisons of results with those obtained from behavioural, karyotypic, isozyme and DNA studies suggest that sufficient evidence now exists to name a new Mexican species from within the A. fraterculus complex. This will be done in a separate publication. A provisional key to the morphotypes of A. fraterculus studied is provided.

The accumulation and transmission of tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) was examined in second instar larvae and adults of two thrips genera, Frankliniella and Thrips. The species tested were F. occidentalis (Pergande), F. intonsa (Trybom), T. tabaciLindeman, T. setosus Moulton, T. palmi Karny and T. hawaiiensis (Morgan). In a standard petunia leaf disc assay, the efficiencies of TSWV transmission by two species of Frankliniella were higher than those of any Thrips species in the adult stage. A triple antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (TAS-ELISA) showed that large amounts of the TSWV-nucleocapsid (N) protein were present in the ELISA-positive larvae of each species, with the exception of T. palmi. The ELISA titre of and the proportion of virus-infected individuals of the two Frankliniella species increased or did not significantly change from the larval to the adult stages, whereas those of the four Thrips species decreased significantly. These results show that the specificity of virus transmission by adult thrips is probably affected by the amount of viral N protein accumulation in the adults and that the accumulation pattern from the larval to the adult stages is in between the two genera tested in the present study.

The term ‘dead-end trap cropping’ has recently been proposed to identify a plant that is highly attractive for oviposition by an insect pest, but on which offspring of the pest cannot survive. The potential of the wild crucifer Barbarea vulgaris R. Br. to allure and serve as a dead-end trap crop for the diamondback moth Plutella xylostella (L.), an important pest of cruciferous crops worldwide, was examined in laboratory experiments. When P. xylostella adults were provided with a dual-choice of plants of B. vulgaris, and Chinese cabbage Brassica campestris (L.), in one arena, adult moths laid 2.5–6.8 times more eggs on the former than on the latter. When P. xylostella adults were provided with a dual-choice of plants of B. vulgaris and common cabbage Brassica oleracea L., adult moths laid virtually all their eggs on the former and ignored the latter. Nearly all P. xylostella eggs laid on the three species of plants hatched successfully, but nearly all individuals on plants of B. vulgaris died as neonates or early instar larvae, while 87–100% of the larvae on Chinese cabbage and common cabbage survived to pupation. Dual choice tests with a Y-tube olfactometer showed that volatiles from B. vulgaris were much more attractive to P. xylostella adults than those from common cabbage. The results demonstrate that B. vulgaris has a great potential as a dead-end trap crop for improving management of P. xylostella. Factors that may influence the feasibility of using B. vulgaris as a trap crop in the field are discussed, and ways to utilize this plant are proposed.

A significant reduction in age of mating occurred during the first four generations (G1–G4) of laboratory adaptation of wild Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt) and this was associated with the earlier attainment of peak egg load although no significant differences were detected in the peak egg load itself. A long term laboratory (LTL) strain had a significantly earlier mating age and higher peak egg load than flies of wild origin or those from the first four laboratory generations. The amount of protein consumed by females in the first week of adult life was significantly higher in the LTL strain than in flies of wild origin or G1–G4 but there were no significant changes (or only slight changes) with laboratory adaptation in the amounts of protein consumed up to the ages of mating and peak egg load. Laboratory adaptation resulted in no significant changes in egg size, egg dry weight, puparial fresh weight and the dry weight of newly emerged females. The large increase in fecundity with laboratory adaptation is associated with a 4- to 5-fold increase in the rate of conversion of dietary protein to eggs (i.e. eggs produced per mg of protein consumed).

Mosquitoes of the Anopheles maculipennis group were collected in five districts of Romania (Constanta, Giurgiu, Ilfov, Mehedinti and Suceava) between March 2000 and June 2003. Two hundred and ninety-seven specimens were identified by molecular methods. Nuclear rDNA ITS2 sequences of 178 specimens were compared with GenBank sequences for nine known Palaearctic species of the group, and 119 specimens were identified using an ITS2 PCR–RFLP assay developed during the study. Five genetically distinct species of the group were identified: A. atroparvus van Thiel, A. maculipennis Meigen, A. melanoon Hackett and A. messeae Falleroni and a previously unrecognized species. The new species, herein formally described and named A. daciaesp. n., was collected in the Black Sea coastal region and plains adjacent to the Danube River in southern Romania. Anopheles daciae is most similar to and sympatric with A. messeae. It is contrasted with A. messeae and characterized on the basis of unique nuclear ITS2 and mitochondrial COI DNA sequences and morphological characters of the eggs. The larval, pupal and adults stages of the two species were also compared, but no reliable characters were found to distinguish them. It seems likely that A. daciae is more widespread in eastern Europe and the Balkan States, and could be responsible for malaria transmission in these regions that is currently attributed to A. messeae. Anopheles melanoon is reported from Romania for the first time.

The internal classification of genus Anopheles is updated to reflect taxonomic actions published since the classification was last reviewed in 1994. Both formal and informal taxa are included. The classification is intended to aid researchers and students who are interested in analysing species relationships, making group comparisons and testing phylogenetic hypotheses. The genus includes 444 formally named and 40 provisionally designated extant species divided between six subgenera: Anopheles, Cellia, Kerteszia, Lophopodomyia, Nyssorhynchus and Stethomyia. Subgenera Anopheles, Cellia and Nyssorhynchus are subdivided hierarchically into nested informal groups of morphologically similar species that are believed to represent monophyletic lineages based on morphological similarity. Changes to the classification include additional species, eliminated species and changes to the hierarchical organization and composition of supraspecific groups, some as a result of molecular studies.

The efficacy of the pupal parasitoid Spalangia cameroni Perkins as a biological control agent was tested against house flies Musca domestica Linnaeus and stable flies Stomoxys calcitrans (Linnaeus) in one dairy cattle and two pig installations in Denmark. Weekly releases of S. cameroni from April through to September–October 1999 and 2000 resulted in significant suppressions of house fly populations to below nuisance level, whereas no effect on stable flies was found. Parasitism was significantly higher in the release years compared to the control years, but was below 25% averaged over the fly season for each farm. A statistical model based on a functional relationship between the innate capacity of increase of the two fly species and three explanatory variables (air temperature, fly density and parasitism) provided a fairly good fit to data with the abundances of house flies and stable flies explained mostly by temperature, but intra- and interspecific competition, and parasitism had a significant effect as well. Overall, the model was capable of explaining 14% and 6.6% of the total variation in data for house fly and stable fly, respectively. Spalangia cameroni was the predominant parasitoid to emerge from exposed house fly pupae, but from mid summer onwards Muscidifurax raptor Girault & Sanders (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) was also quite common. The study indicated that biological control of house flies can be an efficient alternative to chemical control.

Sex ratios of populations of the wheat midge Sitodiplosis mosellana Géhin, developing on wheat Triticum aestivum L., were determined at reproduction, adult emergence, and dispersal. The patterns of sex ratio through the life cycle of S. mosellana result from: (i) a genetic mechanism that causes all or nearly all of the progeny of individual females to be a single sex, with an overall sex ratio that is slightly biased at 54–57% females; (ii) a differential mortality during diapause that increases the sex ratio to 60–65% females; (iii) mating which occurs near the emergence site followed by female dispersal which causes the post-dispersal sex ratio to rise to nearly 100% females; and (iv) oviposition which spreads eggs among different plants and assures that the next generation has a local sex ratio close to the population average. These changes in sex ratio through the life cycle have implications for using crop resistance or pheromones to manage S. mosellana, because mating takes place quickly near emergence sites, and because mated females but not males disperse from emergence sites to oviposition sites. Crop refuges used to protect resistance genes against the evolution of virulence by S. mosellana must be interspersed to prevent assortative mating that would occur in separate blocks of resistant and susceptible plants. Monitoring or mating disruption using a pheromone would be ineffective when wheat is grown in rotation with a non-host crop.

In greenhouse agroecosystems, a guild of spider mite predators may consist of the oligophagous predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot, the polyphagous predatory mite Neoseiulus californicus McGregor (both Acari: Phytoseiidae) and the primarily herbivorous but facultatively predatory western flower thrips Frankliniella occidentalis Pergande (Thysanoptera: Thripidae). Diet-specialization and the predator body size relative to prey are crucial factors in predation on F. occidentalis by P. persimilis and N. californicus. Here, it was tested whether the relevance of these factors changes during predator ontogeny. First, the predator (protonymphs and adult females of P. persimilis and N. californicus): prey (F. occidentalis first instars) body size ratios were measured. Second, the aggressiveness of P. persimilis and N. californicus towards F. occidentalis was assessed. Third, survival, development and oviposition of P. persimilis and N. californicus with F. occidentalis prey was determined. The body size ranking was P. persimilis females > N. californicus females > P. persimilis protonymphs > N. californicus protonymphs. Neoseiulus californicus females were the most aggressive predators, followed by highly aggressive N. californicus protonymphs and moderately aggressive P. persimilis protonymphs. Phytoseiulus persimilis females did not attack thrips. Frankliniella occidentalis larvae are an alternative prey for juvenile N. californicus and P. persimilis, enabling them to reach adulthood. Females of N. californicus but not P. persimilis sustained egg production with thrips prey. Within the guild studied here, N. californicus females are the most harmful predators for F. occidentalis larvae, followed by N. californicus and P. persimilis juveniles. Phytoseiulus persimilis females are harmless to F. occidentalis.