Understanding predator–prey interactions is essential for successful pest management by using predators, especially for the suppression of novel invasive pest. The green lacewing Chrysopa formosa is a promising polyphagous predator that is widely used in the biocontrol of various pests in China, but information on the control efficiency of this predator against the seriously invasive pest Spodoptera frugiperda and native Spodoptera litura is limited. Here we evaluated the predation efficiency of C. formosa adults on eggs and first- to third-instar larvae of S. frugiperda and S. litura through functional response experiments and determined the consumption capacity and prey preference of this chrysopid. Adults of C. formosa had a high consumption of eggs and earlier instar larvae of both prey species, and displayed a type II functional response on all prey stages. Attack rates of the chrysopid on different prey stages were statistically similar, but the handling time increased notably as the prey developed. The highest predation efficiency and shortest-handling time were observed for C. formosa feeding on Spodoptera eggs, followed by the first-instar larvae. C. formosa exhibited a significant preference for S. litura over S. frugiperda in a two-prey system. In addition, we summarized the functional response and predation efficiency of several chrysopids against noctuid pests and made a comparison with the results obtained from C. formosa. These results indicate that C. formosa has potential as an agent for biological control of noctuid pests, particularly for the newly invasive pest S. frugiperda in China.

Collections of Cactophagus spinolae (Gylh.) were made in Mexico in 1946, 1947, and 1948 to supplement the biological control of prickly pear (Opuntia spp.) in South Africa. During these three years, 862, 1,396, and 15,584 adults, respectively, were dispatched to South Africa. The weevils were sent by air express in specially designed containers, and arrived in excellent condition.

This paper includes information on the distribution, life history and food preferences of C. spinolae. The need is stressed for anticipating the effects of transit conditions upon living insect material transported by aircraft.

In an experiment carried out in 1963 on the control of Glossina swynnertoni Aust. infesting open bushland in northern Tanganyika, 3 per cent, dieldrin or endosulfan was applied to certain of the resting sites of the flies. These had been determined by previous observations and consisted of the undersides of tree branches between 4 and 9 ft. from the ground, with diameters of 1 to 4 in. and inclined less than 35° from the horizontal. Eradication was achieved in an area of 35 sq. miles at a cost of £42 per sq. mile. In a subsidiary experiment, G. pallidipes Aust. infesting the narrow forest bordering a seasonal river was attacked by spraying the vegetation on the river bank up to a height of eight feet. Complete eradication was not attained, due, it is thought, to removal of the insecticide by heavy rain, so that some newly emerged flies escaped exposure to a lethal deposit. The flies were, however, eliminated from the greater part of the river at a cost of £12.5 per mile.

The most favourable areas for the cultivation of grape-vines in Ukraine are the sands of the lower reaches of the Dnieper in the district of Kherson, the shore of the Black Sea, the Kherson-Odessa districts, and along the Sea of Asov, chiefly in the district of Mariupol. Moreover, as is well known, vines do not suffer from Phylloxera when grown on pure sand. For these reasons, numerous State Departments, and also many private individuals, have spent a great deal of money in utilising this enormous extent of shifting sands for growing grapes.

The unexpected appearance of the larvae of various Scarabaeid beetles, especially Polyphylla fullo, L. (fig. 1), has been a great obstacle to the successful exploitation of these barren spaces. The larvae in the soil generally average about 10–12 to the square metre, and they often completely destroy the newly planted vines in one summer. Many enterprising persons have thus been ruined in their endeavours to form vineyards on the sands. It was stated officially in pre-war times that these pioneers had spent over £2,000,000 sterling without any result.

♂. Black ; flagellum brownish red, hind legs from the femora to the claws blackish red ; scape, fore and middle legs, hind trochanters and hind trochantines, light testaceous red ; palpi almost white ; basal ventrites whitish ; stigma and wing veins brown.

♂. Head rugose throughout, except that the occiput is rugoso-reticulate and that the vertex between the ocelli and the toruli is rugoso-striate ; face with indications of a median keel ; antennae moderately thick and strong ; basal joint of flagellum a little longer than twice its breadth, about 0·24 mm. long ; clypeus apparently emarginate, just about half as long as distance between facial depressions, which latter are nearer to the eyes than to the apex of the clypeus ; posterior ocelli nearer to the eyes than to each other. Thorax : mesonotum closely and strongly punctate, anteriorly almost rugose, as are also the mesopleurae except for a posterior median smooth and shining area ; mesopleural sulcus apparently smooth ; scutellum apparently rugose ; metanotum apparently not crenulate ; propodeon with an extremely short median longitudinal carina which, bifurcating at its apex, emits two strong carinae which, on each side, run transversely across the basal half of the propodeon and join a strong carina which in conjunction with a strong lateral longitudinal carina encircles the spiracles, as in M. kuchingensis ; remainder of the propodeon apparently rugose between broad reticulations, except outside the lateral keels, where it is only rugose.

The present notes are a short account of work of a preliminary nature on the Coast of Kenya Colony, mostly between August 1920 and February 1921, at the end of a tour of service, and may serve to indicate some of the chief points calling for investigation. They are concerned with the life-history of the insect and with some field observations. The life-history work was carried out in tents shaded by a large mango tree, on land kindly lent by Sheik Ali bin Salim, on the north side of Mombasa Island. The field work was done on the island and on the neighbouring mainland. For records of the numbers of beetles captured on European plantations I am indebted to three gentlemen owning or managing them.

DNA Barcoding is an important tool for disciplines such as taxonomy, phylogenetics and phylogeography, with Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD) being the largest database of partial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences. We provide the first extensive revision of the information available in this database for the insect order Thysanoptera, to assess: how many COI sequences are available; how representative these sequences are for the order; and the current potential of BOLD as a reference library for specimen identification and species delimitation. The COI database at BOLD currently represents only about 5% of the over 6400 valid thrips species, with a heavy bias towards a few species of economic importance. Clear Barcode gaps were observed for 24 out of 33 genera evaluated, but many outliers were also observed. We suggest that the COI sequences available in BOLD as a reference would not allow for accurate identifications in about 30% of Thysanoptera species in this database, which rises to 40% of taxa within Thripidae, the most sampled family within the order. Thus, we call for caution and a critical evaluation in using BOLD as a reference library for thrips Barcodes, and future efforts should focus on improving the data quality of this database.

As a basis for future investigations on the development and the nature of resistance against insecticides, the regression lines for the toxicity of γ-hexachlorocyclohexane to D. melanogaster were estimated by means of

1. A contact method, in which the insects (adults) were exposed to a treated surface.

2. A skin-application method, in which measured doses of an acetone solution of the poison were used.

3. An injection method in which adults were injected with known doses of an emulsion containing the insecticide.

The reproducibility of the results obtained with the above methods is briefly discussed. It was found that in the case of the skin-application and injection methods the regression line did not deviate significantly from linearity. The same was true for the contact method if the results obtained with the smaller doses were not taken into consideration.

The third-stage larva of Chalcosoma atlas (L.) collected in Malaysia is described, with illustrations, and a key is provided to distinguish larvae of this species from those of Oryctes rhinoceros (L.) and Xylotrupes gideon beckeri Schaufuss, all of which occur in similar breeding sites.

The presence of the yellow-necked drywood termite, Kalotermes flavicollis Fabr., has been reported along most of the Mediterranean coasts of Europe, Africa and Asia. While morphological and genetic data exist on European K. flavicollis populations from western and central Mediterranean regions, data on eastern Mediterranean Kalotermes are scarce, and no genetic data exist to date. In this study, we analyzed 17 Kalotermes sp. colonies from 11 localities in the Levant (Cyprus, Lebanon, and Israel), in order to characterize genetically (mitochondrial DNA: COII, 16S, and control region) these populations. We found that samples from the Levant are genetically different from K. flavicollis, with distance values falling in the range of interspecific distances. In the phylogeny of European Kalotermes populations, samples from the Levant form a clade of their own, sister to a clade including K. flavicollis and Kalotermes italicus. Inside the eastern Mediterranean clade, all the samples from Cyprus are included in a well-supported subclade, suggesting that the colonization of the island might have occurred in a single event. These findings show that the populations we examined do not belong to the species K. flavicollis, but to a new species peculiar to the Levant, that we describe as Kalotermes phoeniciae sp. nov. It is possible that previous reports of K. flavicollis in this region can be attributed to K. phoeniciae.

Anastrepha fraterculus (Diptera: Tephritidae) is a major barrier to fruit production and exportation. In Brazil, the native parasitoid Aganaspis pelleranoi (Hymenoptera: Figitidae) and the exotic parasitoid Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) stand out as biological control agents. Knowledge of the factors that affect interactions among parasitoids, A. fraterculus, and host fruits may enhance the use of these agents in biological control programmes. This study evaluated the chemotaxis and parasitism of A. pelleranoi and D. longicaudata females reared on A. fraterculus larvae and kept on an artificial diet, red guava (Psidium guajava) or apple (Malus domestica). Females of both parasitoid species that emerged from larvae raised on artificial diet, guava or apple, were tested to Y olfactometer choice tests. In the parasitism tests, both parasitoid species were made to choose between A. fraterculus larvae brushed with water, apple pulp or guava pulp. D. longicaudata females from artificial diet (control) did not distinguish between fruit odours; however, females of D. longicaudata from larvae kept in apple or guava directed to the odours of their original fruit. The greatest parasitism for D. longicaudata occurred in the units that contained the pulp in which the larvae grew. A. pelleranoi from artificial diet preferred guava odours, including the females kept in apple. Similar results were observed in the parasitism bioassays. Our results found that A. fraterculus larval feeding influenced search behaviour and parasitism of D. longicaudata, whereas A. pelleranoi rearing experience did not affect its host choices.

Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata, Say) is the main pest of Solanaceae and its survival is mainly dependent on the carbohydrate digestion. Characterizing the gut enzymes may help us with finding effective inhibitors for plant protection. Activity measurements revealed that gut extracts contain α- and β-glucosidase in addition to α-amylase. For larvae, amylase activity was detected only in gut saturated with nutrients. Leptinotarsa decemlineata α-amylase (LDAmy) had optimum pH of 6.0 and was active under 30–40°C temperature measured on a selective α-amylase substrate, 2-chloro-4-nitrophenyl-4-O-α-D-galactopyranosyl-maltoside. HPLC analysis demonstrated dimer, trimer, and tetramer reducing end amylolytic products from 2-chloro-4-nitrophenyl-maltoheptaoside substrate in similar ratio than that of during porcine pancreatic α-amylase (PPA) catalyzed hydrolysis. The 4,6-O-benzylidene-modified substrate (BzG7PNP) is very stable toward hydrolysis by exo-glycosidases, therefore is very useful to monitor the digestion catalyzed by α-amylases exclusively. Similarly to PPA active site, three glycon and two aglycon binding sites are suggested for LDAmy based on the pattern of early hydrolysis products of BzG7PNP. The observed similarity between LDAmy and PPA raises the possibility of using known inhibitors of mammalian α-amylases to protect the potato plant from attack of Colorado potato beetle.

Elongate, subcylindrical, black, clothed with yellowish-brown and whitish scales with antennae and legs fulvous, the legs with whitish scales.

The Imperial Bureau of Entomology have received the following six species of Rhynchota from Colombia, forwarded by Mr. M. T. Dawe, the Director of Agriculture, who reports two of them Trichocentrus sp., and Collaria oleosa as injurious to rice plantations, and the remaining four, Monalonion atratum, M. illustris, M. megiston, and M. collaris as damaging cacao pods. Of these Monalonions, two are here described as new species.

Body size is an important life-history trait in eusocial insects which plays a key role in colony fitness. The division of labour, represented by caste polyethism, correlates with divergent morphological traits. Size polymorphism has been noted in the tropical fire ant, Solenopsis geminata; however, little is known regarding the differences in the size distributions of workers performing foraging tasks. In the present study, task partitioning was observed in the foraging activities of S. geminata. Two subgroups among foraging workers of S. geminata were discovered using the Gaussian mixture model: a large worker group (head width ≥ 0.924 mm) and a small worker group (head width < 0.924 mm). The foraging worker population comprised two distinct groups – 25.64% were large workers and 74.36% were small workers. Larger workers delivered heavier seeds faster than smaller workers, but this difference became less apparent when lighter seeds were being carried. When large prey such as crickets was encountered during foraging, S. geminata partitioned their tasks into cutting and transportation. The large workers were observed to cut cricket prey into fragments with their longer mandibles, and the small workers then transported these fragments back to the nest. These results present evidence of task partitioning among tropical fire ants, with different tasks being performed by ants of different castes.

Phosphoglucose isomerase (PGI) plays an important role in energy metabolism, and it is documented that PGI exhibits an extensive polymorphism which can affect insects' fitness and adaptation. In this paper, we studied the structural characteristics and polymorphism of pgi gene in the fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea), an important invasive pest in some European and Asian countries. A 2110-bp pgi full-length cDNA encoding a polypeptide of 556 amino acids was obtained from H. cunea. The pgi full-length in the H. cunea genomic DNA was 14,332 bp with 12 exons and 11 introns, similar to the structures of pgi in other Lepidoptera species. We compared the structures of pgi in different insect species. Moreover, thirteen pgi genotypes comprised of five alleles were identified in the Chinese population. Genotypes pgi-cd, pgi-cc and pgi-ce were the most prevalent with over 70% of individuals allocated to them. Four out of five alleles were sequenced the cDNA full-length. Thirty stably variable sites were found among them with five non-synonymous mutation sites. The frequencies of alleles and genotypes were variable in different Chinese geographic subpopulations. Moreover, comparison of pgi mRNA expression levels in each stage of the moth's lifecycle showed that a high expression level was in the 6th instar larval stage, followed by that in the egg and adult stages. The results will provide a basis for further study of the role of different alleles and genotypes of PGI on fitness and adaptation of the moth H. cunea.

The European cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis cerasi (Diptera: Tephritidae), is a univoltine species that overwinters at pupal stage. Under optimum overwintering conditions pupae will develop into adults the next spring. Shorter or longer than optimum chilling periods induce prolonged pupae dormancy. Pupae that enter prolonged dormancy due to a short chilling period exhibit high emergence rates after a second cycle of cold/warm periods. Adults found to be larger and less fecund compared to their counterparts from pupae with annual diapause. On the other hand, extreme long chilling periods at pupal stage results in high mortality rates. However, for one Greek population, a substantial number of adults emerged following prolonged chilling of pupae (ca. 18 consecutive months). In this study, we used three R. cerasi populations in order to address possible geographical variation in fitness cost of adults from pupae with prolonged dormancy. In addition, the fitness traits of these adults emerging after prolonged pupae chilling were compared with that of their counterparts from pupae with annual diapause or prolonged dormancy. Our results reveal no population-specific variation in fitness cost of adults from pupae with prolonged dormancy. Within a population, lifetime fecundity did not differ between adults emerged from pupae with prolonged dormancy and those emerged after prolonged pupae chilling. Adults emerged from pupae exposed to prolonged chilling suffer an additional reduction in adult longevity compared to adults from pupae with prolonged dormancy. Hence, fitness of R. cerasi adults is regulated by diapause regimes of pupae.

A description is given of the life-cycle in Britain of Theocolax formiciformis Westw. (Pteromalidae), a parasite of Anobium punctatum (Deg.) (Anobiidae). Adults emerge from infested wood in large numbers from April to June. Eggs are laid through the wood surface and use was made of this habit as a means of rearing this parasite under observation in the laboratory. Anobium larvae were placed individually in channels gouged in the surface of 3-inch squares of plywood. They were covered with tracing paper and the parasites were caged on this by means of a glass ring covered with a glass plate. Development from egg to adult at 22 and 25°C., and 75 per cent, relative humidity, averaged about five and six weeks, respectively, compared with 12 weeks outdoors in summer. The number of progeny per female was highest (approximately five) at 22°C., at which the ratio of males to females was 1:3. Only about one per cent, of the adults reared were winged. The use of Theocolax as a biological-control agent is not considered practical.

During 1963–69 the United States Department of Agriculture sponsored investigations on scale insects and their natural enemies in West Pakistan.* In the course of the survey Lepidosaphes conchiformis (Gmel.)† was collected from several localities. It occurred sporadically, but infestations were heavy on most of the plants on which it was found. In the hills it was commonly parasitised by Aphytis maculicornis (Masi). The potential importance of the scale and its parasite merited laboratory studies at Rawalpindi.