A new species, Contarinia brassicola Sinclair (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), which induces flower galls on canola (Brassica napus Linnaeus and Brassica rapa Linnaeus (Brassicaceae)), is described from Saskatchewan and Alberta, Canada. Larvae develop in the flowers of canola, which causes swelling and prevents opening, pod formation, and seed set. Mature larvae exit the galls, fall to the soil, and form cocoons. Depending on conditions, larvae will either pupate and eclose in the same calendar year or enter facultative diapause and emerge the following year. At least two generations of C. brassicola occur each year. Adults emerge from overwintering cocoons in the spring and lay eggs on developing canola flower buds. The galls produced by C. brassicola were previously attributed to the swede midge, Contarinia nasturtii (Kieffer) in Saskatchewan; here, we compare and list several characters to differentiate the two species.

A gall midge that induces conical leaf galls on wild Vitis Linnaeus (Vitaceae) species in Japan was previously identified based on the gall shape as the Nearctic Schizomyia viticola (Osten Sacken) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae: Cecidomyiinae: Asphondyliini: Schizomyiina). In 2016, leaf galls were newly found on cultivated Vitis coignetiae Pulliat ex Planchon cultivar Suzumi-murasaki and the wild V. coignetiae, Vitis flexuosa Thunberg, and Vitis ficifolia Bunge in northern Japan. Morphological studies of the larvae and adults obtained from the galls revealed that they were an undescribed taxon distinct from the Nearctic species and did not belong to any known genera of Schizomyiina. A new genus, Ampelomyia Elsayed and Tokuda, is erected for Ampelomyia conicocoricis Elsayed and Tokuda new species. The new genus can be distinguished from other genera of Schizomyiina by having ventroapical extension on tarsomere I, the larval abdominal segment VIII with a posterodorsal lobe, and dorsally shifted pair of larval pleural papillae. Molecular phylogenetic analysis supports this taxonomic treatment. In addition, we also place three Vitis-associated Nearctic species in the new genus: Ampelomyia viticola (Osten Sacken) new combination, A. vitiscoryloides (Packard) new combination, and A. vitispomum (Osten Sacken) new combination.

Anania hortulata (Linnaeus, 1758) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae: Pyraustinae) is a strikingly coloured, common, and widespread species that has long been recognised as a single species widely distributed in Asia, Europe, and North America. Using a combination of molecular and morphometric data, this study resolved that A. hortulata is actually a species complex of two superficially indistinguishable species. Phylogenetic and network analyses based on the mitochondrial COI gene discriminated lineages from all major geographical regions of China as distinct, A. sinensis Yang and Landry new species, whereas A. hortulata occurs in Central Asia, Europe, and North America. Nuclear gene (CAD) and morphological differences in the genital characters provided further evidence for the separation of A. hortulata and A. sinensis.

Conservation of biodiversity is growing in interest, and wetlands are disappearing at an alarming rate, so understanding how communities are assembled and how interactions among species and ecosystems influence evolution is critical to the management of threatened habitats. We compared diversity and assemblages of peatland Diptera within and between ecoregions in Québec, Canada. We then determined the phylogenetic structure of peatland Diptera communities and how the structure differed with spatial scale (trap, site, ecoregion). Finally, we tested alpha and beta diversity along environmental and spatial gradients to determine which processes influence Diptera communities and diversity. Bogs across the three ecoregions support similar abundance, species richness, and functional diversity. We found that the major forces structuring Diptera assemblages in bogs across Québec are stochastic processes such as dispersal limitations. However, those random patterns change to clustering when anthropogenic disturbances modify the landscape. Assembly rules are mostly dictated by patch and landscape parameters specific to each ecoregion affecting dispersal and establishment between sites. Conservation of mobile organisms in habitats such as bogs will depend on conservation plans focusing on both patch quality and surrounding landscape, and that different conservation strategies need to be applied in different ecoregions.

Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is a serious invasive pest of many agricultural and horticultural crops in Canada and the United States of America. To mitigate economic loss for growers, effective management options for H. halys are needed. We evaluated the efficacy of 12 insecticides (Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo-Crivelli) Vuillemin (Cordycipitaceae), boric acid, chlorpyrifos, clothianidin, flupryadifurone, λ-cyhalothrin, malathion, novaluron, sulfoxaflor, thiamethoxam, thiamethoxam + λ-cyhalothrin, and thiamethoxam + novaluron) currently used or with potential for H. halys management by determining their direct and residual contact toxicity to H. halys nymphs. Each insecticide was tested at its Canadian label rate and half and twice that rate. With the exception of chlorpyrifos, nymph mortality was low (< 40%) following direct or residual contact exposure to all insecticides and rates. All surviving nymphs were severely affected (i.e., knocked down) by direct and residual contact exposure to neonicotinoids, while approximately 66% of nymphs were severely affected following exposure to sulfloxaflor residues at label and twice label rate. However, few nymphs were severely affected by all other insecticides and rates. Overall, our results suggest that H. halys is not susceptible to many insecticides at current label rates for Canada. More research is needed to identify efficacious insecticides for H. halys.

A three-year field study in northeastern Saskatchewan, Canada, determined the effects of seeding date and seed treatment on feeding injury by Contarinia Róndani (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) midges to canola, Brassica napus Linnaeus (Brassicaceae), and subsequent seed yield. Emergence cage monitoring indicated the presence of two generations of midges at the four locations observed. Intensity of midge injury to canola was low, but damaged plants were common. Field location and seeding date influenced probability of midge injury and canola growth stage. The wettest of the four locations had the greatest number of midges but low levels of probability of damage in two of three years. Early-seeded plots had higher injury probability than late-seeded plots, with the highest probability of injury occurring one to two weeks after flowering commenced. Seed treatment marginally affected midge injury ratings, suggesting that insecticide efficacy dissipated before the midges attacked. Seed yield was higher in early-seeded than in late-seeded plots in two of three years, despite the greater level of damage seen in early-seeded plots. Overall, the research showed that the agronomic benefits of early seeding outweighed the effects of the midge damage observed; therefore, producers in the Canadian prairie provinces should seed canola when conditions are most agronomically suitable.

Trypophloeus klimeschi Eggers (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) was first discovered in China in 2003, and it exhibits strong species specificity to Populus alba var. pyramidalis Bunge (Salicaceae). To screen plant volatile compounds for monitoring and trapping T. klimeschi, the electroantennogram responses of adult T. klimeschi to eight plant volatiles, including nonanal, 2-methylbutanal, decanal, 2-hydroxybenzaldehyde, (Z)-3-hexen-1-ol benzoate, methyl benzoate, methyl salicylate, and geraniol were tested at various concentrations. Behavioural responses of female and male adults to various concentrations of these eight plant volatiles were also determined using a Y-tube olfactometer. We then tested the effectiveness of these compounds as lures for trapping T. klimeschi in the field. Electroantennogram tests showed that T. klimeschi possesses olfactory sensitivity for eight compounds. Additionally, walking T. klimeschi exhibited attraction to low concentrations (≤ 1 μg/μL) of all eight compounds in Y-tube olfactometer. Field experiment results indicated that baits composed of each volatile compound alone were more attractive to greater numbers of T. klimeschi than the control. The methyl benzoate bait was better attracted by T. klimeschi than other tested volatiles. These results suggest that these compounds could be used in attraction of this stem-boring pest. This study could have important implications for the development of an effective semiochemical-based management tool for T. klimeschi in the field.

The tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois) (Hemiptera: Miridae), causes severe damages in strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duchesne ex Rozier; Rosaceae) fields in Québec, Canada. Currently, only chemical insecticides successfully control that major pest. Lygus lineolaris aggregate in trap crops such as buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench; Polygonaceae) and white mustard (Sinapis alba Linnaeus; Brassicaceae) but do not remain long enough on these plants to significantly reduce damages on strawberries. However, the attractiveness of the trap crop gives the opportunity to gather L. lineolaris in an area of the field where chemical treatments could be applied more efficiently. The aim of this study was to test the effectiveness of the combination of trap crop (buckwheat and white mustard) and chemical treatments to control L. lineolaris. Randomised complete-block design included treatment with either no trap crop, buckwheat, or white mustard row planted close to strawberry plants. Half blocks were treated with insecticide (cypermethrin) sprayed on strawberry plants (in treatment without trap crop) or directly on trap crop. We found that L. lineolaris was more abundant on buckwheat than on white mustard or strawberry plants. Insecticide application on trap crops reduced the population on these hosts, but did not reduce L. lineolaris on adjacent strawberry plants. Behavioural avoidance and physiological pesticide resistance could explain this result.

Approximately 70% of the 30 000 known bee (Hymenoptera) species and most flower-visiting, solitary wasps (Hymenoptera) nest in the ground. However, nesting behaviours of most ground-nesting bees and wasps are poorly understood. Habitat loss, including nesting habitat, threatens populations of ground-nesting bees and wasps. Most ground-nesting bee and wasp studies implement trapping methods that capture foraging individuals, but provide little insight into the nesting preferences of these taxa. Some researchers have suggested that emergence traps may provide a suitable means by which to determine ground-nesting bee and wasp abundance. We sought to evaluate nest-site selection of ground-nesting bees and wasps using emergence traps in two study systems: (1) planted wildflower enhancement plots and fallow control plots in agricultural land; and (2) upland pine and hammock habitat in forests. Over the course of three years (2015–2017), we collected 306 ground-nesting bees and wasps across all study sites from emergence traps. In one study, we compared captures per trap between coloured pan traps and emergence traps and found that coloured pan traps captured far more ground-nesting bees and wasps than did emergence traps. Based on our emergence trap data, our results also suggest ground-nesting bees and wasps are more apt to nest within wildflower enhancement plots than in fallow control plots, and in upland pine habitats than in hammock forests. In conclusion, emergence traps have potential to be a unique tool to gain understanding of ground-nesting bee and wasp habitat requirements.