The biology of the mountain pine beetle was studied in 1956 and 1957 near Invermere, in the East Kootenay region of British Columbia. The host tree was lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia Engelm.). The technique used permitted direct observation of mating, egg laying, and gallery construction. The sex ratio was also investigated under natural conditions and in cages. The most important previous work on the biology of this insect was done by De Leon, Bedard, and Terrell (1934).

The Pyralidae described by Lederer in Wiener Ent. Monatschr. 7: 331-502 (1863) came mainly from the Imperial collections in Vienna and from the private collections of Zeller, Kaden and Felder. Of these, the Zeller and Felder collections are now in the British Museum (Natural History), but the Lederer types contained in them have not previously been segregated or marked. I have therefore systematically done this, marking holotypes or selecting lectotypes where this was necessary and suitable material is present. The species are listed below in the order in which Lederer gives them, with page references. Homalochroa aestivalis, p, 332. Lederer does not state the source of his mateiial.

During 1950 and 1951 the writer collaborated with officers of the Commonwealth Institute of Biological Control in studies of the predators of Adelges (Dreyfusia) piceae (Ratz.) and Adelges (Dreyfusia) nüsslini (Börner) in Europe. These studies preceded the importation of the more important predacious species into Canada and their release against A. piceae. Observations on one of these predators, Aphidecta obliterata (L.) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), are given in this paper.

Studies on insects affecting seed and forage production of legume crops were begun in eastern Ontario in 1951. Since little was known of what species of insects were of economic importance in these crops in this area, the primary objects of the studies were to determine what species of insects damage the forage crop legumes, their seasonal occurrence and abundance, and something of their importance. Observations were made as well on some of the beneficial insects found in association with the crops.

The phylogenetic position of the family Cupedidae (Cupesidae or Cupidae of some authors) has been the subject of much controversy. As studies have been made for the most part on the eastern genus Cupes, I was pleased to have an opportunity to study the western species Priacma serrata (Lec.) (Atkins, 1957). Several hundred males were collected near Lumky, B.C. during spring in 1956 and 1957. Many of these were dissected in order to study those features of the internal and external morphology on which much of the following discussion is based.

The fall cankerworm, Alsophila pometaria (Harr.), and the winter moth, Operophtera brumata (Linn.), both feed to a great extent on the same tree species and prefer apple, Malus spp., red oak, Quercus rubra L., basswood, Tilia spp., white elm, Ulmus americana L., and Norway maple, Acer platanoides L. They also have similar life-histories and habits (Smith 1950 and 1953). Both lay their eggs on the trees in the fall and overwinter in this stage. The eggs hatch about the same time and the larvae of (both species mature about the third week in June. They drop to the ground and form cocoons at a depth of about an inch. The adults emerge about the same time, commencing usually during the last week in October and continuing until early December or until the ground freezes.

The following is chiefly a description of taxonomically important features of all stages of Paraclemensia acerifoliella (Fitch). Heretofore the most detailed description of the stages of an incurvariid appeared in Jensen's (1932) paper on Incurvaria koerneriella Zell.

Classification and Synonomy

The maple leaf cutter, Paraclemensia acerifoliella (Fitch), belongs to the Incurvariidae, one of the most primitive families in the suborder Frenatae (suborder Monotrysia of Börner, 1939). Asa Fitch (1856) described this species and placed it in the genus Ornix in the family Tineidae. Clemens (1860) referred it to the genus Incurvaria with the remarks that “The wing structure departs from that of the genus [Incurvaria]….”

Tetrahydrofuran (tetramethylene oxide) has been recommended as a histological dehydrating and clearing agent for use in human pathology by Dahme and Rothemund (1) and more recently by Haust (2). Dahme and Rothemund recommended its use after a search for a non-toxic reagent miscible with both water and molten paraffin wax. These authors state that the toxicity of tetrahydrofuran only approaches that of ethyl ether, whereas dioxane, with similar properties, is highly toxic. Tetrahydrofuran would appear to be as safe for routine laboratory use as toluene and xylene when similar precautions are observed. Haust (1958) gives various schedules for its use on human pathological material, and compares it with the more traditional methods. She concludes that it is simpler to use, and at least equally as efficient as the conventional dehydrating and clearing agents. In our work on insects we have extended its use to a solute for fixing solutions, and for dissolving celloidin in a double embedding technique.

Approximately 32 million cocoons of 11 species of spruce- and pine-feeding sawflies were collected in Europe and Japan from 1933 to 1940 and sent to the Belleville laboratory for rearing parasites for release in Canada against the European spruce sawfly, Diprion hercyniae (Htg.). Over half a million of the cocoons were Diprion polytomum (Htg.) and the parasites that emerged from these were discussed in previous papers (Finlayson and Reeks, 1936; Finlayson and Finlayson, in preparation). In addition to cocoons, almost half a million eggs of Neodiprion sertifer (Geoff.) were collected in Europe and reared to obtain egg parasites.

One of the most important factors limiting the use of coccinellid beetles in the biological control of certain insect pests is the difficulty experienced in rearing sufficient quantities. The standard method of rearing them on suitable hosts is often impracticable because of their restrictive diets. Such difficulties were encountered when the introduction of some coccinellid beetles was attempted in French Morocco, as a control measure for a coccid (Parlatoria blanchardi Targ.) on date trees. The problem of rearing or obtaining the host in sufficient quantity greatly hampered the production of the predators. For this reason, considerable time and effort was devoted to the development of a satisfactory and economic technique for the breeding of these predators on artificial media.

For several years the writer has studied the effects of variations in insect light trap designs on the species and numbers of insects captured. Among these variations are the value of baffles. During the summer of 1957 two traps were operated adjacent to each other in State College. The positions of these traps were alternated every other night. One trap, which has been designated as the Pennsylvania insect-light trap with four interesting baffles, 5 × 20 inches, a 12-inch funnel and a 15-watt black-light fluorescent lamp, was used. The other trap was similar except the baffles were omitted and the trap was held together by means of four small wires.

Collection and rearing records for 1951 to 1954 indicate that a parthenogenetic and a bisexual form of Hypolithus bicolor Esch. occur in Saskatchewan.

Near White Fox, in the northeastern area of the Mixedwood Section, approximately 2,000 beetles were collected from their hibernation cells in the soil and from the soil surface, in fields of native sod, summer-fallow, and crop, at various times during the frost-free periods. All the beetles were female. Sixty beetles reared from larvae collected in this area were also females. Similarly, there were no males in a collection of approximately 300 beetles from near Meadow Lake, in the northwestern area of the Mixedwood Section, and in numerous smaller collections made in other parts of this section. Eleven beetles, all females, were reared from eggs laid by beetles of this parthenogenetic form collected near White Fox during the last week in May, 1952. After a storage period of four months at 38°F., seven of these first generation beetles laid viable eggs without mating. No attempt was made to rear the second generation larvae to the beetle stage.