The collection and preservation of insect specimens supply valuable information to entomologists. Collections are foundational to natural history, and paramount to the study of life history, systematics, and evolution. Rising concern over anthropogenic loss of biodiversity, including insect losses, has led to policies, strategies, and procedures being put in place in Canada to ensure the protection of wildlife species at risk. This document outlines necessary information to help researchers ensure that they are in compliance with Canadian legislation when carrying out research involving the collection of insects. We include an overview of the federal Species at Risk Act, and provincial and territorial legislation protecting at-risk wildlife, and how wildlife species in Canada ranked and are assessed as being at risk. We also discuss prohibitions outlined in the federal Species at Risk Act and penalties for violating these prohibitions; providing examples from case histories on convictions under the act.

The Ouellet-Robert Entomological Collection (Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada) is one of the largest and most important university collections in Canada. Although officially dedicated in 1984, much of the material in the collection dates to the 1930s and 1940s work of the Clerics of Saint Viator, Joseph Ouellet and Adrien Robert. In order to establish curatorial priorities, a collection profile was conducted grading eight criteria on a scale of 1–4, the most important being the conservation status of the specimens. A taxonomic inventory of the collection was also conducted, including the number of pinned specimens and alcohol vials, as well as a brief geographic description: whether or not at least one specimen of each species was collected in Québec or in North America. Finally, the specimen metadata for Odonata, Ephemeroptera, and Trichoptera were digitised. The inventory and specimen data can be downloaded at Canadensys.net. The collection houses approximately 1.5 million specimens, of which one-third are pinned, representing 20 000 species. Half of those species are recorded from Québec. The inventory and profile will be updated and the specimen database grown as portions of the collection are re-curated by personnel and volunteers, including the student-run organisation, “Club QMOR”.

Two new species of Canthidium Erichson, 1847 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) from Mexico are described: Canthidium nebularum Moctezuma, Sánchez-Huerta, and Halffter, new species; and C. chimalapense Moctezuma and Halffter, new species. An updated key for the North American species is included, with a brief discussion on taxonomic and biogeographic relevance of the new taxa.

Lygus Hahn (Hemiptera: Miridae) feeding in faba beans (Vicia faba Linnaeus (Fabaceae)) often results in a reduction in seed quality and economic losses. Traditionally, seed damage is assessed subjectively through visual examination by a trained individual, but the use of non-destructive imaging to evaluate seed quality is gaining momentum. The focus of this study was to determine the ability to quantify Lygus species damage in faba bean using shortwave-infrared imaging and two analysis techniques: (1) spectral angle mapper and (2) simple reflectance indices. Seed samples were visually assessed for damage before imaging in 242 wavebands between 980 and 2500 nm. Four spectral intervals, involving 102 wavebands, were identified as optimal for the detection of seed damage using spectral angle mapper. A strong relationship was obtained between the area of seed damage derived using spectral angle mapper and visually (R2 = 0.95). Seed damage derived by thresholding of two normalised faba bean damage indices involving reflectance at 1086 and 1313 nm and 2218 and 2342 nm also showed a strong relationship with the visual assessment (R2 = 0.92). The two image analysis techniques provided similar results. The study suggests that imaging in the shortwave-infrared wavelengths and the derivation of simple indices can effectively quantify faba bean damage by Lygus feeding.

It is known that diapause-inducing effect of ultra-long (16–18 hours and longer) nights on insects with a facultative winter diapause is often weaker than that of “natural” long (usually 10–14 hours) nights. The weak diapause-inducing effect of ultra-long nights can be explained, in particular, in the frames of the external coincidence model of photoperiodic time measurement with a circadian oscillator, which damps under ultra-long nights. Based on this model, it can be expected that (1) the first ultra-long night would have the same diapause-inducing effect as natural long night because the damping of the oscillator will not manifest itself before the next light–dark cycle and (2) the diapause-inducing effect would decrease with the increase in the number of succeeding ultra-long nights. However, these hypotheses have never been tested with any insect species. We investigated progeny diapause-inducing effect of single and multiple nights of different lengths on Trichogramma telengai Sorokina (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) pupae and adult females. The results of the study support the external coincidence model with a damping circadian oscillator and suggest that in T. telengai the oscillator damps out after one or two cycles.

Larvae of the swede midge, Contarinia nasturtii (Kieffer) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), rely on environmental cues to initiate the diapause programme. This facultative diapause strategy, which provides opportunities for both bet hedging and multivoltinism, likely contributed to the successful colonisation and spread of this invasive pest in North America. Population diapause incidence is variable even under relatively stable conditions (especially at the critical day length), yet the mechanisms influencing the developmental trajectory of individuals under such conditions are unknown. Here we approach the non-environmental (i.e., heritable) controls of this variation by comparing diapause frequencies within and among full-sibling swede midge families reared in one of two stable environments. Under warm, long-day conditions > 99% of swede midges pupated directly, while 86% of swede midges entered diapause under cool, short-day conditions. In the latter condition, most families exhibited mixed developmental trajectories (ranging from 36% to 96% diapause). This developmental variation among siblings indicates that the diapause induction threshold does not follow simple Mendelian inheritance with complete dominance for a particular allele, but may follow incomplete dominance or a more complex heredity. Alternatively, within-family diapause variation may result from maternal bet hedging or factors such as maternal age or larval nutrition.

The natural history of Corythucha juglandis (Fitch) and Gargaphia tiliae (Walsh) (Hemiptera: Tingidae) was studied in Ontario and Québec, Canada. These univoltine species overwinter as adults in leaf litter in a state of reproductive diapause and become active in April or May. They are specific to their host plants. Adults, eggs, and nymphs of both species were collected from the underside of leaves of host plants. The reproductive systems of both male and female, as well as eggs, nymphs, and operculum of the eggs of the two species, are described and illustrated. Fecundity, incubation period, development of nymphs, feeding, mating, and oviposition were studied. Mating was end-to-end at an angle of 35–40°. The reproductive potential, oviposition pattern, and site selection in the two species were investigated. Parental care of eggs and brood of G. tiliae is also reported and illustrated. Ocelli, true spermathecae, true egg micropyles, and true egg burster are absent in the two species. Fertilisation takes place before chorion formation. Adults, nymphs, and new generation aggregate on the underside of leaves of their host or nearby deciduous plants. In October they fly a short distance to overwintering sites within leaf litter.

The natural history and distribution of Dictyla echii (Schrank) (Hemiptera: Tingidae), a lace bug native to the Palaearctic, was investigated during 2014–2017 in southwestern Québec and southeastern Ontario, Canada. This apparently univoltine species is associated with Echium vulgare Linnaeus (Boraginaceae) and overwintered as adults in soil in a state of reproductive diapause. Eggs were almost entirely inserted in soft green stems and rarely in tissues of the upper leaf surface of the host plant. Adults and nymphs fed on rosettes, stems, and flower shoots, causing a chlorotic appearance of foliage, and stunted floral shoots. The external morphology of adults and immature stages are described and illustrated. Feeding, mating, oviposition, fecundity, incubation period, development of eggs in ovarioles, hatching of eggs, and emergence of first instars were studied and illustrated. The distribution of D. echii in North America and the Palaearctic is mapped.

Swede midge (Contarinia nasturtii (Kieffer); Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) is a serious invasive pest of Brassica Linnaeus (Brassicaceae) oilseed and vegetable crops in Canada and the United States of America. Pheromone mating disruption is a promising new tactic for managing this difficult pest, but research is needed to determine how pheromone delivery can be optimised. With an understanding of swede midge diel mating patterns, pest managers could limit pheromone release to periods when midges are sexually active. We conducted a series of 24-hour trials to test whether swede midge exhibit diel periodicity of emergence, female calling, and male capture in pheromone traps. We found that females began releasing pheromones almost immediately following emergence within the first five hours after dawn. In the field, we found that males were most active from dawn until late morning, indicating that midges mate primarily during the first five hours of photophase. Low levels of reproductive activity during midday and nighttime hours present opportunities to turn off dispensers and reduce the cost of pheromone inputs in a swede midge mating disruption system.

One new genus of Inocelliidae (Raphidioptera) with one new species and one undetermined specimen is described from the Eocene of North America: Paraksenocellia borealisnew genus, new species from the early Eocene (Ypresian) Okanagan Highlands shale at Driftwood Canyon, British Columbia, Canada (a forewing), and Paraksenocellia species from the middle Eocene (Lutetian) of the Coal Creek Member of the Kishenehn Formation, northwestern Montana, United States of America (a hind wing). These are the oldest records of the family. The new genus possesses many character states that are rare in Inocelliidae, e.g., a very long pterostigma extending to ScP in both the forewings and hind wings; the forewing subcostal space has three crossveins; the forewing and hind wing AA1 are deeply forked; the crossvein between CuA and CuP is located far distad the crossvein 1r-m. Paraksenocellia is confidently a member of the Inocelliidae, as it possesses a proximal shift of the basal crossvein 1r-m (connecting R and M) in the forewing and the loss of the basal crossvein 1r-m in the hind wing, both apomorphies of the family. It shares some character states with the Mesozoic Mesoraphidiidae, which we consider to be mostly stem-group plesiomorphies.

In animals, the early-life environment influences growth and development, which can have lasting effects on life history and fitness into adulthood. We investigated the patterns of growth, pupal development time, and their covariation in Protopiophila litigata Bonduriansky (Diptera: Piophilidae) larvae of both sexes collected from three discarded moose (Alces alces (Linnaeus) (Artiodactyla: Cervidae)) antlers of varying size, chewing damage (used to infer relative age), and P. litigata density. Males tended to be smaller and their pupation lasted longer than females. One of the antlers was highly attractive to adult P. litigata, whereas the other two attracted few or none. Individuals from one antler of low attractiveness were smaller and took longer to eclose than individuals from either other antler, perhaps due to its high larval density. The relationship between body size and pupal development time also differed among antlers, being positively correlated in the most attractive antler and negatively correlated in the two other antlers.

Callipogon relictus Semenov (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is currently listed in the Red Data Books (Category I) of Russia and South Korea and, in 2006, was designated by the South Korean government as the first invertebrate priority target species in a restoration project. However, the species is also classified as an invasive quarantine pest by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Due to the five-year to seven-year life cycle of the species, experimental information about instar numbers has been poorly documented. Therefore, the goal of the present study was to document the instar numbers of non-diapause Callipogon relictus larvae reared on an artificial diet. Under conditions of 30 °C, 60% relative humidity, and constant dark (0:24 hour light-dark photoperiod), developmental pathways of 8, 10, and 12 instars were observed. The effect of temperature (20, 25, and 30 °C) on the duration of larval development was also examined to identify the optimum temperature for producing Callipogon relictus for conservational purposes. Larvae reared at 30 °C and 60% relative humidity, without a chill period, developed in seven to eight months, which is about one-tenth the duration of C. relictus development under natural conditions and the most rapid development of C. relictus observed to date.