In 1945 injury to shoots of balsam fir, Abies balsamea (L.) Mill., by sawfly larvae was very common in York and Madawaska counties, New Brunswick. Since then, similar injury has been noticed throughout most of New Brunswick, eastern Nova Scotia, the upper peninsula of Michigan and northern Wisconsin.

New Brunswick specimens were identified by Dr. O. Peck of the Systematic Unit, Division of Entomology, as presumably Pleroneura borealis Felt, the specimens running to this species in Ross' Key (2); however, as stated by Ross (3), the recognition of species in the genus is not at present based upon fundamental characters. P. borealis was originally described in 1917 by Felt (1) from three specimens collected at Lake Clear, N.Y., in 1907. Except for the taxonomic revision by Ross (2), no other reference to this species was found in the literature.

In the laboratory culture of parasitic Hymenoptera it is a common practice to collect the adults from the large emergence cages into glass tubing with a power-driven aspirator. This glass tubing has an absorbent cotton plug at one end and the aspirator cork at the other. Depending upon the characteristics of the species being handled, from 100 to 400 individuals may be collected without impairment into a single tube before the aspirator cork is removed and replaced with another plug of absorbent cotton. The cotton plugs are then tightly fitted into each end of the tubing, and the volume of air space remaining between them amounts to approximately 38 ml. Parasites confined in this manner may be stored for brief periods if fed honey and held at cool temperatures. They are commonly packed in this fashion for transport to experimental field plots.

Investigations begun in 1947 in Saskatchewan have provided new data on the life-history and habits of the black fly Simulium arcticum Mall. The only published account of the biology and egg-laying habits of this species is that by Cameron (1922). He states that the eggs are laid in the usual black-fly fashion, i.e., attached in masses to rocks wetted by sprav in river rapids. The evidence here reported, however, indicates that the eggs are laid singly over the surface of flowing water and that these eggs settle and beconie embedded in the sand on the bottom. The investigations have conclusively shown that the species over-winters in the egg stage. These facts, important in an understanding of the biology of the species, are of particular value in planning a sound program of control.

The ant as a factor in “facultative helotism” plays an important role in the biological conrrol of certain agricultural pests. This phenomenon was noted by Linnè in 1758 (Jones 1929; Wheeler 1910), when he observed that honeydew-producing insects such as aphids, mealybugs, and scale insects often functioned as “cows of the ants.”

The importance of this function in the biological control of homopteroas insects lies in the fact that certain species are effectively controlled by their natural enemies when ants are absent, but not when ants are present. The ant, in gathering the honeydew supplied by such homopterous insects, tends more or less automatically to protect them from their natural enemies (Huber 1810). This apparently protective effect is not limited to the honeydew-producing species hut is often extended to other phytophagous forms such as the citrus red mite, Paratetranychus citri (McGregor), (Kenyon 1935; DeBach, Fleschner, and Dietrick 1951) and diaspid scale insects (Flanders 1945) when such forms happen to be within the area of ant activity.

Although there is a great deal of literature on the relative potencies of many insecticides to various insects and although many histological and physiological studies of insects have been made, observations on tissue changes in insects caused either directly or indirectly by insecticides have been few (Pilat, 1935 and Hartzell, 1945). Such observations are important in advancing our knowledge of specialized insect histology and, therefore, of insect physiology. They are of further value because they provide indications of the mode of action of insecticides on insects, a knowledge which is of great importance not only in the development of exact as opposed to indiscriminate methods of application, but also in the development of new and more specific insecticides.

While rearranging a collection of Mordellidae taken in Prince Edward County, Ontario, during many years of collecting, it was found that records from Canada were few in the publications available. Perhaps the following records will add a little to the knowledge of distribution of this group. The nomenclature and arrangement follow Liljeblad (1945, Univ. Michigan Mus. Zool. Misc. Publ. 62).

Aphids of the genus Cinara found in Canada east of the Rockies are, with few exceptions, large, dark in colour, and compact in form. They live entirely on coniferous hosts and each species is restricted either to a single species of plant, or to plants of the same genus. Their unvarying choice of a host plant makes it possible to separate the species into groups according to the genus of plant on which they occur; this characteristic is used in the following key.

For many years American workers have applied the name Phanerotoma tibialis (Hald.) indiscriminately to specimens reared from a variety of lepidoprerous hosts pertaining to the genera Acrobasis, Carpocapsa, Grapholitha, Laspeyresia, Melissopus, and Tetralopha. Concurrently tibialis has come to be regarded as an unusually variable species in both structure and colour. Recently, after examining many specimens reared from the above hosts, I reached the conclusion that two species of Phanerotoma are involved, one a parasite of Pyralidae of the phycitid and epipachiinid groups, and the other a species that apparently confines its attacks to certain Olethreutidae of the subfamily Eucosminae. For reasons stated below it appears that the name Phanerotoma tibialis (Hald.) applies correctly to the species with pyralid hosts (Acrobasis, Tetrarlopha), whereas the species reared from Olethreutidae (Carpocapsa, Grapholitha, Laspeyresia, Melissopus) should he called Phanerotoma fasciata Prov.

The genus Lasiopleura Becker is peculiar in the family Chloropidae in the unusual development of the chaetotaxy of head and thorax. It is apparently an ancient group, with representatives in all the faunal regions. A number of generic names have been proposed, and a thorough study of the species of the world may show that some of them can be maintained, either as genera or as subgenera, though perhaps on different bases from those on which they were proposed. The group is especially rich in species in Australia and the South Pacific area.

During the course of a survey on the diseases and internal parasites of muskrats in British Columbia (1951), twelve muskrats trapped by the author were also examined for the presence of external parasites.

All of these animals were considered in a healthy condition. There was no apparent inflammation of the eyes, ears or nostrils. The fur was not yet in prime condition but it was sleek, with no evidence of skin disease.

The discovery of a new species of Herina Desv. [=Tephronota Loew] has provided the opportunity of reviewing the genus in North America. In the following discussion, which includes a description of the new species and a key to the four recognized Nearctic species, I also present notes on nomenclature, distribution, and relationships between species.

Good organization of a scientific paper benefits both the writer and the reader. It enables the author to develop his subject systematically and logically, and to attain his objective with greater clarity, brevity, and emphasis. It provides the reader with a plan that he can follow and so keeps him attuned throughout to the writer's thought sequence. This contributes to comfortable reading and to better communication of information—worthy objectives in any type of writing. Lack of organization leads to confusion for both writer and reader.

Micro-organisms that seem to be symbiotic are known to occur in many insects (Steinhaus, 1949). Often these micro-organisms are retained for at least a part of their iife in special organs in the insect's body called ‘mycetomes’. Mansour (1935) following a study of a number of beetles cnntaining micro-organisms concluded, in the two closely related species Sitophilus granarius (L) and Sitophilus oryza (L) that while both species have mycetonies only S. oryza had micro-organisms; a conclusion that his received some general acceptance (Steinhaus, 1946; Wigglesworth, 1947). Thus it could be questioned if the micro-organisms in S. oryza were of benefit to it since S. granarius survived apparently without any (Mansour). However, it has been shown that in some beetles (Blewett & Fraenkel, 1944), in the body louse (Aschner, 1935), and in the hug, Rhodnius, (Brecher & Wigglesworth, 1944) the associated micro-organisms are of considerable importance to the insect. It therefore seemed worth while to study further the condition existing in S. oryza and S. granarius; and in the early stages of this work some interesting phenomena have been observed.

In 1886 Meinert described a new centipede from New England which he called Geophilus huronicus. This centipede, characterized at some length and with considerable accuracy in the original description. is peculiar in that it is rather unlike any other known North American member of the genus. Perhaps for that reason, as well as because he had never seen huronicus, Attems placed it in his long roster of questionable New World species.

Apparently, the male of Cyrtolobus griseus Van Duzee (Stud. N.A. Memb. 90.16, 1908) has never been described. The following is a description of a male which is here designated the allotype. This specimen was collected in the University of Wisconsin Arboretum, Madison, July 21, 1950 from bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa Michx.). The allotype is in the author's collection.

The Canadian species of Cixiidae were discussed in a recent paper (Beirne, 1950). In the present paper a species new to the Canadian fauna is recorded, and changes in the specific names of two other species are proposed.

Oliarus aridus Ball

Oliarus aridus Ball, 1902, Can. Ent. 34: 151.

Oliarus breviceps Fowler, 1904, Biol. Centr. Amer. 1: 94.

Readers will have noted that, beginning with the January number, a better grade of paper has been adopted for the Canadian Entomologist. This step was taken in order to meet the demand for a better reproduction of photographic illustrations, in which a good deal of important detail was lost with the paper formerly used. It will we think be generally agreed that the new paper is a great improvement.

However, we should like to take this opportunity of making some general observations on the illustration of entomological papers.

The study of honeybee behaviour and activity requires, among other things, some means of positively identifying both individuals and groups of honeybees. Research workers have for years applied quick during paints to the thorax or abdomen of the honeybee for this purpose. However, where large numbers of bees must be marked, the hand application of paints is a rather slow and tedious procedure and at its best allows for the marking of a comparatively small number of insects.