Laricobius nigrinus Fender, native to western North America, was first released in 2003 for the biological control of the hemlock woolly adelgid, Adelges tsugae Annand (Hemiptera: Adelgidae), in the eastern United States. Members of the genus Laricobius are known to feed on adelgids, but there is a lack of detailed taxonomic and ecological information on this group of insects. Detailed descriptions and illustrations of various life stages of L. nigrinus are presented in this study, accompanied by notes on its life history to facilitate its recognition.

Nitidulid beetles were sampled from old-growth and mature managed hemlock-hardwood forest stands in southeastern Ontario, Canada. Large-area flight-intercept traps and trunk-window traps were operated for 22 weeks in 2003 and yielded 2129 nitidulid beetles representing 30 species. Species richness was similar in both forest types but relative abundance was higher in managed stands. Other diversity measures (rarefaction-estimated species richness, Fisher's α, Simpson's index) were all higher in old-growth stands, and managed stands were separated from old-growth stands in cluster analyses based on overall species diversity. These results were strongly influenced by the dominance of Glischrochilus quadrisignatus (Say) in two managed stands; removal of that species from analyses resulted in higher species diversity in managed stands and no distinct separation of forest types in cluster analyses. Indicator species analysis showed that G. quadrisignatus and Pallodes pallidus (Palisot de Beauvois) were strongly associated with managed stands. Glischrochilus sanguinolentus (Olivier) was collected more frequently in trunk-window traps than in flight-intercept traps and data suggested a possible association of this beetle with old-growth stands. Pallodes pallidus and Cychramus adustus Erichson, both known to feed on fleshy white fungi, displayed a clear division in seasonal abundance peaks, suggesting that resource partitioning may be occurring.

A review of the rove beetle species of the genus Oxypoda Mannerheim from Canada and Alaska is presented. Thirty-seven species are treated, of which 4 have uncertain status, 6 are described as new to science, 8 (excluding new species) represent new distribution records for Canada, 17 (excluding new species) represent new province or territory records, 7 represent new state records, and 15 are newly synonymized. New species are Oxypoda canadensis Klimaszewski, sp. nov., O. chantali Klimaszewski, sp. nov., O. longicarinata Klimaszewski, sp. nov., O. smithi Klimaszewski, sp. nov., O. vockerothi Klimaszewski, sp. nov., and O. volkeri Klimaszewski, sp. nov. New country records are O. brachyptera (Stephens), O. gatosensis Bernhauer, O. gnara Casey, O. inimica Casey, O. orbicollis Casey, O. opaca (Gravenhorst), O. operta Sjöberg, and O. perexilis Casey. New synonyms are O. amica Casey (= O. chillcotti Lohse syn. nov.), O. convergens Casey (= O. iowensis Casey syn. nov., O. profecta Casey syn. nov.), O. dubia Fenyes (= O. tenera Bernhauer syn. nov.), O. lucidula Casey (= O. parafunebris Lohse syn. nov.), O. manitobae Casey (= O. lata Lohse syn. nov.), O. mimetica Casey (= O. truncatella Casey, O. virginica Casey, O. canora Casey, O. latebricola Casey syn. nov.), O. perexilis Casey (= O. affecta Casey, O. croceola Casey, O. mollicula Casey, O. tenuicola Casey syn. nov.), and O. subpolaris Casey (= O. hemingi Lohse syn. nov.). The Canadian and Alaskan Oxypoda species are classified into 14 new species groups reflecting their presumed relationships. All treated species are illustrated, and distribution maps are included. New data on bionomics, distribution, and relationships are presented. Hylota ochracea Casey is removed from Oxypoda and reinstated to its original combination.

Based on examination of most species of Brechmorhoga, Gynothemis, Macrothemis, and Scapanea, these four genera are rediagnosed, resulting in the following taxonomic changes: Brechmorhoga archboldi (Donnelly, 1970) comb. nov., Gynothemis pumila (Karsch, 1890) comb. nov., Macrothemis heteronycha (Calvert, 1909) comb. nov., and Macrothemis calliste (Ris, 1913) comb. nov. The male of M. calliste is described and illustrated for the first time.

Seven species of introduced Carabidae are newly reported in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Trechus quadristriatus (Schrank), Amara ovata (Fabricius), and Harpalus rubripes (Duftschmid) are newly recorded in Atlantic Canada as a whole. Possible modes of introduction of these species to the region are discussed. Several may have been introduced in association with dry ballast shipments. Some may have arrived via natural dispersion from neighbouring areas; others appear to have been present and undetected for a considerable time. The possible impact of such introductions is also discussed. Synanthropic environments have higher proportions of introduced species than relatively undisturbed, native habitats. Some adventive species do become widespread in native environments; however, negative impacts on native species may not be readily apparent.

The species of Pteromalidae (Chalcidoidea) introduced to British Columbia, Canada, from Europe in 1949 as Trichomalus fasciatus (Thomson, 1878), Xenocrepis pura Mayr, 1904, and Habrocytus sp. for classical biological control of Ceutorhynchus obstrictus (Marsham, 1802) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) are shown to be misidentifications of Trichomalus perfectus (Walker, 1835), Mesopolobus morys (Walker, 1848), and Stenomalina gracilis (Walker, 1834), respectively. Species reared subsequently from seedpods of Brassica spp. (Brassicaceae) in British Columbia and reported in the literature under the first three names are shown to be misidentifications of, respectively, Trichomalus lucidus (Walker, 1835), Mesopolobus moryoides Gibson, 2005, and one or both of Pteromalus puparum (L., 1758) and T. lucidus. There is no evidence that either T. perfectus or M. morys established in North America, but S. gracilis is newly recorded from southern British Columbia based on specimens reared from Brassicaceae seedpods in 2004 and 2005.

A new species of the genus Plusia Ochsenheimer is described from North America on the basis of differences in wing colour, markings, and genital structure. The new species, typically found in bogs, was first recognized through molecular sampling for the Barcode of Life Initiative and differs significantly from other species of Plusia in the cytochrome c oxydase I (COI) mitochondrial gene sequence.

Mariner-like element sequences were recovered from the genome of the orange wheat midge, Sitodiplosis mosellana (Géhin), with degenerate PCR primers designed to conserved regions of mariner transposases. The deduced amino acid sequences of the mariner-like transposases from S. mosellana showed 67% to 78% identity with the peptide sequences of other mariner transposases. A phylogenetic analysis revealed that the mariner-like elements from S. mosellana grouped in the mauritiana subfamily of mariner transposons. Results from Southern blot analysis suggest mariner-like elements are at a moderate copy number in the genome of S. mosellana.

A review of insect adaptations for resistance to cold and for life-cycle timing reveals the complexity of the adaptations and their relationships to features of the environment. Cold hardiness is a complex and dynamic state that differs widely among species. Surviving cold depends on habitat choice, relationships with ice and water, and synthesis of a variety of cryoprotectant molecules. Many aspects are time-dependent and are integrated with other factors such as taxonomic affinity, resource availability, natural enemies, and diapause. Timing adaptations reflect the fact that all environments change over many different time frames, from days to thousands of years. Environments differ in severity and in the extent, nature, variability, and predictability of change, as well as in how reliably cues indicate probable conditions in the future. These differences are reflected by a wide range of insect life-cycle systems, life-cycle delays, levels of responsiveness to various environmental signals, genetic systems, and circadian responses. In particular, the degree of environmental change, its predictability on different time frames, and whether it can be monitored effectively dictate the balance between fixed and flexible timing responses. These same environmental features have to be characterized to understand cold hardiness, but this has not yet been done. Therefore, the following key questions must be answered in order to put cold hardiness into the necessary ecological context: How much do conditions change? How consistent is the change? How reliable are environmental signals?

The higher classification of the families of the Noctuoidea with a quadrifid forewing (Nolidae, Strepsimanidae, Arctiidae, Lymantriidae, Erebidae, and Noctuidae) is reviewed from the perspective of recent classifications and the distribution of derived character states. On the basis of recent morphological and molecular studies, we propose a more inclusive definition of the family Noctuidae that adds the subfamilies Nolinae, Strepsimaninae, Arctiinae, Lymantriinae, and Erebinae to the subfamilies more traditionally included in the Noctuidae. Consequently, the superfamily Noctuoidea comprises the families Oenosandridae, Doidae, Notodontidae, Micronoctuidae, and Noctuidae. The tribe Cosmiini, currently in the subfamily Xyleninae, is downgraded to the status of subtribe Cosmiina and placed in the tribe Xylenini. The tribe Balsini, currently in the subfamily Xyleninae, is elevated to the status of subfamily Balsinae. The tribe Phosphilini is transferred from the subfamily Psaphidinae to the Xyleninae.

Under favourable conditions some species of insects and mites complete development very quickly. This paper considers species with a mean minimum generation time of 15 days or less and tabulates developmental data for many sample species. Such species belong chiefly to a limited number of taxa of small size, notably aphids and several families of mites and parasitoid Hymenoptera. Characteristics of these taxa are reviewed. Even in families containing many species with rapid life cycles, normally many other species lack such rapid development. Very short life cycles depend on phylogeny, strain, rapid development in all stages, small size, rich food, and other habitat features including high temperatures. Within this framework, life cycles are accelerated by reducing elements requiring the investment of resources (size, fecundity, longevity, structural complexity), eliminating instars and even life stages, accelerating development (through lower requirements especially of heat, heat gain by adaptations such as basking, and rapid reproduction), and choosing the most suitable habitats and microhabitats from those available. Mean minimum generation times in insects and mites with coincident adaptations of this sort can be as short as 4 days. Notwithstanding the advantages of rapid development in maximizing the intrinsic rate of natural increase (and hence fitness), most species cannot achieve the highest rates of development. They are constrained not only by resources and intrinsic physiological or phylogenetic patterns but also by variability of conditions and seasonality that can be survived only by interpolating delays or resistant stages.

The aquatic larvae of the firefly Luciola leii Fu and Ballantyne occur on the substrate of rice fields and ditches in Hubei Province of central China. The behaviour and ecology of L. leii are described. We recorded L. leii larvae attacking four species of aquatic snails: Lymnaea stagnalis (L.) (Basommatophora: Lymnaeidae), Gyraulus convexiusculus (Hutton) (Basommatophora: Planorbidae), Radix auricularia (L.) (Lymnaeidae), and Bellamya purificata Heude (Mesogastropoda: Viviparidae). At dusk, flying males produced two types of advertising flashes. One type consisted of a train of 8 rapid, green flashes followed by 2–3 slow, prolonged flashes produced by patrolling males as a long-distance signal. The duration of flashes in the patrolling pattern was 530 ms and the interflash interval was 80 ms. The other type was a short-range signal consisting of a green glow, which was emitted by flying males that had located a female. Once a female had been located, the male landed and switched to a courting pattern. The male courtship pattern consisted of single flashes of about 400 ms duration, delivered every 1.8 s. Females produced single answering flashes of 910 ms duration, with a latency of approximately 630 ms after the male flash. Luciola leii was univoltine. Females oviposited 1 to 7 times (mean = 4.78). Females laid, on average, 187.19 eggs. The eggs hatched at 21.52 days. Eggs became luminescent 4 or 5 days before hatching. The larval stage had six instars. Mature larvae climbed onto land to construct pupal cells at the end of April of the next year. The pupal stage lasted, on average, 4.88 days. The imago lasted 10.13 days. No predators of larvae were observed. The spider Tetragnatha praedonia Koch (Araneae: Tetragnathidae) was frequently observed to capture adult male fireflies in its web.

We investigated changes in a wild bee community by repeating a detailed historical study of bee biodiversity in Ontario. In 1968 and 1969 (period 1), an inventory of bee species was taken from an old field habitat in southern Ontario. We resampled the bee fauna in 2002 and 2003 (period 2), following the same methods. Bee species richness, diversity, and evenness were significantly greater in period 2, and this was observed in all functional guilds except wood-nesting, pollen specialist, and nonnative bees. In period 2, a total of 150 bee species were found (2002, 98 species; 2003, 143 species), whereas in period 1, a total of 105 species were found (1968, 98 species; 1969, 76 species). Although 90 bee species collected in period 1 were re-collected in period 2, bee community composition was remarkably different between periods, with an estimated community similarity of only 7.5%. Changes in the bee fauna, specifically the increase in the proportions of pollen specialist and wood-nesting bees, might be best explained by changes in the habitat as a result of succession over the intervening 34 years. We compare and contrast our findings of bee community change with the published literature and discuss the possible factors driving the change.

The Mordellidae of the Maritime provinces of Canada is surveyed. Thirty species have now been recorded from the region. Of these, 17 are newly recorded for Nova Scotia, 11 are newly recorded for Prince Edward Island, and 7 are newly recorded for New Brunswick, for a total of 35 new provincial records. Three species, Mordellistena indistincta Smith, Mordellistena rubrifascia Liljeblad, and Mordellistena rubrilabris Helmuth, are newly recorded for Canada, while a further 11 species, Mordella melaena Germar, Mordellistena aspersa (Melsheimer), Mordellistena errans Fall, Mordellistena morula LeConte, Mordellistena picilabris Helmuth, Mordellistena sericans Fall, Mordellistena vilis (LeConte), Mordellina ancilla (LeConte), Mordellina nigricans (Melsheimer), Mordellina pustulata (Melsheimer), and Glipostenoda ambusta (LeConte), are newly recorded for Atlantic Canada. One subspecies, Mordella atrata lecontei Csiki, is removed from the region's faunal listing. The composition of the region's fauna as a whole, and related biogeographic questions, are briefly discussed. The Mordellidae are also discussed in the context of forest beetle communities in the region and the impact of historical forest management practices on old-growth specialist species.

Scudderopsisgen. nov. is described from New Guinea (type species: Scudderopsis baiyerensissp. nov.). This monobasic genus is placed in the tribe Oedemopsini. A diagnosis and key are provided to distinguish Scudderopsis from the other 11 genera in the tribe.

In this paper, we review the pteronyssid feather mites of the genera Pteronyssus Robin, Scutulanyssus Mironov, and Stenopteronyssus Faccini and Atyeo found in the course of an investigation into ectoparasites of birds in Canada. Five new species of feather mites are described: Pteronyssus sphyrapicinussp. nov. from the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Sphyrapicus varius (L.); Stenopteronyssus proctoraesp. nov. from the Northern Flicker, Colaptes auratus (L.); Scutulanyssus progneisp. nov. and Scutulanyssus subissp. nov. from the Purple Martin, Progne subis (L.); and Scutulanyssus petrochelidonissp. nov. from the Cliff Swallow, Petrochelidon pyrrhonota (Vieillot). New host records are provided for Pteronyssus picoides Černy and Schumilo from the Downy Woodpecker, Picoides pubescens (L.), and for Scutulanyssus obscurus (Berlese) from the Cliff Swallow; Pteronyssus brevipes Berlese and Scutulanyssus hirundicolus Mironov are formally recorded in North America for the first time; and Pteronyssus centurus McDaniel and Price is reported for the first time in Canada, from Lewis' Woodpecker, Melanerpes lewis (Gray). Scutulanyssus tyrrelli (Canestrini) is reported for the first time in Manitoba from the Tree Swallow, Tachycineta bicolor (Vieillot). Keys are provided for all species of Pteronyssus and Scutulanyssus found in North America.