The New World flower fly genus Rhinoprosopa Hull, 1942 (Diptera: Syrphidae) is revised and two new species are described: R. hulli Mengual, new species (Costa Rica) and R. zophina Mengual, new species (Costa Rica). Diagnoses, illustrations, synonymies, and distributional data are given for all known species. An identification key to all seven species is also provided.

The New World fauna of the genus Oxytorus Förster, 1869 (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) comprises 11 species, two of them, O. bahiensisnew species and O. sinopaenew species, both from eastern Brazil, are described as new. New data about distribution and variation of several species are reported. Oxytorus peruvianus Alvarado, Bordera, and Rodríguez-Berrío, 2011 is reported for the first time from Brazil and Ecuador, and O. alfredi Gauld and Mallet, 2000 from Guatemala, Mexico, and Trinidad and Tobago. An illustrated key to the New World species of Oxytorus is provided.

The mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), outbreak in British Columbia and Alberta, Canada, currently extends over 18.3 million ha of pine forest. The principal host of the insect is lodgepole pine, Pinus contorta var. latifolia Englemann (Pineaceae) although it is a generalist herbivore on pines. Mountain pine beetles do not typically colonise spruce. However, during the current outbreak, several instances of mountain pine beetle attack on interior hybrid spruce, Picea glauca (Moench) Voss×Picea engelmannii Parry ex. Engelmann (Pinaceae) have been noted in areas where severe lodgepole pine mortality has occurred. Occasionally, beetle reproduction within spruce has been successful. Reproductive behaviours of mountain pine beetles reared from pine and spruce, such as female host acceptance and male joining behaviour, were studied on bolts of pine and spruce in laboratory bioassays. Females more readily accepted spruce host material relative to pine. Females that developed in spruce had higher rates of host acceptance of both pine and spruce host material than females that had developed in pine. We interpret these latter results with caution, however, as inference is partially restricted by sourcing viable insects from one spruce in this study. Implications of these findings to the concepts of host adaptation and population dynamics of this eruptive herbivore are discussed.

Ticks are carried into Canada by millions of birds during spring migration, and some of these blood-sucking ectoparasites harbour tick-associated pathogens. During a pan-Canadian study of ticks on avian hosts, we identified an extralimital tick, Ixodes minor Neumann (Ixodida: Ixodidae) collected from a Common Yellowthroat, Geothlypis trichas (Linnaeus) (Passeriformes: Parulidae) at Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Although the I. minor larva was not tested for any tick-borne pathogens, this tick species is considered a competent enzootic vector of the Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi Johnson, Schmid, Hyde, Steigerwalt, and Brenner sensu lato (s.l.). Epidemiologically, diverse B. burgdorferi s.l. genospecies have been detected in, or isolated from I. minor, and this tick species potentially represents a public health risk not only in the southeastern United States of America, where I. minor is indigenous, but also in Canada. This tick collection is the northernmost report of I. minor in North America, and constitutes the first documentation of this tick species in Canada.

Periodical cicadas in the genus Magicicada Davis (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) of brood II emerged in the eastern United States of America in 2013. In Connecticut, only Magicicada septendecim (Linnaeus) had been recorded until this emergence when Magicicada septendecula Alexander and Moore was found on Totoket Mountain in North Branford, Connecticut, United States of America. This discovery represented the northeastern-most record of this species. In two 0.25-ha plots where M. septendecula and M. septendecim emerged and chorused, species of Carya Nuttall (Juglandaceae) comprised 59.9–63.7% of the total basal area, with Carya glabra (Miller) Sweet, accounting for 43.9–60.0%. In one plot, 31.6% of the total basal area was Fraxinus americana Linnaeus (Oleaceae). By using the proportion of exuviae of M. septendecula (hind tibial length<6.3 mm) and M. septendecim (length ⩾ 6.3 mm) near trees and the mean number of emergence holes per 0.25-m2 quadrat (1.88), it was estimated that 1487 M. septendecula and 17 313 M. septendecim emerged in one 0.25-ha plot. Mean tibial length of M. septendecula was significantly smaller in males (5.53 mm) than females (5.99 mm), and the sex ratio did not depart significantly from 1:1. Magicicada septendecula may be threatened by the decline of F. americana and Juglans cinerea Linnaeus (Juglandaceae), the first a known host and the second a suspected host.

The historical distribution of Glaucopsyche lygdamus (Doubleday) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) in southern Ontario, Canada was analysed using three major databases. In southern Ontario, G. lygdamus includes (1) subspecies G. lygdamus couperi Grote that has expanded its range from the north since the 1940s and 1950s reaching Hamilton, Ontario, Canada in 2012; (2) a non-expanding population on the Norfolk Sand Plain, Ontario, Canada that appears phenotypically closest to G. lygdamus couperi, but with some wing marking characters that are transitional to the more southern subspecies G. lygdamus lygdamus; and (3) rare and local pre-expansion populations referable to G. lygdamus couperi that occurred in the Ottawa Valley and Bruce Peninsula, Ontario, Canada in alvar woodlands, and possibly also on lakeshore dunes. The very rare and local occurrences of silvery blue in southern Ontario in the past is in direct contrast to its increasing abundance in the area in present times, but the genetic and phenotypic diversity of silvery blue may be declining due to genetic mixing with and/or to the effect of increasing parasitoids from the expanding race.

Baronia brevicornis Salvin (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) is one of the most enigmatic butterflies in the world and possibly represents the most ancient lineage among the superfamily Papilionoidea. Its geographic distribution is remote from that of all its potential close relatives and many of its biological and ecological characteristics are unique among the suborder Rhopalocera. One of its particularities is that the occurrence plots of this species seem to be independent, each representing individual populations, despite the fact that the host plant: Acacia cochliacantha Humboldt and Bonpland ex Willdenow (Fabaceae), is one of the most common Mexican Fabaceae species. Our results show that no B. brevicornis populations occur if the host plant does not cover at least two-thirds of the locality. Even in the most favourable zones, the landscape occupancy of the butterfly does not exceed 2.5% of the available habitat even when its host plant covers 50% of the area. The average density of adults was 840 individuals/ha in favourable habitats, frequently on areas of around 3 ha, below of 1400 m. Using the BIOMOD2 package and the largest available set of abiotic conditions for Mexico implemented in the WorldClim database, we propose a revised potential distribution and discuss the results of our model with field occurrence data. Evolutionary and conservation issues are discussed in the light of our results.

The crucifer flea beetle, Phyllotreta cruciferae (Goeze) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), is the most important pest of seedling canola, Brassica napus Linnaeus (Brassicaceae), in North America, yet effects of weather on its dispersal and flight activity are not completely understood. We investigated effects of ambient temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, atmospheric pressure, barometric flux, and precipitation on capture heights of P. cruciferae over four site-years in Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada. Capture heights increased with mean ambient temperatures for both generations of beetles, with 15°C determined as an estimated minimum temperature for flight. Although capture heights decreased with greater minimum relative humidity, and atmospheric pressure, and increased with greater mean wind speed, the contributions of these factors were determined to be minor relative to that of mean temperature. Results of the current study will contribute to more accurate predictions of the invasion of canola crops by P. cruciferae and contribute to improved integrated management of this important pest species.

The small hive beetle (SHB), Aethina tumida Murray (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae), is a non-native pest of honey bees (Apis mellifera Linnaeus (Hymenoptera: Apidae)) newly introduced to Canada. The effectiveness of three in-hive traps was tested in springtime in West-Montérégie (southern Québec, Canada) and in late summer in Essex County (southern Ontario, Canada): AJ’s Beetle Eater™ (AJ’s Beetle Eater), Beetle Barn™ (Rossmann Apiaries), and Hood™ trap (Brushy Mountain Bee Farm). Traps were placed in the brood chamber of 12 colonies in West-Montérégie, and in 48 colonies in the top honey super in Essex County. In-hive traps were effective in reducing SHB populations without compromising the bee population or colony weight gain. In West-Montérégie, the Beetle Barn™ was the most effective trap during the first week, when SHB populations were high. It was less effective when honey bees sealed trap openings with propolis. In Essex County, the AJ’s Beetle Eater™ was the most effective throughout the trial. There was no difference in efficacy between the various solutions used in the Hood™ trap (mineral oil versus mineral oil and apple cider vinegar).

Semi-field experiments were used to compare the curative activity of insecticides on spotted-wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae)) and blueberry maggot (Rhagoletis mendax Curran (Diptera: Tephritidae)) in blueberry fruit. The organophosphate phosmet, the spinosyn spinetoram, and neonicotinoids imidacloprid, acetamiprid, and thiamethoxam showed significant lethality on spotted-wing drosophila and blueberry maggot larvae and eggs, when applied topically to blueberry fruit post-infestation. The pyrethroids fenpropathrin and zeta-cypermethrin showed high levels of post-infestation activity on spotted-wing drosophila larvae or eggs, and indoxacarb showed statistically weaker activity. Curative activity is a previously unrecognised contributor to the overall means by which blueberry growers may achieve control of spotted-wing drosophila and blueberry maggot with the use of insecticides in blueberries.

Sampling a cosmopolitan mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) species throughout its range is logistically challenging and extremely resource intensive. Mosquito control programmes and regional networks operate at the local level and often conduct sampling activities across much of North America. A method for large-scale sampling of two mosquito species using crowdsourcing to network with these local and regional programmes is described. A total of 961 mosquito vector and control districts, health departments, and individual collectors across the United States of America and Canada were contacted in 2011 and 2012 of which 9% positively responded by sending mosquitoes. In total, 1101 unique population samples of Aedes vexans (Meigen) and Culex tarsalis Coquillett were collected throughout their range in these two countries. Aedes vexans outgroup samples were also submitted from Europe and Asia. This is the largest crowd-sourced collection of samples to date.