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hb(hunchback) is a contributing factor in anteroposterior axial patterning of insects. Although the hbfunction in Locusta migratoria manilensishas been investigated, its expression pattern remains unknown. Here, the mouse polyclonal antibody was produced against Hb fusion protein, and then its expression pattern during oogenesis and embryogenesis of L. migratoria manilensiswas examined by immunohistochemical staining. Hb protein was detected in the oocyte nucleus which was positioned centrally within the developing oocyte. The oocyte nucleus gradually moved to the posterior end of the egg along with the oocyte maturing. In freshly laid eggs, Hb formed gradient at the posterior end of the egg, and then hbwas expressed as a band in the middle of the blastodisc. As the blastodisc differentiated into the head and trunk, the expression region became wide, which would develop into spatial gnathal and thoracic segments. With abdominal segmentation, the expression domain in the gnathal and thoracic region became faint and eventually faded out, while the Hb expression domain appeared at the posterior growth zone in a discontinuous expression manner. The hbexpression pattern of L. migratoria manilensisis greatly similar to that of other locusts, such as Schistocerca americanaand another L. migratoria. Compared with other insects, hbexpression is conserved in the gnathal and thoracic domains, while divergent in oogenesis and abdomen.

Two new species, Tachytes spatiosusLi, Cai and Li from Zhejiang, China, and T. yunnanensisLi, Cai and Li from Yunnan, China, are described and illustrated. Five species are first recorded from China, T. ambidens Kohl, T. matronalis Dahlbom, T. freygessneri Kohl, T. celsissimusTurner, andT. monetarius Smith. A key to the Chinese species of the genus is provided. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)