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Azalea Sawfly (Euura lipovskyi) larvae found feeding on foliage and flowers of cultivated Flame Azalea (Rhododendron calendulaceum) in Ottawa, Ontario, in late May 2021 are the first records of this sawfly in Canada. The native range of Azalea Sawfly includes the eastern United States, but the species has extended its distribution recently to the Pacific northwest of North America and Europe. Recorded foodplants include Rhododendron calendulaceum, Rhododendron luteum, Rhododendron obtrusum, Rhododendron occidentale, Rhododendron molle, Rhododendron viscosum, and possibly Early Azalea (Rhododendron prinophyllum), all in Rhododendron section Pentanthera. The new combinations Euura lipovskyi and Euura azaleae are proposed.

A distributional checklist of the sawflies (Hymenoptera) of Canada, Alaska (USA) and Greenland (Denmark) is presented. In total, 758 extant, described species, classified in 113 genera in 12 families are recorded. Of these, 729 (in 113 genera in 12 families) are reported from Canada, 183 (in 48 genera in 8 families) from Alaska, and 7 (in 1 genus) from Greenland. The list includes 69 new species records and 5 new generic records for Canada and 29 new species records and 7 new generic records for Alaska. The family Xiphydriidae is also newly recorded from Alaska. No new records are reported from Greenland. Eighty-four new combinations are proposed for species of Nematinae (Tenthredinidae). Distributions are listed for all species, for those in Canada by province or territory, except the province of Newfoundland and Labrador is divided into the island of Newfoundland and the region of Labrador. This inventory is compared with previous Nearctic and Palaearctic surveys, checklists and catalogues.

The first western Canadian records of the European carabid, Nebria brevicollis (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Carabidae), are reported from Vancouver, Coquitlam, and Delta, British Columbia, Canada. A species description is provided to facilitate identification of this new invasive species. In addition, pitfall trap data are presented that demonstrate establishment of populations at four locations in Coquitlam. Trap catches were substantially higher at one anthropogenic meadow site than at three urban forest sites. Potential for further expansion of the range of N. brevicollis in British Columbia and beyond is discussed.

We report a long-term survey summarising the seasonal variation in species composition of Peristenus species, and their levels of parasitism in an assemblage of Lygus spp., over more than 10 years in southern Alberta in western Canada. Plants sampled include alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), canola (Brassica napus L.), and stands of different weed and grass species commonly found on crop field edges. Three native Peristenus species (Peristenus dayi, Peristenus mellipes, and Peristenus howardi) were recorded in 2003–2011 and 2013–2015. In laboratory trials, P. mellipes emerged 13 days earlier than P. howardi. Degree-days for field-collected individuals suggested a sequential occurrence during the growing season: P. dayi appears early in the season, followed by P. mellipes, and later on by P. howardi. Studies of species composition and phenology of native parasitoids of insect pests provide valuable baseline information when considering introduction of exotic agents, and contribute to the management and...

A new species, Scolioneura smithi , probably associated with an ericaceous host is described. The two American species of Scolioneura are quite distinct from the known European species and differences are discussed. A key to females of Nearctic species of Scolioneura is provided.

Few groups of insects have been surveyed over a very long period (50 years or more) in an area. Three groups were considered here meeting the long survey condition: ground beetles (Coleoptera: Cara...

En 1930, le pensionnat de Fort George (aujourd’hui Chisasibi) est le premier pensionnat catholique a ouvrir ses portes au Quebec. Il sera aussi le dernier a fermer en 1980. Les peres oblats s’implantent a l’est de la baie James en juillet 1922. Ils sont presents sur la cote ouest de la baie, en Ontario, depuis plusieurs annees deja. En traversant la baie, leur objectif est de contrer la mainmise de l’Eglise anglicane, etablie dans ce secteur depuis 1891. En effet, les membres des differentes ...

More than half a million specimens of wild-caught Lepidoptera caterpillars have been reared for their parasitoids, identified, and DNA barcoded over a period of 34 years (and ongoing) from Area de Conservación de Guanacaste (ACG), northwestern Costa Rica. This provides the world’s best location-based dataset for studying the taxonomy and host relationships of caterpillar parasitoids. Among Hymenoptera, Microgastrinae (Braconidae) is the most diverse and commonly encountered parasitoid subfamily, with many hundreds of species delineated to date, almost all undescribed. Here, we reassess the limits of the genus Apanteles sensu stricto, describe 186 new species from 3,200+ parasitized caterpillars of hundreds of ACG Lepidoptera species, and provide keys to all 205 described Apanteles from Mesoamerica –including 19 previously described species in addition to the new species. The Mesoamerican Apanteles are assigned to 32 species-groups, all but two of which are newly defined. Taxonomic keys are presented in two formats: traditional dichotomous print versions and links to electronic interactive versions (software Lucid 3.5). Numerous illustrations, computer-generated descriptions, distributional information, wasp biology, and DNA barcodes (where available) are presented for every species. All morphological terms are detailed and linked to the Hymenoptera Anatomy Ontology website. DNA barcodes (a standard fragment of the cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) mitochondrial gene), information on wasp biology (host records, solitary/gregariousness of wasp larvae), ratios of morphological features, and wasp microecological distributions were used to help clarify boundaries between morphologically cryptic species within species-complexes. Because of the high accuracy of host identification for about 80% of the wasp species studied, it was possible to analyze host relationships at a regional level. The ACG species of Apanteles attack mainly species of Hesperiidae, Elachistidae and Crambidae (Lepidoptera). About 90% of the wasp species with known host records seem to be monophagous or oligophagous at some level, parasitizing just one host family and commonly, just one species of caterpillar. Only 15 species (9%) parasitize species in more than one family, and some of these cases are likely to be found to be species complexes. We have used several information sources and techniques (traditional taxonomy, molecular, software-based, biology, and geography) to accelerate the process of finding and describing these new species in a hyperdiverse group such as Apanteles.The following new taxonomic and nomenclatural acts are proposed. Four species previously considered to be Apanteles are transferred to other microgastrine genera: Dolichogenidea hedyleptae (Muesebeck, 1958) comb. n., Dolichogenidea politiventris (Muesebeck, 1958) comb. n., Rhygoplitis sanctivincenti (Ashmead, 1900) comb. n., and Illidops scutellaris (Muesebeck, 1921) comb. rev. One European species that is a secondary homonym to a Mesoamerican species is removed from Apanteles and transferred to another genus: Iconella albinervis (Tobias, 1964) stat. rev. The name Apanteles albinervican Shenefelt, 1972, is an invalid replacement name for Apanteles albinervis (Cameron, 1904) stat. rev., and thus the later name is reinstated as valid. The following 186 species, all in Apanteles and all authored by Fernández-Triana, are described as species nova: adelinamoralesae, adrianachavarriae, adrianaguilarae, adrianguadamuzi, aichagirardae, aidalopezae, albanjimenezi, alejandromasisi, alejandromorai, minorcarmonai, alvarougaldei, federicomatarritai, anabellecordobae, rostermoragai, anamarencoae, anamartinesae, anapiedrae, anariasae, andreacalvoae, angelsolisi, arielopezi, bernardoespinozai, bernyapui, bettymarchenae, bienvenidachavarriae, calixtomoragai, carloscastilloi, carlosguadamuzi, eliethcantillanoae, carlosrodriguezi, carlosviquezi, carloszunigai, carolinacanoae, christianzunigai, cinthiabarrantesae, ciriloumanai, cristianalemani, cynthiacorderoae, deifiliadavilae, dickyui, didiguadamuzi, diegoalpizari, diegotorresi, diniamartinezae, duniagarciae, duvalierbricenoi, edgarjimenezi, edithlopezae, eduardoramirezi, edwinapui, eldarayae, erickduartei, esthercentenoae, eugeniaphilipsae, eulogiosequeira, felipechavarriai, felixcarmonai, fernandochavarriai, flormoralesae, franciscopizarroi, franciscoramirezi, freddyquesadai, freddysalazari, gabrielagutierrezae, garygibsoni, gerardobandoi, gerardosandovali, gladysrojasae, glenriverai, gloriasihezarae, guadaluperodriguezae, guillermopereirai, juanmatai, harryramirezi, hectorsolisi, humbertolopezi, inesolisae, irenecarrilloae, isaacbermudezi, isidrochaconi, isidrovillegasi, ivonnetranae, jairomoyai, javiercontrerasi, javierobandoi, javiersihezari, jesusbrenesi, jesusugaldei, jimmychevezi, johanvargasi, jorgecortesi, jorgehernandezi, josecalvoi, josecortesi, josediazi, josejaramilloi, josemonteroi, joseperezi, joserasi, juanapui, juancarrilloi, juangazoi, juanhernandezi, juanlopezi, juanvictori, juliodiazi, juniorlopezi, keineraragoni, laurahuberae, laurenmoralesae, leninguadamuzi, leonelgarayi, lilliammenae, lisabearssae, luciariosae, luisbrizuelai, luiscanalesi, luiscantillanoi, luisgarciai, luisgaritai, luishernandezi, luislopezi, luisvargasi, manuelarayai, manuelpereirai, manuelriosi, manuelzumbadoi, marcobustosi, marcogonzalezi, marcovenicioi, mariachavarriae mariaguevarae, marialuisariasae, mariamendezae, marianopereirai, mariatorrentesae, sigifredomarini, marisolarroyoae, marisolnavarroae, marvinmendozai, mauriciogurdiani, milenagutierrezae, monicachavarriae, oscarchavesi, osvaldoespinozai, pablotranai, pabloumanai, pablovasquezi, paulaixcamparijae, luzmariaromeroae, petronariosae, randallgarciai, randallmartinezi, raulacevedoi, raulsolorsanoi, wadyobandoi, ricardocaleroi, robertmontanoi, robertoespinozai, robertovargasi, rodrigogamezi, rogerblancoi, rolandoramosi, rolandovegai, ronaldcastroi, ronaldgutierrezi, ronaldmurilloi, ronaldnavarroi, ronaldquirosi, ronaldzunigai, rosibelelizondoae, ruthfrancoae, sergiocascantei, sergioriosi, tiboshartae, vannesabrenesae, minornavarroi, victorbarrantesi, waldymedinai, wilbertharayai, williamcamposi, yeissonchavesi, yilbertalvaradoi, yolandarojasae, hazelcambroneroae, zeneidabolanosae.

« Fonde sur les archives des peres oblats, tres peu exploitees a ce jour, ce premier livre sur les pensionnats autochtones au Quebec relate l'histoire de chaque etablissement. L'auteur y fait ressortir les pressions politiques exercees par la communaute religieuse sur les autorites federales au moment meme ou le gouvernement liberal de Louis St-Laurent projetait de fermer ces institutions au Canada anglais. Il met aussi en lumiere l'ideologie des oblats en matiere d'education des enfants autochtones : contrairement a ce que pronait la politique d'integration dans les ecoles publiques du departement des Affaires indiennes dans les annees 1950, ils cherchaient plutot a maintenir vivante la culture de leurs pensionnaires. Ecrit dans le contexte tendu de la Commission de verite et reconciliation, ce livre ouvre la voie a une interpretation differente de la responsabilite premiere de ces institutions au Quebec » -- Extrait du resume de l'editeur.

Athalia cornubiae Benson, an Old World species that feeds on Sedum (Crassulaceae), is reported from North America. It was collected in a Lindgren funnel trap in East Syracuse, Onondaga Co., New York, U.S.A. in 2007 and found in Malaise trap collections at a residence in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, in 2010. This is the first record of both the genus and species in the Western Hemisphere.

Pseudodineura kasatochi Smith, n. sp., is described from Kasatochi Island, Alaska. This is the first record of a species of Pseudodineura from Alaska. The specimen was collected prior to a volcanic eruption in August 2008 that nearly destroyed all life on the island. It is separated from other Palearctic and Nearctic species of the genus.

Blethisa aurata Fischer von Waldheim, 1828 is redescribed based on recently collected specimens. The taxon is kept as a subspecies of B. multipunctata (Linnaeus 1758). This subspecies is known from forested regions on the Pacific watershed of Russia and Hokkaido (Japan), and Alaska (United States) and subarctic regions of the Northwest Territories (Canada). Blethisa inexspectata Goulet and Smetana, 1983 is a new synonym of B. multipunctata aurata. The remaining North American specimens originally assigned under B. multipunctata aurata (boreal east of Yukon and the Rocky Mountains) belong to B. hudsonica Casey, new status.

Two braconid parasitoids (Hymenoptera) of European origin, Peristenus relictus and Peristenus digoneutis, were released into non-crop vegetation at four locations in the Monterey Bay region of coastal Central California for their permanent establishment and control of Lygus spp. (Hemiptera: Miridae) infesting strawberries. At two sites, parasitoids were released into wild vegetation known to support Lygus spp. near conventionally-managed strawberry fields. Parasitoids were also released into Lygus spp. specific alfalfa, Medicago sativa, trap crops intercropped in two different organic strawberry fields. P. relictus has persisted for over 4 years since last released into the original release site of wild vegetation and for two years at the first organic strawberry release site. Populations of P. relictus were significantly correlated with Lygus spp. collected from alfalfa trap crops from 2005 to 2007 (r 2 = 0.60; p < 0.005). At this organic strawberry farm, mean densities of Lygus spp. in strawberries have fallen significantly (p < 0.05) from a pre-release seasonal high of 2.7 nymphs per 50 suctions (bug-vac machine) in 2003 to 0.8 nymphs in 2007. Bordering wild vegetation composed of winter/spring annuals at three different sites supported both native Lygus spp. and Closterotomus (=Calocoris) norvegicus, an exotic mirid in California that is attacked by P. relictus in Europe. C. norvegicus dominated sampled vegetation in spring to early summer, when Lygus spp. were nearly absent, allowing for the persistence and early build-up of P. relictus at the edge of the strawberry agroecosystem, with no detectable damage to strawberries. An overwintering population of P. digoneutis has not been found in the four release sites.

This study reports the Microgastrinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) species collected from two blocks of apple trees from 1993 to 1994 in southern Quebec, Canada. The habitat management block (HMB) had companion flowering plants within the block, whereas the control had no flowering plants. Thirty-six Microgastrinae species were identified including three new records for Canada: Apanteles tischeriae Viereck, Cotesia crambi Weed, Diolcogaster bakeri Muesebeck. The number of microgastrine varied considerably between the two blocks and years. Species numbers were similar between the two blocks, but the Shannon diversity and Evenness similarity indices indicated that HMB had a more diverse and balanced population of Microgastrinae. Matching our microgastrine identifications with literature records showed that the wasps could potentially parasitize over one-third of the lepidopteran pests of apples and/or other lepidopteran species recorded within this agro-ecosystem. The inclusion of four Asteraceae comp...

Lygus hesperus Knight is native to the western United States and is a perennial pest of numerous crops in California. It is responsible for triggering the early season application of insecticides on cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., and strawberries, Fragaria L. Despite several surveys conducted in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) grown in central California, nymphal parasitoids associated with L. hesperus and L. elisus have not been found. Two exotic parasitoids were released into California beginning in 1998. Peristenus relictus (Ruhte), formerly P. stygicus Loan, and P. digoneutis Loan were collected from several locations in southern Europe and released at up to six locations over a 6-year period. At the original release site in Sacramento, a 0.25-ha plot of alfalfa, parasitism by P. digoneutis and P. relictus combined increased from zero to 90%, 3 years after the last releases were made. Parasitoids have been recovered from vacant fields of weedy annuals within 2 km of this site. Recoveries at more...

Three agricultural regions in southern Ontario (London, Niagara and Guelph) were sampled weekly from May to September for Lygus spp. and their parasitoids in 1998, 1999 and only one region in 2000. Alfalfa was the primary crop sampled, including both “clean” and weedy alfalfa fields. Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois) accounted for 99% of all Lygus spp. collected by sweepnet. Lygus lineolaris had two generations (mid-June and late July) on alfalfa with a partial third generation in early September which contributes to the over-wintering adults. In 1998 and 2000, an early first generation peak of Lygus nymphs was observed in mid-May on the weeds, chickweed and shepherd's purse. Overall rates of parasitism (from dissections) for native parasitoids were consistent from year to year and the means of the three regions in each growing season were below 11%. Both nymphs and adult Lygus were parasitized, with the highly mobile adults being a potential means of dispersing the parasitoids. In general w...

The EuropeanPeristenus relictusLoan (syn.P. stygicus) has been considered for biological control ofLygusplant bugs native to Canada. Laboratory and field studies were conducted in the area of origin to evaluate the host specificity ofP. relictus. Laboratory choice and no-choice tests demonstrated thatP. relictusattacked all non-target species offered (fundamental host range). However, closely related non-target mirids (tribe Mirini) were generally well accepted byP. relictus, while hosts from the tribe Stenodemini were less frequently attacked and less suitable for parasitoid development. To validate the laboratory results, a thorough examination of the parasitoid complex of common mirids in Europe was conducted to determine which non-target species may serve as alternative hosts forP. relictusin a natural situation (ecological host range). When comparing both approaches, the fundamental host range ofP. relictusmatched its ecological host range. In addition to threeLygusspecies, the ecological host range ofP. relictusin the area of Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany, contains at least 16 non-target species, including hosts belonging to the subfamilies Mirinae, Phylinae and Bryocorinae. A broad ecological and fundamental host range suggests thatP. relictusis a generalist; however,P. relictuswas not the primary contributor to parasitism of most non-target hosts studied. AlthoughP. relictusis assumed to be of minor importance for regulating non-target populations in the area of investigation, the results of the present study indicate thatP. relictushas the potential to use non-target host populations for reproduction.

The biologies of two endoparasitoids of the obliquebanded leafroller, Choristoneura rosaceana (Harris) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) from organically managed apple orchards in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada were studied in the laboratory. Macrocentrus linearis (Nees) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) oviposited into first through fourth instar obliquebanded leafrollers. A sympatric leafroller species found in this area of British Columbia, the three-lined leafroller, Pandemis limitata (Robinson) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) was not accepted as an alternate host species by M. linearis. When provided with honey-water and held under fall and summer orchard temperatures, M. linearis females survived significantly longer under fall than summer temperatures ( =28.3±2.4 and 20.2±2.5 days, respectively) but parasitized a similar number of obliquebanded leafroller larvae ( =12.2±5.0 and 24.4±9.2 larvae, respectively). A mean of 20.6±4.9 larvae emerged per parasitized obliquebanded leafroller in the ...

Using the retrospective case study of Peristenus digoneutis (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) introduced in the United States for biological control of native Lygus plant bugs (Hemiptera: Miridae), laboratory and field studies were conducted in the area of origin to evaluate whether the fundamental host range of P. digoneutis matches its ecological host range. Furthermore, it was determined whether these approaches would have been indicative of the post-introduction host range of P. digoneutis in North America [Day, W.H., 1999. Host preference of introduced and native parasites (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) of phytophagous plant bugs (Hemiptera: Miridae) in alfalfa-grass fields in the north-eastern USA, BioControl 44, 249–261.]. Seven non-target mirid species were selected to define the fundamental host range of P. digoneutis in the area of origin in Europe. Laboratory choice and no-choice tests demonstrated that all selected non-target species were attacked by P. digoneutis and were largely suitable for parasitoid development. To confirm the validity of the fundamental host range, the ecological host range of P. digoneutis in the area of origin was investigated. Peristenus digoneutis was reared from 10 hosts, including three Lygus species and seven non-target hosts from the subfamily Mirinae. Despite the fact that laboratory tests demonstrated a high parasitism level in non-targets, ecological assessments in both North America (Day, 1999) and Europe suggest a much lower impact of P. digoneutis on non-target mirids, with low levels of parasitism (below 1% in Europe). Therefore, ecological host range studies in the area of origin provide useful supplementary data for interpreting pre-release laboratory host range testing.

The wine-making region of southern Quebec in Canada experiences growing conditions that are unique in northeastern North America. After an outbreak of insect pests in 1996, a study of insect groups that may include potential pests or beneficial species was initiated. This article reports on the weevil diversity and abundance during three consecutive years of sampling (1997–1999) in two vineyards. All weevils were collected using pitfall and flight intercept traps. In total, 3,176 specimens were collected, representing 73 species in three families of Curculionoidea. The family Curculionidae was the most species rich, especially the subfamilies Ceutorhynchinae, Curculioninae, and Entiminae. Four of the species recorded are known to feed on the genus Vitis (Vitaceae) in North America: Madarellus undulatus (Say), Barypeithes pellucidus (Boheman), Otiorhynchus ovatus (L.), and Otiorhynchus sulcatus (F.). Of these, O. sulcatus is thought to represent the greatest potential threat based on adult abundan...

Une étude a été effectuée dans des vergers commerciaux et non-traités du Québec et de la Nouvelle-Écosse pour déterminer l’abondance et la diversité des parasites de la mineuse marbrée, Phyllonorycter blancardella [Lepidoptera : Gracillariidae]. Au Québec, 29 espèces de parasites ont été retrouvées et elles appartenaient à 7 familles, soit Aphelinidae, Braconidae, Chalcidae, Eulophidae, Ichneumonidae, Pteromalidae et Scelionidae. Les espèces les plus fréquentes étaient : Pholetesor ornigis (67 %), Sympiesis marylandensis (11 %), S. serviceicornis (7 %), Pnigalio maculipes (1,5 %), Tetrasticus spp. (1,2 %). Toutes les autres espèces représentaient moins de 1 % des espèces trouvées. Pholetesor pedias, une espèce braconide relâchée à Frelighsburg, Québec en 1983 n’a pas été détectée en 1984 et 1985. En Nouvelle-Écosse, 19 espèces ont été trouvées et elles appartenaient à 5 familles, soit Braconidae, Chalcidae, Eulophidae, Ichneumonidae et Pteromalidae. Les espèces les plus fréquentes étaient : Pholetesor ornigis (52 %), Pnigalio maculipes (14 %), Sympiesis serviceicornis (12 %), S. marylandensis (9,5 %), Sympiesis spp. (5 %), Horismenus fraternus (1,8 %), Paraleurocerus sp. (1,3 %), Stictopisthus flaviceps (1,1 %); toutes les autres espèces représentaient moins de 1 % des espèces trouvées. Sept et cinq espèces d’hyperparasites ont été retrouvées en Nouvelle-Écosse et au Québec, respectivement. Sticopisthus bilineatus, S. flaviceps, Euderis sp., Pnigalio epilobii, P. pallipes and Paraleurocerus bicoloripes constituent des nouvelles mentions comme parasites de la mineuse marbrée pour l’Amérique du Nord., Mined leaves were collected in commercial and unsprayed (no insecticides) apple orchards of Quebec and Nova Scotia to determine the relative abundance and diversity of parasites of the spotted tentiform leafminer, Phyllonorycter blancardella [Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae]. In Quebec, 29 species of leafminer parasites were recovered, belonging to 7 families: Aphelinidae, Braconidae, Chalcidae, Eulophidae, Ichneumonidae, Pteromalidae and Scelionidae. The most prevalent species were Pholetesor ornigis (67%), Sympiesis marylandensis (11%), S. serviceicornis (7%), Pnigalio maculipes (1.5%), Tetrasticus spp. (1.2%), while all other species accounted for < 1.0%. Pholetesor pedias, a braconid released in 1983 at Frelighsburg, Quebec, was not found in the 1984 and 1985 surveys. In Nova Scotia, 19 parasite species were recovered, belonging to 5 families : Braconidae, Encyrtidae, Eulophidae, Ichneumonidae and Pteromalidae. The most prevalent species were: Pholetesor ornigis (52%), Pnigalio maculipes (14%), Sympiesis serviceicornis (12%), S. marylandensis (9.5%), Sympiesis spp. (5%), Horismenus fraternus (1.8%), Paraleurocerus sp. (1.3%), Stictopisthus flaviceps (1.1%), while all other species accounted for < 1%. Seven and five species of hyperparasites were recovered in Nova Scotia and Quebec, respectively. New records for North America for the spotted tentiform leafminer as a host are : Sticopisthus bilineatus, S. flaviceps, Euderis sp., Pnigalio epilobii, P. pallipes and Paraleurocerus bicoloripes.

From 1997 to 1999, 11,435 specimens of ground beetles representing 124 species were captured in pitfall traps at two commercial vineyards in southern Quebec, Canada. Taking into account only the species breeding or likely breeding in the two vineyards, the carabid diversity was similar over the 3-yr period in both sites. The number of species was similar (51 and 54) in both vineyards, but the most common species were ranked differently in a position that was consistent over the 3-yr period. Chlaenius sericeus (Forster) and Clivina fossor (L.) occurred mainly on the clay loam vineyard, and Amara latior (Kirby) and Harpalus herbivagus Say on the gravel and sand loam vineyard. The Shannon diversity and evenness indexes were greater at the gravel and sand loam vineyard. Two recently introduced European species, Harpalus rufipes (Duftschmid) and Pterostichus vernalis (Panzer), became more prevalent between 1997 and 1999 and are likely to affect the rank position at each site. Diversity at the clay loam vineyard was equal to another unsprayed and annually cultivated site on clay in the ecozone. It shared with the unsprayed site a similar number of species for an equal sample size, Shannon and evenness indexes, and for most species, ranking of the most commonly trapped species.

Parasitism and density of obliquebanded leafroller,Choristoneura rosaceana (Harris), and thethree-lined leafroller, Pandemis limitata(Robinson) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), were studied in 1998–2001 in organically managed apple orchards in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. The density of the overwintered generation of leafrollers in spring was significantly higher than thedensity of the first generation in summer. There was a significant inverse correlation between the density of leafrollers and the percent parasitism within generation and therefore parasitoids may play a role in controlling leafroller density. Parasitism of the overwintered generation (means between 5.5 and 24.7%) was significantly lower than parasitism documented in the summer generation (means up to 67.9%). The parasitoid complex recorded as emerging from these leafrollerpopulations in 1998–1999 included 30 species, of which eight have not been previously recorded in the literature as parasitoids of either leafroller species. The most frequently occurring parasitoids included Apophuasimplicipes (Cresson) and two species of Glypta(Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), Macrocentrus linearis (Nees), Meteorus trachynotus Viereck, Apantelespolychrosidis Viereck, Apanteles atra (Ratzeburg) and Microgaster epagoges Gahan (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), Colpoclypeus florus (Walker) and one Sympiesisspecies (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae). All of these more common parasitoids, except Glypta sp. 1 and M. epagoges, were recorded parasitizing leafroller hosts in both leafroller generations. The number of days to adult parasitoid emergence, when field collected parasitized hosts were held at 20°C, was recorded for four of the parasitoid species. Meteorus trachynotus was found to emerge early enough in spring toparasitize the few remaining overwintered early instar leafrollers. Glypta sp. 1, A. simplicipes and one Apanteles species emerged to coincide with the first generationin the summer.

Tanacetum vulgare, Chrysanthemum maximum, Aster tongolensis and Achillea millefolium were planted to attract and retain predacious and parasitoid arthropods in a Quebec apple orchard. The plants covered one-third of the surface of the experimental block and provided nectar, pollen and refuge for beneficial arthropods. The parasitoid fauna increased several-fold during the study. The most important index of pest management in this study was the quality of the fruit at harvest and it attained 90.8% (clean fruit) in the fifth year of the study. The technique cannot be readily adopted into an orchard that is in full production because it would require several years to build up the beneficial arthropod fauna to an effective bio-control force. During that period, pesticides would not be applied and losses in yield would be commercially unacceptable. Habitat management should be used as a template for biological control of orchard pests over which other bio-control techniques can be superimposed to further incre...

We examined the cocoons of six species of the genera Apanteles and Dolichogenidea attacking spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana Clemens, and Microlepidoptera in the same microhabitat in an effort to overcome taxonomic and ecological problems associated with the identification of these species when adults fail to emerge from their cocoons. Neither cocoon length nor width nor ratio of length to width could be used to identify the six species, owing to considerable overlap in these attributes among the species and the effects of the source of the cocoons. Using a simple technique to examine webbing characteristics of the cocoons, however, we found that each species has a unique banding pattern, determined by the manner in which the density of the webbing varies along the length of the cocoon. This pattern can be used to reliably identify each species. We describe and illustrate the webbing characteristics of each species and provide an identification key based on these characteristics.

We compared beetles collected from eight forest fragments in a suburban-agricultural setting and one contiguous forest in south-central Ontario. Samples were collected by pan traps from the interior of continuous forest and upland deciduous forest fragments ranging in size from 43 to 2350 ha. The pooled sample was composed of 4561 individuals from 117 species. Differences in beetle assemblages was primarily due to variation in patch isolation, although actual fragment size had a significant effect on the abundance of native and forest specializing carabid species, and the amount of forest interior habitat had a significant effect on the total number of beetle species and ground beetle species richness (family Carabidae). Fragments which were less isolated on a local scale (within a 2 km radius) had a species composition most similar to that found in continuous forest, regardless of whether the actual forest area was small or large. Marked differences in abundance and biomass were also attributed to variation in the amount of local forest cover. We suggest that a reduction in patch isolation may be an appropriate conservation strategy to improve beetle diversity and abundance in fragmented landscapes.

Tranosema rostrale rostrale (Brishke) (subfamily Campopleginae) is a parasitoid of the eastern spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana (Clemens), in Canada and the United States. T. r. rostrale has often been confused with the closely related Enytus montanus (Ashmead), another parasitoid of C. fumiferana. These 2 species are defined and characters distinguishing them are compared and illustrated. A survey across southern Quebec indicates that >99% of all T. r. rostrale/E. montanus-like parasitoids recovered from spruce budworm larvae implanted in fir stands over a period of 1 wk belong to the former species. T. r. rostrale oviposits in all postdiapause instars of C. fumiferana, as well as in several alternative hosts, starting in late May in the Quebec City region. At 20°C, development inside the host takes 14 d and the parasitoid goes through 3 stadia. T. r. rostrale is believed to complete 2 or 3 additional generations on alternate hosts. Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Laurentian Forestry Centre, 1055 du PEPS, P.O. Box 3800, Sainte-Foy, QC, Canada G1V 4C7. Eastern Cereal and Oil Seed Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Research Branch, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1A 0C6. Departement de biologie, Universite Laval, Sainte-Foy, QC, Canada G1K 7P4.

Background Coleoptera is the most diverse order of insects (>300,000 described species), but its richness diminishes at increasing latitudes (e.g., ca. 7400 species recorded in Canada), particularly of phytophagous and detritivorous species. However, incomplete sampling of northern habitats and a lack of taxonomic study of some families limits our understanding of biodiversity patterns in the Coleoptera. We conducted an intensive biodiversity survey from 2006–2010 at Churchill, Manitoba, Canada in order to quantify beetle species diversity in this model region, and to prepare a barcode library of beetles for sub-arctic biodiversity and ecological research. We employed DNA barcoding to provide estimates of provisional species diversity, including for families currently lacking taxonomic expertise, and to examine the guild structure, habitat distribution, and biogeography of beetles in the Churchill region. Results We obtained DNA barcodes from 3203 specimens representing 302 species or provisional species (the latter quantitatively defined on the basis of Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units, MOTUs) in 31 families of Coleoptera. Of the 184 taxa identified to the level of a Linnaean species name, 170 (92.4%) corresponded to a single MOTU, four (2.2%) represented closely related sibling species pairs within a single MOTU, and ten (5.4%) were divided into two or more MOTUs suggestive of cryptic species. The most diverse families were the Dytiscidae (63 spp.), Staphylinidae (54 spp.), and Carabidae (52 spp.), although the accumulation curve for Staphylinidae suggests that considerable additional diversity remains to be sampled in this family. Most of the species present are predatory, with phytophagous, mycophagous, and saprophagous guilds being represented by fewer species. Most named species of Carabidae and Dytiscidae showed a significant bias toward open habitats (wet or dry). Forest habitats, particularly dry boreal forest, although limited in extent in the region, were undersampled. Conclusions We present an updated species list for this region as well as a species-level DNA barcode reference library. This resource will facilitate future work, such as biomonitoring and the study of the ecology and distribution of larvae.

Background Afrotremex Pasteels, 1951 is a rare genus of wasps endemic to the Afrotropical region, containing 6 species represented by 14 specimens. Specimens were previously only recorded from central Africa: Cameroon, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon and Uganda. New information Here we record two additional specimens housed in the Natural History Museum in London (BMNH), one of which is a male of A. xylophagus Goulet, 2014 collected in Ghana (previously Gold Coast). This record extends the known distribution of the genus into west Africa, and represents the second known male specimen for the genus. The other BMNH specimen is a female paratype of A. violaceus Pasteels, 1951 collected in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We provide high quality photographs of these additional two specimens. Images of all six known species are openly available online on WaspWeb. In addition we have developed interactive online Lucid Matrix and Lucid Phoenix identification keys to the species, which are openly available on WaspWeb at: http://www.waspweb.org/Siricoidea/Siricidae/Keys/index.htm