The compound tris (1-aziridinyl) phosphine sulphide, known by the trivial name thiotepa, has been tested against few aphids. Considerable reduction in fecundity occurred due to thiotepa treatment of the cabbage aphid, Brevicoryne brassicae (L.) (Bonnemaison 1966). In 0.3% thiotepa-treated Aphis fabae Scop. a 90% decrease in reproductive capacity was observed by Steffan and Stüben (1976). Sharma and Thériault (1980) tested 0.5% thiotepa on various nymphal instars of the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris), and observed up to 83% decrease in fecundity of those treated in first and second instars. The third and fourth instar aphids were much less influenced by thiotepa. The effects of thiotepa on the adult viviparae of the pea aphid are unknown and nothing has been recorded on the transmissibility of thiotepa-caused sterility to progeny. Further to the results of Sharma and Thériault (1980) this paper describes the effects of two contact periods with 0.5% thiotepa on the adult viviparae of A. pisum and delayed effects on subsequent generations.

Gillaspytes janzeni, a new genus, new species, of Dynastinae from northeastern Mexico is described and figured. Reasons for placement of the genus in the tribe Pentodontini are briefly discussed.

Twenty species of predaceous mites were collected from apple foliage in Maine during a 2-year survey of commercial and abandoned orchards. Phytoseiids and stigmaeids comprised 97.3% of the total mites. The phytoseiid Amblyseius fallacis (Garman) was the predominant predaceous species in commercial orchards. Predaceous mites were collected in commercial orchards primarily in the latter part of the growing season following cessation of spraying. In abandoned orchards, the stigmaeid Agistemus fleschneri Summers was the most abundant predaceous mite, with the phytoseiids Phytoseius macropilis (Banks) and Typhlodromus pomi (Parrott) also frequently collected. In abandoned orchards, predaceous mites were collected throughout the season and were generally more abundant.

A polyhedrosis virus was found in collections of Bruce spanworm, Operophtera bruceata (Hulst), larvae from two locations in British Columbia in 1957 (O. N. Morris, pers. comm.). Bruce spanworm was prevalent in the Maritime Provinces and Quebec in 1963 and 1964 and a polyhedrosis virus was credited with terminating this outbreak (Forbes et al. 1964, 1965; Martineau 1964, 1965). A detailed examination of the virus from Quebec showed that it was a singly-embedded (unicapsid) nuclear polyhedrosis virus (Smirnoff 1964) which is classified as Baculovirus subgroup A (Matthews 1979).

This is to supplement a monograph on Aradidae of Canada published by the author in 1977 (The insects and arachnids of Canada, part 3, The Aradidae of Canada). A new species of the genus Aradus is described below.

A laboratory system was developed that allowed populations of the house fly, Musca domestica, and its hymenopterous, wasp parasitoid, Nasonia vitripennis, to interact and fluctuate in numbers, subject only to an upper limit on Musca density. In one (experimental) treatment, the selection pressure from Nasonia was allowed to operate, while in the control all Musca adults were replaced in each generation by individuals from a Musca population not exposed to Nasonia. Evolution for resistance of Musca to Nasonia became noticeable within four generations in the experimental treatment. Measured changes finally included increased fly pupal weight (although larval development period was not allowed to increase), less time spent as pupa, increased pupal mortality, and reduced fecundity of adults. Total per-generation increase of both control and experimental Nasonia was much reduced on experimental compared with control Musca. This was caused by reductions both in the longevity of female Nasonia and in the number of progeny they produced each day. From early in the experiment the increased resistance of Musca produced lower Nasonia densities in the experimental treatment. During the first 20 or so generations no difference could be detected in mean Musca density between the two treatments. After that time the density of adult Musca became greater, and fluctuated less, in the experimental than in the control treatment. This situation continued until the experiment ended at 50 generations.

Samples of the bodies and elytra of Entomoscelis americana Brown were analyzed separately by X-ray energy-dispersive spectroscopy. Discriminant analysis revealed that the chemoprints of the bodies of newly-emerged beetles (1 wk old) were distinct from those of post-aestivation beetles (9- to 10-wk old). However, the chemoprints of the elytra of newly-emerged and post-aestivation beetles were not as different as those of the bodies as demonstrated by the overlap in the plot of the first two canonical variables. The variances of the mean difference of individual variables between newly-emerged and post-aestivation groups generally were smaller for elytra than for bodies. This suggests that the chemoprints of the elytra of E. americana are more stable than those of the bodies and consequently the elytra should be more suitable than the bodies in insect dispersal studies utilizing the X-ray energy-dispersive spectroscopy technique.

Phyllonorycter elmaella n sp. is described from specimens reared from ptychonomous mines on the lower surface of apple leaves from the vicinity of Vancouver, B.C. The species is compared with European P. sorbi (Frey) and the Japanese P. sorbicola (Kumata) n. comb., to which it is more closely similar than to species attacking apple and related trees in Eastern North America. The species has three generations a year and overwinters in the pupal stage.

Effects of three temperatures and three prey types on the developmental time (egg to adult) of Thanasimus dubius (F.) from two different geographic areas were investigated in the laboratory. The developmental time decreased with increasing temperature. Larval T. dubius exhibited longer developmental times with small prey larvae as compared with larger prey. However, the prepupal and pupal period was shorter for T. dubius fed small prey. Prey type did not affect the overall developmental time. Significant difference in developmental time was observed between the two groups. Elytral lengths of adult T. dubius were indicative of rearing temperatures and prey type consumed by the immature predator.

Release of allyl isothiocyanate through the red rubber sleeve-type stoppers of small serum vials was found to be an effective and convenient method of dispensing this attractant from traps used to catch crucifer-feeding flea beetles. Liquid allyl isothiocyanate in a vial was conducted upwards by capillary action through a length of pipestem cleaner, absorbed by the rubber stopper and given off as a vapor from its outer surface. Release rates were affected by extent of exposure to solar or other radiant heat energy, time, and the thickness of stoppers.

A new genus and two new species of Phloeocharinae are described and illustrated: Dytoscotes, new genus, pacificus from Oregon, and Phloeocharis californica from California. The biology of the two species is briefly discussed. A key to the Nearctic genera of Phloeocharinae is given.

Several instances of predation by lacewing larvae on adults of the flea beetle Phyllotreta cruciferae (Goeze) have been observed in Saskatchewan. Other reported insect predators of rapeseed-crop-infesting flea beetles in the Canadian prairie provinces are the beetle Collops vittatus Say (Gerber and Osgood 1975), and one of the big-eyed bugs, Geocoris bullatus (Say) (Burgess 1977).

The first observation of an attack on an adult flea beetle by a lacewing larva was in August 1972, when some lacewing larvae, adult flea beetles, diamondback moth larvae (Plutella xylostella (L.)) and unidentified aphids and midges were swept from maturing rapeseed near Aberdeen, Saskatchewan. One of these lacewing larvae attacked an adult of P. cruczferae in a glass collecting-vial and carried the flea beetle around in its jaws. Other lacewing larvae attacked aphids, midges, and diamondback moth larvae. Further evidence for lacewing larvae feeding on adult flea beetles was obtained in August 1979, when a sizeable population of lacewing larvae in a rapeseed crop was encountered near St. Gregor, Saskatchewan. One of the larvae swept from this crop had an adult of P. cruciferae in its jaws when it was first seen in the sweep net. Later the same day, another lacewing larva, swept from a nearby rapeseed field, attacked an adult of P. cruciferae in a collecting vial. In the laboratory both lacewing larvae, still carrying their prey, were quick-frozen, preserved in 70% ethanol and later photographed.

In studies of the southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis Zimm., on loblolly pine, Pinus taeda L., one of the theories about the mechanism of attack is a shift in sex ratio from 100% to 25% females (Renwick and Vité 1970). This paper reports a test of this theory using trees that were naturally infested.

Thirty-one naturally infested loblolly pine trees were observed in July 1978, near Cut-and-Shoot, 19 km east of Conroe, Montgomery County, Texas. A 0.66 m quadrat was marked off on the bole of each tree at heights of 3 m and 3.66 m. Gallery starts in the quadrat were counted and marked every 24 h on each tree. The quadrat was reduced to a 0.33 m section on the bole at heights of 3.33 to 3.66 m on a tree after the attack density reached 1 gallery/100 cm2 and to a 0.16 m section at heights of 3.50 and 3.66 m on the bole after the attack density reached 2 gallerys/100 cm2; this facilitated timely counting and stabilized error due to observer fatigue.

The upper and lower leaf surfaces of apple and the lower leaf surfaces of pear and peach leaves were the preferred oviposition sites of the codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.). Eggs were not deposited close to the leaf midvein or on peach fruit where pubescence was heavy. However, the density of leaf hairs was not the only physical factor affecting egg deposition. The nature of the wax scales on some surfaces also appeared to influence the number of eggs deposited.

In southwestern Quebec, cereal aphids started to infest cereals in the first week of June, and reached their peak on the second and third weeks of July. There was a significant correlation between the number of alate aphids produced and total number of aphids per colony for R. padi and M. avenae but not for R. maidis. The percentage of alate aphids in colonies of all three species increased as cereals matured. The index of aggregation (b) showed M. avenae was distributed randomly in the field while R. padi and R. maidis were distinctly aggregated.

Landing rates as monitored by landing traps indicate that the mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins, is not attracted to lodgepole pine, Pinus contorta Dougl., prior to the first gallery start. Bark terpene odors and DBH were not correlated with beetle landing rates, with the exception of beta-phellandrene which accounted for a statistically significant 18% of the variation in landing rates. Beetles were unable to distinguish between hosts, dead hosts and nonhosts during landing. The elderberry pith bioassay indicated the presence of a gallery initiation stimulant in the bark.

Three new species of fossil Tipulidae are described. Pseudolimnophila speirsae n. sp. and Limnophila marklae n. sp. (subfamily Limoniinae, tribe Hexatomini) are represented by adults; Tipula tubifera n. sp. (subfamily Tipulinae, tribe Tipulini) is represented by a pupa. Six other pupae belong to the subfamily Tipulinae.

Formates analogous to the aldehyde sex pheromones of several species of Lepidoptera have been shown to have biological activity, (E)-9-Dodecen-1-yl formate was therefore tested against male spruce budworm (C. fumiferana) by EAGs and by field trapping experiments designed to test for attraction, inhibition, and disruption. No biological activity was detected.

Epiblema (Notocelia) cynosbatella (Linnaeus), introduced into British Columbia in 1978, is discussed and compared with the native North American Epiblema illotana (Walsingham).