The Eleticinae are an archaic and in many respects primitive group of Meloidae found in South America (widespread), Africa (south of the Sahara Desert), and the Oriental Region (India to Thailand). They are, in general, poorly represented in collections, and very little is known definitely of their bionomics. On the basis of an analysis of adult anatomical characters the subfamily is defined in detail and is classified to the generic level in the present paper. Two tribes, seven subtribes, and 10 genera are recognized, keyed, and diagnosed. The tribe Spasticini is arranged as follows: Protomeloina Abdullah, transferred from the Meloinae and reduced to subtribal rank, with Protomeloe Abdullah; Spasticina Kaszab with Spastica Lacordaire; Xenospastina, new subtribe, with Xenospasta, new genus; and Anthicoxenina, new subtribe, with Anthicoxenus Fairmaire and Germain, formerly placed in the Anthicidae, and Iselma Haag-Rutenberg. The arrangement of the tribe Eleticini is: Eospastina, new subtribe, with Eospasta, new genus, and Serrospasta, new genus; Eleticina Wellman with Eletica Lacordaire (and including, as subgenera, Sibuteletica Pic, Meteletica Kaszab, and Proeletica Kaszab); and Ertlianina, new name for Ertliini Kaszab, with Ertliana Selander (= Steniselma Borchmann, new synonymy) and Ceriselma Borchmann, the latter elevated from subgeneric rank in Iselma. Species described as new are Protomeloe simplex (Argentina), Spastica minas (Brazil), Xenospasta flava (Colombia), and Serrospasta vittata (Colombia).

Eggs of Ctenicera destructor (Brown), Ctenicera aeripennis (Kirby) and bisexual and parthenogenetic strains of Hypolithus bicolor Eschscholtz must absorb water to complete embryonic development.

In eggs of C. destructor incubated at 24.4 ± 0.5 °C. in sifted soil containing 15% water (wet weight basis), water absorption started during the second day of development and ended within 24 hours. The mean wet weight increased from 26.6 ± 0.2 (standard deviation) μg. to 39.2 ± 0.6 μg. by the third day. During this period the water content increased from 42% to 64%. After the third day, the mean wet weight remained constant but a significant increase (P < 0.01) in the mean water content and a significant decrease (P < 0.01) in the mean dry weight occurred.

The progress of water absorption in eggs of C. aeripennis and the two strains of H. bicolor was similar to that in C. destructor. Differences from C. destructor were apparent, however, in the sizes of the eggs, in the initial and final amounts of dry matter and in the water contents.

Water absorption by eggs of C. destructor started after one day of incubation at 25 ± 0.5 °C., after 1 to 2 days at 20°, and after 4 days at 15°. The rate of absorption appeared to be slightly more rapid at higher temperatures within the range of 15–25 °C.

The Red River Valley was originally a wet prairie and marsh. Drainage commenced in 1899 and was basically complete by 1907. Intensive grain farming developed. The area was periodically invaded by the Rocky Mountain grasshopper, Melanoplus spretus (Walsh), for over 100 years, until 1902, at which time this species apparently became extinct. Local grasshoppers did not become pests until about 1900, after agriculture was well established. The clear-winged grasshopper, Camnula pellucida (Scudder), and the two-striped grasshopper Melanoplus bivittatus (Say), then became abundant. These grasshoppers bred on the roadsides surrounding each square mile. Road-building and ditching produced slopes of ground favorable for oviposition. The destruction of native vegetation and its replacement by introduced grasses, cereal crops and weeds provided attractive and nutritious food plants and oviposition sites. C. pellucida reached its highest population in 1940 when there was an abundance of Poa pratensis L. and Phleum pratense L. on the roadsides. These grasses are attractive food plants. Poa pratensis is known to be highly nutritious. Both species along with Agropyron smithii Rydb. provided favored egg-laying sites. Although C. pellucida has maintained populations capable of damaging crops and peaks occurred in 1950 and 1961 numbers have not again been as high. This may have been related to a marked reduction in P. pratense and A. smithii. M. bivittatus continued at a high population level because of the abundance of oviposition sites and of preferred food plants. Being a general feeder it was not adversely affected by the change in grass species but benefited by an abundance of the lactiferous weeds, Sonchus arvensis Bieb., Lactuca pulchella (Purse) DC. and Taraxacum officinale Weber.

The tactic and kinetic responses of adult Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins were studied under varying conditions of light, temperature, humidity, gravity, and with different visual forms. Newly emerged adult Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopk. were attracted by high light intensity and utilized spot sources of light and surrounding objects, but not polarized light, for orientation. Flying adults were positively phototactic unless warmed above 35 °C; egg-laying adults were negatively phototactic. High temperatures and light intensities increased the frequency of flights. The beetles were negatively geotropic but this could be masked by the attraction to light. Dark objects on a light background were attractive; the size of the object was important while the shape was not.

Temperature influenced orientation to some extent but its influence on rate of activity was far more pronounced; rate of walk followed a linear relationship with temperature. Humidity also affected orientation and rate of walk to some extent, although its effect was usually masked by other environmental factors.

Observations on the life cycle and habits of Enoclerus lecontei were made in the laboratory and field. The eggs passed through distinctive color changes during their development; these color changes were used to determine their age. The three larval instars were separated on the basis of head capsule width. Larval size varied according to the amount of food consumed. All larvae were orange-red in color, except the third instar which altered to purple 4 to 6 days after moulting. The duration of the respective stadia were first, 8 to 15 days; second, 5 to 8 days; third, 19 to 35 days. At least one mature prey-larva was necessary for development in each instar but up to seven were consumed. The third instar fed for only 4 to 11 days, the remaining time was spent in a highly mobile, non-feeding stage. The pupal stage lasted 9 to 11 days. Adults lived 36 to 114 days and consumed from 44 to 158 bark beetle adults. The sex ratio was 1:1. The mating habits, oviposition behavior and feeding behavior are described.

The systematic relationships of Sciadoceridae and of the other families of the superfamily Phoroidea, i.e., Platypezidae, Ironomyiidae and Phoridae, are reviewed. A new family, Ironomyiidae, is proposed for Ironomyia nigromaculata White from Tasmania. Two fossil flies in Canadian (Cretaceous) amber, representing two new genera and species of Sciadoceridae, are described and figured. These constitute the first record of the family in North America. The supposed phylogenies of the families of the Phoroidea and of the genera and species of Sciadoceridae are outlined; the evolution and biogeography of the latter family is treated in detail. Keys to the families of the Phoroidea and to the genera and species of Sciadoceridae are provided.

Agabus audeni Wallis, known only by the type from south-central British Columbia, is recorded from the eastern foothills of the Rocky Mountains just west of Calgary in southern Alberta. There are notes on its ecology and on its separation from other species, with a key to A. audeni and A. browni Leech. The Holarctic A. coxalis Sharp is discussed, and the Nearctic form referred for the first time to the subspecies ermaki (Zaitzev). Specific characters are illustrated.

Mosquito larvae tagged with radioactive P32 were released in woodland pools to identify their predators. Fourteen of 38 species of aquatic insects collected had ingested tagged Aedes. The leading predators were Dytiscidae and one species each of Gyrinus, Gerris, Callicorixa, and Asynarchus. Records are new for Asynarchus sp., Callicorixa audeni Hung., Dytiscus sp., Gerris buenoi Kirk., and Ilybius discedens Shp. The mosquito predator fauna at Cordova Mines and that of previously studied pools at Chatterton, Ontario, are compared.

Fannia shinahamae Chillcott was described from a single female (Chillcott 1961b) and assigned to the hirticeps group. Recent discovery of a topotypic series permits description of the male and reassignment of the species to the serena group (Chillcott 1961a).

In Ontario, pear has been the only recorded host of the pear psylla, Psylla pyricola Foerster (Goble 1963), although in other areas of the world Quince, Downy Chess Grass, and apple twigs have also been reported (Smith 1941; Swirski 1954; and Wilde 1963).

Numbers of pear psylla adults were observed on climbing night-shade, Solanum dulcamara L. (Muenscher 1955) growing as cover crop in a pear orchard near Paris, Ontario, in 1965. Regular observation of psylla occurrence on this plant host throughout the growing season indicated that P. pyricola Foer. could complete its life cycle on S. dulcamara; eggs and nymphal stages up to the hard-shell stage, as well as cast nymphal skins, were observed on this host. Egg mortality was noted on those portions of S. dulcamara that were damaged showed severe wilting characteristics. Egg and second-instar nymph on the undersurface of the leaf of S. dulcamara are illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.