The male genital tract of Chaoboridae, represented by Eucorethra underwoodi Underwood, Mochlonyx velutinus (Ruthe), and Chaoborus trivittatus (Loew), is described for the first time. All genera have paired accessory glands that are attached anteriorly to the vasa deferentia or the base of the testes, a feature that is proposed as a synapomorphy of Chaoboridae + Culicidae. Mochlonyx Loew and Chaoborus Lichenstein have distinctive pigment cells covering their testes and a portion of the vasa deferentia. The simplified male genital tract of Corethrellidae + Chaoboridae + Culicidae is correlated with the virtually unique abrupt and permanent 180° rotation of the male genitalia between segments 7 and 8. In taxa with an accessory-gland complex, the male genitalia are rotated in a more gradual manner, often during copulation.

During development, many chromatophores on the air sacs of larvae of Chaoborus Lichtenstein disperse to the tracheal trunks and throughout the body of the pupae. In male pupae, chromatophores on the posterior air sacs move to the developing testes and vasa deferentia and some become the adventitious spotting previously reported for adults of Chaoborus. In larvae of Mochlonyx Loew, chromatophores have a similar development pattern, but in female pupae some also surround the spermathecae. Larvae of Eucorethra Underwood have chromatophores scattered throughout much of the body but it is uncertain whether these are homologous to those of Chaoborus and Mochlonyx. Outgroup comparisons show that the migration of chromatophores from the larval air sacs to the adult male testes and vasa deferentia is a synapomorphy of Chaoborinae. The presence of pigmented fat body on the larval testes in many Culicidae, Eucorethra, and Mochlonyx is plesiomorphic, and the transparent larval testes in Chaoborus are a synapomorphy of the genus. The dark adult testes in Mochlonyx are derived from pigmented larval fat body and chromatophores from the larval air sacs, and this is proposed as an intermediate evolutionary state. It is likely that the chromatophores surrounding the testes of pupae of Chaoborinae provide protection against ultraviolet radiation, but further study is needed.

In a taxonomic study of the genus Geodromicus Redtenbacher in South Korea, five species are recognized, two of which, G. abdominalis Zerche and G. beibienkoi Tikhomirova, are reported for the first time in South Korea, and G. hermani (Watanabe), previously recorded from South Korea, is reported as a misidentification of G. beibienkoi. A comparison of morphological features of South Korean Geodromicus species, a key, and illustrations of the diagnostic characters are provided.

The Nearctic species of Lonchoptera Meigen are reviewed, including three new species: L. barberi Klymko sp. nov. from Manitoba, Newfoundland, Ontario, Quebec, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, and New Hampshire, L. megaloba Klymko sp. nov. from British Columbia and California, and L. longiphallus Klymko sp. nov. from British Columbia and the Northwest Territories. Lonchoptera borealis Curran is proposed as a new junior synonym of L. impicta Zetterstedt, and L. occidentalis Curran is proposed as a new junior synonym of L. uniseta Curran. Lonchoptera nigrociliata Duda, formerly known only from the Palaearctic Region, is recorded from the Yukon and Alaska. Descriptions, a key, and Nearctic distribution maps are presented. Phylogenetic relationships are briefly discussed and two sister species pairs are documented.

Aggregation of the European earwig, Forficula auricularia L. (Dermaptera: Forficulidae), is known to be, in part, a response to aggregation pheromone. However, many aspects of pheromone biology remain unknown or controversial. In two-choice experiments with field-collected specimens in a still-air olfactometer, we determined that female, male, and juvenile F. auricularia all produce and respond to aggregation pheromone and that the pheromone is perceived by means of olfaction. Various sources (or extracts thereof) reportedly containing or emitting pheromone (including the insects’ integument, tibiae, or fecal excreta) did not induce significant responses. Our data suggest that none of these sources contains all or any of the essential pheromone components. These controversial results may be due to differences in (i) experimental procedures, such as single- or grouped-insect bioassays, or (ii) developmental stages of the bioassay insects. It is conceivable that juveniles and adults produce and respond to different components of aggregation pheromone.

A total of 2702 individuals representing nine species of Pteromalidae (Chalcidoidea) plus at least one species of Diapriidae, Trichopria haematobiae (Ashmead) (Diaprioidea), were reared as pupal parasitoids of filth-breeding flies in bovine manure during a 2-year study in northern Tamaulipas, Mexico. The Pteromalidae included two undescribed species of Spalangia Latreille plus Spalangia cameroni Perkins, S. drosophilae Ashmead, S. endius Walker, S. nigroaenea Curtis, Muscidifurax raptor Girault and Sanders, M. zaraptor Kogan and Legner, and Pachycrepoideus vindemiae (Rondani). Spalangia nigroaenea accounted for 71% of all the pupal parasitoids and all six Spalangia species for 94% of the parasitoids over the 2 years. Based on its preponderance, S. nigroaenea is recommended as a candidate for inundative releases within integrated pest management programs to help control fly pests of cattle in northeastern Mexico.

The Tenebrionidae of the Maritime Provinces of Canada are surveyed. Forty-eight species have been reported from the region. Eleven of these species (ten Palearctic and one Nearctic) have been introduced to the region, five of which are apparently now extirpated. Dates of first detection of these species are provided for each province and North America. Thirteen species are newly recorded in New Brunswick, 25 in Nova Scotia, and 15 on Prince Edward Island, for a total of 53 new provincial records. Of these, 18 species including Bolitophagus corticola Say, Neatus tenebrioides (Palisot de Beauvois), Helops gracilis Bland, Blapstinus substriatus Champion, Hymenorus obesus Casey, Hymenorus picipennis Casey, Hymenorus pilosus (Melsheimer), Mycetochara bicolor (Couper), Mycetochara binotata (Say), Mycetochara fraterna (Say), Platydema excavatum (Say), Platydema teleops Triplehorn, Corticeus praetermissus (Fall), Alobates pennsylvanicus (DeGeer), Haplandrus fulvipes (Herbst), Xylopinus saperdioides (Olivier), an undescribed species of Paratenetus Spinola, and an undescribed species of Neatus LeConte are newly recorded for the Maritime Provinces as a whole. One of these, Helops gracilis, is recorded for the first time in Canada. The fauna is discussed from the perspective of the patterns of distribution of species in the region and their possible underlying causes. Island faunas are discussed, as is the saproxylic component of the fauna, with a brief consideration of the importance of this trophic group in the dynamics of forest ecosystems in the region.