Pheromone traps were more efficient than blacklight traps for detecting and monitoring adult populations of fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith), in southwestern Ontario. Several dispenser–chemical combinations were strongly attractive but best results were obtained with sticky traps baited with rubber septa impregnated with combinations of (Z)-9-dodecenyl acetate and (Z)-9-tetradecenyl acetate.

Laboratory and experimental studies of four of the five subspecies of Euxoa comosa (Morr.), i.e. annir, altera, lutulenta and Ontario, each formerly considered of specific rank, were undertaken to assess their taxonomic status. Morphologically the immature stages of the subspecies are similar although lutulenta has a 40–50% larger egg and the larvae of lutulenta and Ontario are darker than those of annir and altera. The subspecies show differentiation in larval growth rate, number of larval instars, duration of preimaginal development and length of the preoviposition period. The possible adaptive significance of these differences are discussed. Hybrid F1 were obtained from 11 of the 12 possible pairwise combinations. Eight of the F1 hybrids were inbred and six produced fertile eggs. Some of the F2 progenies exhibited a wide range of phenotypes encompassing all subspecies including those of the 5th subspecies, E. c. comosa. Although hybridization success was high there was some evidence of genetic incompatibility including dyssynchronous emergence of the sexes and the absence, shortage, or inviability of female moths in some crosses. Mating discrimination tests show a moderate level of mating bias between subspecies. Calling periods of females of the subspecies largely overlap although differences in the time at which calling begins might be responsible for some of the mating bias. Both laboratory and field tests of sex pheromone attraction indicate considerable sex pheromone specificity among the subspecies. The results are discussed with reference to a companion paper which on the basis of conventional taxonomic characters and biogeographic considerations concludes that Euxoa comosa is best regarded as a polytypic species encompassing five subspecies.

Linolenic acid, added to a defatted diet in which wheast and alfalfa meal were the only protein sources, optimally reduced wing syndrome (defined as crumpled wings) in Mamestra brassica Walker at 1.1 mg/g (w/w dry wt.) of diet, increased survival to pupa at 2.2 mg/g, and reduced pupal syndrome (defined as improper formation of the 4th abdominal sternite) and increased survival to adult at 5.8 mg/g. Pupal weight increased and incidence of diapause decreased as dietary linolenic acid increased. Linoleic acid substituted for linolenic acid only in survival to the pupal stage. Pupae from larvae fed artificial diets had more fat (20.6–25.5% dry wt.) than pupae from larvae fed rape leaves (16.5%). Absolute levels of linolenic acid increased in pupae in proportion to dietary levels including pupae from larvae reared on rape leaves but the relative amount of linolenic acid sequestered in pupae from leaf-fed larvae was greater.

Pupal syndrome is a sensitive indicator of dietary adequacy and its occurrence is affected by dietary linolenic acid and possibly other fat soluble components.

The comosa group of the genus Euxoa is defined on the basis of genital characters. The species in the group are: comosa (Morrison), lineifrons (Smith), guadalupensis new species, lucida Barnes and McDunnough, fumalis (Grote), and occidentalis new species. On the basis of geographical variation of adults, life history data, and experimental hybridization, populations of E. comosa are arranged in five subspecies. Adults and genitalia are illustrated and a synopsis is given for each species and subspecies.

The present carabid beetle fauna (sensu Lindroth 1955, including Carabidae and Cicindellidae) of Newfoundland is compared with that observed by C. H. Lindroth 30 years ago. Five additional species are now known bringing the faunal total to 171 species. Two of these additional species, Chlaenius alternates and Lebia moesta are Nearctic while Carabus granulatus, Leistus ferrugineus, and Bembidion properans are of Palaearctic origin. The known ranges of an additional seven introduced species have increased. The patterns of these range changes support two models of Palaearctic species establishment in Newfoundland: by direct human-assisted introduction onto the island; and through flight across the Cabot Strait by winged species initially established on the North American mainland.

Vairimorpha necatrix (Kramer) readily infects and kills the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner), in the laboratory. The corn borer is either killed in the larval stage within a few days after infection by disruption of the midgut and septicemia or in the pupal stage by microsporidiosis. Insects that are not killed by V. necatrix have a reduced potential for pupation, emergence, and reproduction.

Within and between tree distributions of the Jeffrey pine needle miner, Coleotechnites sp. and its food resource (needles), were investigated on Jeffrey pine trees at three locations in the San Bernardino Mountains of southern California. These data were used to compare sample allocation by the component of variance technique and a method based on the mean crowding relationship. The numbers of samples necessary to estimate the mean at a given precision differed between the techniques in some cases. The mean crowding technique offered several advantages which are fully discussed. A sampling design for the Jeffrey pine needle miner is proposed.

Tethered gypsy moth larvae, Lymantria dispar (L.) (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae), placed in various tree microhabitats were most heavily parasitized by Compsilura concinnata (Meigen) (Diptera: Tachinidae) near the ground especially on leaves. In laboratory experiments, hosts were parasitized primarily between 6:00 AM and 6:00 PM (E.S.T.), with little parasitism at night. These data suggest that in the field, this tachinid will most efficiently attack young gypsy moth caterpillars, as instars 1 to 3 are the only ones consistently on or near foliage during daylight. C. concinnata females successfully parasitized young hosts, but larval development on 2nd instars was twice as long as that on 4th instars. Thus, only one generation of parasitoids on gypsy moths is likely per year. Results indicate that methods for improving the effectiveness of this parasitoid should emphasize increasing adult numbers early in the season.

Phyllotreta cruciferae (Goeze), an abundant pest in the parklands, is moderately abundant on the open prairie, less common in the southern parts of the boreal forest, and absent elsewhere in the forest. Phyllotreta albionica LeC. occurs in low numbers in parkland and prairie, and is rare in the forest. Phyllotreta robusta (LeC) occurs in low numbers in the parkland, is rare on the prairie, and was not found in the forest. Psylliodes punctulata Melsh., which has a moderately low population in the parkland, occurs in similar numbers on the prairie and perhaps also in the forest. P. cruciferae will likely cause problems in any cruciferous crops grown on the open prairie and eventually in cruciferous crops in newly-cleared forest areas.

In western Oregon, Operophtera occidentalis (Hulst) has four larval instars, is univoltine, and polyphagous. Adult activity peaked in early December, eggs overwintered, larvae were present from March to June, and pupae from May to December. Temperature thresholds for egg and larval development were estimated to be 2 °C. Few species of natural enemies were observed and rates of parasitism averaged 2%.

Goera schmidi n. sp. from Thailand is described together with drawings of the greatly modified male genitalia and maxillary palpi. SEM micrographs of scales on the wings of Goeridae are presented. Distributional data are given for the Goeridae known to occur in Canada and the United States.

Western spruce budworm, Choristoneura occidentalis Freeman, periodically attacks Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirbel) Franco) in British Columbia, causing mortality, deformity, and growth loss. Insect populations are assessed annually by the Canadian Forestry Service's Forest Insect and Disease Survey, by branch sampling for egg mass densities; predictions of population trends and damage are based on these assessments. Eggs, laid in rows in masses affixed to needles, are a preferred stage to sample because they are easily collected, remain fixed in numbers for an extended period, and precede damage by sufficient time to plan suppression or other programs. Numbers of masses alone, however, may not show population trends accurately as egg numbers per mass varies. Thus it is sometimes necessary to count eggs (Miller 1957), which is a formidable task. Fortunately egg numbers can be estimated from the dimensions of egg masses (Washburn and Brickell 1973). In this study, we determined the relationship between egg numbers and egg mass length and number of rows for samples from Douglas-fir stands frequently affected by spruce budworm throughout British Columbia. Data were collected over 3 years, 1977-79, during which time budworm populations were in a period of decline.

Although several studies have been conducted on the mating habits of laboratory-reared onion maggots confusion exists as to whether the females mate more than once. In Holland, Ticheler and Noordink (1968) using a radio-tracer technique demonstrated a second mating in the female but later work by Robinson (1977) suggested that mating occurred only once. North American workers using whiteeyed mutants in crosses with red-eyed flies found that the female mates only once (Broersma and Luckman 1968) and earlier data developed in our laboratory support this finding (McEwen et al. 1973). That the female mates only once is suggested also by reports showing that increasing the ratio of males to females does not increase egg production and that the early removal or death of the males does not reduce the number of eggs laid or the percentage of hatch (Missonier and Stengel 1966; Robinson and Zurlini 1979).

Carpenter ants are indigenous to holarctic forests. Nests in standing trees begin at wound sites, and expand rapidly as workers gnaw galleries in the heartwood (Graham 1918; Anderson 1960). In forests, carpenter ants have been implicated in wind breakage of standing trees (Felt 1928; Schread 1952), yet the exact extent and nature of this relationship remains undocumented.

At the beginning of July 1981 we were informed by plant pathologists conducting disease surveys on canola (= rapeseed) (Brassica campestris L. cvs. Candle, Torch, B. napus L. cvs. Altex, Regent, Tower) in Alberta of the presence of root maggots (Delia spp.) (= Hylemya spp.) in the crop. Although this is not the first observation of this genus infesting canola, no documented account of its geographic distribution or the significance of its damage was available. Canola is an oilseed crop which over the past 10 years has occupied, on average, 1.6 million hectares annually in the three prairie provinces. Therefore, we decided to (a) determine the extent of the damage in Alberta, and (b) collect and rear the insects from infested roots so they could be identified.

In Canada and Its Insect Fauna, Scheller (1979) reported that no species of Pauropoda have been discovered in Canada. However, Hilton (1931) reported collecting “about” 10 specimens of Stylopauropus dawsoni near Dawson in the Yukon Territories. Scheller (1981, pers. comm.) discounts this report because the specimens have since been lost. Pauropods have been recorded from several border states including New York (Hilton 1930), Alaska (Hilton 1931), Michigan (Remy 1954), and Ohio (Williams and Hefner 1928). Starling (1943) reviewed early American records of Pauropoda.