The Palaearctic ten-spotted lady beetle, Adalia decempunctata (Linnaeus), has been confirmed as established in North America, based on morphological characters and DNA barcodes. Its distribution currently appears limited to the Avalon Peninsula of the island of Newfoundland, Canada. Several characters, including the colour of the mesepimera, frons, labrum, antennal club, mouthparts, and legs, are reliable for discriminating among this species and the native, Holarctic two-spotted lady beetle, Adalia bipunctata (Linnaeus), in Newfoundland. An identification key to the two species is provided.

We studied responses of carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) to clear-cutting and wildfire in lodgepole pine forests in the foothills of Alberta, Canada during 2013–2014 and compared the results with those from a similar study conducted in the same area during 1989–1990. Assemblages from stands regenerating 12–53 years after harvest gradually recovered towards their presumed preharvest condition represented by old pyrogenic stands. Assemblage structure in postharvest stands of similar age had also largely converged with that in stands that had burned in 1957 and 1997. Composition of ground vegetation, mineral soil cover, and basal area of trees and shrubs were significantly correlated with carabid assemblage structure, suggesting that plant successional gradients and patterns in carabid assemblages are driven by similar factors. We found that no carabid species was strictly associated with old pyrogenic stands, although assemblages in pyrogenic stands were distinctive. We predict that composition of carabid assemblages in harvested stands will recover and roughly match the variable structure of assemblages remaining in old, never-cut pyrogenic stands, given sufficient time (≥ 50 years). Nonetheless, the carabid fauna of the eastern slopes of Alberta’s Rocky Mountains appears to be changing in response to factors other than forestry. Warming climate is an explanation consistent with the changes observed.

The centipede fauna of Canada is reviewed based on information available in the literature and on examination of some material, and provincial and territorial distributions are provided. About 53 species are known from Canada, representing four orders: Scutigeromorpha (1), Scolopendromorpha (5), Geophilomorpha (19), and Lithobiomorpha (28). British Columbia has the most recorded species (23), followed by Ontario (17) and Newfoundland and Labrador (12). Arctogeophilus glacialis (Attems) and Alaskobius adlatus Chamberlin are newly reported from Canada (Northwest Territories), Schendyla nemorensis (Koch) is newly reported from Ontario, and Lithobius forficatus (Linnaeus) is recorded for the first time from New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. Arctogeophilus melanonotus (Wood) is removed from the list of Canadian species.

The depth at which pitfall traps were sunk into the ground and the resulting catches of epigaeic Carabidae (Coleoptera) and Staphylinidae (Coleoptera) assemblages in subhygric to hydric ecosites with very deep organic soil layers was investigated in the upper foothills ecoregion of Alberta, Canada. Traps were installed at seven sites, with six surface traps (the pitfall trap lip <5 cm below soil surface) and six deep traps (the pitfall trap lip >20 cm below soil surface) at each site. A total of 5289 beetles representing 75 taxa were collected. There were no significant effects of trap depth on catch. Rarefaction estimates of species diversity were higher in surface pitfall traps for both taxa. The similarity of pooled catches between deep and surface traps was on average 75%, suggesting that both trap types were collecting similar faunas. We found no advantage to using deep pitfall traps in addition to surface traps to sample the epigaeic fauna of wet forest stands and peatlands.

Grylloblatta campodeiformis campodeiformis Walker (Grylloblattodea: Grylloblattidae) was commonly collected during summer from trees killed by the mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), in subalpine forests of Alberta, Canada. Gut content analysis revealed that the grylloblattids fed on subcortical invertebrates. This newly reported habitat association shows that this species is not limited to strictly alpine habitats and glacial margins, and thus may be more widespread and common than suggested by earlier reports.

From the early descriptive work, focussed on documenting the forest insect fauna and the impacts of destructive species, Canadian forest entomology has passed through several distinct phases, each triggered by new societal demands of forests and of forest entomologists. We review the various stages that Canadian forest entomology gone through in the last 100 years. Following the initial descriptive and cataloguing phase, forest entomology entered a pest control or forest protection phase, which eventually evolved into the integrated pest management (IPM) era. Although IPM dominated the forest entomology discourse for at least two decades, this approach is now considered to be narrow and pest-centric and is being superseded by a more holistic approach where the emphasis is on ensuring the health and sustainability of forests at landscape levels. The new trends point away from the “command and control” approach of attempting to eradicate pests or reducing pest damage, and towards working with natural processes in the context of ecosystem management. We indicate several areas where 21st century forest entomology could make a contribution towards the sustainable management of Canadian forests.

Whitebark pine, Pinus albicaulis Engelmann (Pinaceae), a foundational species of North American subalpine ecosystems, is endangered across its range and continued decline is inevitable. Little is known about the invertebrate fauna associated with this species which, if specific to whitebark pine, may also be threatened or endangered. We compared the composition of saproxylic beetle assemblages associated with whitebark pine and co-occurring lodgepole pine, Pinus contorta latifolia (Engelmann) Critchfield (Pinaceae), recently killed by mountain pine beetle (MPB), Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), in subalpine forests in Alberta, Canada. Redundancy and rarefaction analyses revealed that beetle assemblage composition was influenced by snag class (i.e., time since death) but differed little among the two pine species within snag classes. However, a subset of the assemblage known to be associated with the MPB differed significantly in composition between the two pines. No common species were exclusively associated with whitebark pines; however, seven species were rarely collected only on whitebark pine. With the possible exception of these rare species, felling and burning infested whitebark pines to control the MPB will not likely endanger saproxylic beetles associated with this tree.

A novel “rearing-tube” method was developed and used to investigate the performance of mountain pine beetle (MPB), Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), with its three main ophiostomatalean fungal symbionts, Grosmannia clavigera (Robinson-Jeffrey and Davidson) Zipfel, de Beer, and Wingfield (Ophiostomataceae), Ophiostoma montium (Rumbold) von Arx (Ophiostomataceae), and Leptographium longiclavatum Lee, Kim, and Breuil (Ophiostomataceae). Transparent glass tubes filled with sterile ground jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lambert; Pinaceae) phloem and sapwood (9:1 ratio) were used to rear MPB from egg to adult with each fungus under controlled environmental conditions. Mountain pine beetle mortality was higher and development longer in fungus-free controls compared to fungal treatments. Among fungal treatments, insects developed faster, constructed shorter larval galleries, and had fewer supernumerary instars with L. longiclavatum. Insect survival was not affected by fungal treatments. Hyphal extension through the rearing medium was fastest for L. longiclavatum. Phloem nitrogen was reduced significantly by the presence of L. longiclavatum. Results support the hypothesis that ophiostomatalean symbionts provide benefits to MPB. The rearing-tube method is useful to tease apart confounding interspecific interactions between bark beetles and symbiotic fungus species.

Spiders (Araneae) were sampled in white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss (Pinaceae)) dominated stands from the ground and shrub layers, and from several overstorey strata to assess patterns in species composition and diversity (alpha and beta) along the vertical gradient (0–12 m above ground). Overall, 3070 adult spiders in 15 families and 76 species were collected, with the ground layer accounting for the highest species richness (40 species) followed by the mid-overstorey (36 spp.) and the shrub layers (33 species). Vertical stratification was apparent in the samples: richness clearly decreased with height, and species turnover between the ground, shrub, and mid-overstorey levels was evident, suggesting that species composition in each layer was highly distinctive. Within the mid-overstorey stratification was less obvious but both species richness and spider abundance were predicted significantly by height from the ground and branch size. Given the role of late-seral conifer stands for maintaining old-growth species, understanding diversity patterns across strata provides basic knowledge to support forest management decisions that effectively conserve spider species and assemblages. It is clearly important to include higher canopy layers in considering impacts of forestry on biodiversity in the boreal mixedwood.

Morphological, allozyme, and chromosomal characters and ecological traits have limited value for discriminating among four closely related Pissodes spp. known from western Canada. We amplified a 1585-bp segment of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), including half of the cytochrome oxidase I (COI) and all of the tRNA leucine and COII genes, using the polymerase chain reaction, and studied mtDNA variation within and among all four species of Pissodes with restriction enzymes. Twenty-four haplotypes were found among the 121 maternal lineages surveyed. Haplotype distributions suggest intermediate levels of gene flow for each species. Interspecific estimated sequence divergences ranged from 0 to 28.7%. Phylogenetic relationships among species were reconstructed using P. affinis Randall as an outgroup. Pissodes terminalis Hopping and P. nemorensis Germar were the most closely related species, and this clade was most closely related to P. strobi (Peck); P. schwarzi Hopkins branched off below these three. Restriction site variation is sufficient to discriminate unambiguously among most species. However, P. terminalis and P. nemorensis haplotypes were very similar, which may complicate discrimination between these two species, using mtDNA characters, where their ranges putatively overlap in Manitoba. A diagnostic protocol using three restriction enzymes, Bcl I, Dra I, and Hinf I, is recommended.

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.

The seasonal life history and mortality of the lodgepole terminal weevil, Pissodes terminalis Hopping (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), were investigated in young lodgepole pine, Pinus contorta Douglas var. latifolia Engelmann (Pinaceae), at three sites in west-central Alberta. Flight was monitored with traps. Development and mortality of all stages were investigated by dissecting infested leaders biweekly from late spring to early fall. Two years were required for P. terminalis to complete its life cycle, and generations overlapped. Overwintered adults emerged from the duff and commenced flight in late May, with a peak in mid-June. Eggs were present from mid-June to late July. There were four larval instars. The first two instars fed only in the phloem. Third and fourth larval instars eventually entered the pith to continue feeding, overwinter, and complete development the following spring. The new generation of adults emerged between mid-July and early August, fed on new shoots for several weeks, and overwintered in the duff. Adults have an obligatory diapause and did not reproduce until after winter. Fourth larval instars suffered the highest mortality. The major attributable cause of mortality was resinosis among eggs and young larvae and cold temperatures during the winter among mature larvae. Pathogens caused little mortality. Six species of parasitoids were collected.

Overwintered adults of Dendroctorms simplex LeConte emerged in May and June and produced one generation and two broods in 1983 and 1984. Egg galleries were vertical, slightly sinuous, and significantly longer in first brood trees than in second brood trees . Females laid zero to four eggs per niche . The average number of eggs per gallery was significantly higher in first brood trees (48) than in second brood trees (31). Mean number of eggs per centimetre of gallery was 1.2 for both broods. Mean brood density was significantly higher in first brood trees (50 individuals per 100 cm2) than in second brood trees (23 per 100 cm2).

Dendroctonus simplex has four larval instars. Development from egg to adult in the field averaged 60 and 70 days for first and second broods, respectively. Total development at 12, 18, and 24°C in the laboratory averaged 80, 42, and 39 days, respectively. Adult males were significantly smaller than females.

Allozyme and morphological variation were investigated for mountain pine beetle populations in limber pine and lodgepole pine in Alberta and British Columbia. Fourteen gene loci, five of which were polymorphic, were studied. Heterozygote deficiencies were detected at the ME locus for 13 of the 16 groups of beetles sampled. Selection against heterozygotes appears to be the most plausible explanation. There was no significant difference in heterozygosity between beetles from lodgepole pine and those from limber pine. Relatively high levels of genetic differentiation, in terms of allele frequency, were observed among beetles from different sites, host species, seasons, and individual conspecific trees within a site. Low levels of differentiation were observed between beetle generations at a site and between sexes. We attribute significant host-associated genetic differentiation to differential survival in hosts rather than to differential host preference of beetle genotypes. Standardized discriminant function analysis of 12 morphological characters indicated significant differences in beetle shape between sexes, host species, and among sites. Overall, there was little evidence of preferential host selection by beetles which would imply substructuring of Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins populations along host lines.

Phenology, fecundity, development, and mortality were studied for co-occurring, declining populations of Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins in limber pine and lodgepole pine at two sites in the Porcupine Hills of southwestern Alberta in 1985–1986. Beetles reared in lodgepole pine emerged and attacked new hosts 7–8 days earlier than those in limber pine in 1985. Beetles were able to utilize over two-thirds of the length of each limber pine bole but only about one-third of the length of each lodgepole pine bole. Also, beetles infesting limber pine had significantly higher fecundity, produced more eggs per centimetre of gallery length, and their progeny developed faster and survived better than beetles infesting lodgepole pine. There was no apparent phenological or other barrier that might inhibit gene flow between D. ponderosae populations in limber pine and lodgepole pine. In the area studied, limber pine was a better host for D. ponderosae reproduction, development, and survival than was lodgepole pine. Thus, beetle populations may be able to increase much more quickly in limber pine, arguing for regular monitoring of these populations.

The exotic birch-leafmining sawflies Fenusa pusilla (Lepeletier), Profenusa thomsoni (Konow), and Heterarthrus nemoratus (Fallen) occurred in Alberta during 1992–1995, but only the first two were abundant. Birch-leafmining sawflies occurred at all sites surveyed in central and southern Alberta, and appeared to be expanding their ranges northward. Adult F. pusilla began emerging in mid-May (approximately 220 DD05), and there were one to three generations per year, depending on location and year. Female F. pusilla were relatively less abundant on young than on mature trees. Profenusa thomsoni began attacking trees in June (between 400 and 550 DD05), and was invariably univoltine. Both species were more abundant and were active earlier on urban trees than at a nearby rural location. The highest catches and most complete representations of seasonal activity were obtained using yellow sticky traps. Larval F. pusilla and P. thomsoni are unlikely to compete directly for leaf resources because their leafmining activities are separated spatially and temporally, but they probably compete intraspecifically.

Morphometric data were collected on 15 characters in adults of the species of the Pissodes strobi complex (P. nemorensis (Germar), P. schwarzi Hopkins, P. strobi (Peck), and P. terminalis Hopping). Data were examined using stepwise discriminant analysis to determine if all characters contribute significantly to the diagnosis of taxa, and their relative amounts of resolving power were illuminated using canonical variates analysis. Discriminant functions were generated to diagnose species. Separate discriminant functions were generated for each sex for populations from eastern and western North America. Significant sexual dimorphism and variability in body size decrease the utility of morphological characters for diagnosis, but did not prevent the formulation of useful discriminant functions, particularly when selected ratios that control for body size were added.

The life history, behaviour, and mortality of the western ash bark beetle, Hylesinus californicus (Swaine), was investigated in green ash, Fraxinus pennsylvanicus var. subintergerrima (Vahl) Fern., in Calgary, Alberta. This species is univoltine with an apparent obligate diapause in the adult (overwintering) stage. Adults emerge from overwintering sites in the bases of ash boles from mid-April to mid-May and fly or walk up the bole to the crown where maturation feeding, mating, and reproduction occur. Eggs are present by late April, larvae by early May, pupae by mid-July, and new adults by late July. There are three larval instars. Beetles emerge from larval galleries in August and enter fresh phloem in uninfested parts of branches to feed for up to 6 weeks. Beetles leave feeding galleries from mid-September to early November and migrate by walking, falling, and flying to overwintering sites in the base of ash boles. Total mortality from egg to eclosed brood adult was 80.6%. Disease, parasitoids, and dehydration were the main causes of mortality. Eight hymenopterous parasitoid species were identified; the pteromalid wasp Rhaphitelus maculatus Walker was the most abundant. Tree hazard rating, maintenance of tree health, removal of susceptible and infested host material, and application of pesticides are suggested for management of western ash bark beetle populations.