Insects inhabiting the galleries of the four-eyed fir bark beetle <Emphasis Type="Italic">Polygraphus proximus</Emphasis> Blandf. (Coleoptera,Curculionidae: Scolytinae) in Siberia

A review of 28 species of insects from 17 families of 4 orders that inhabit the galleries of the four-eyed fir bark beetle Polygraphus proximus in the area of its invasion in Siberia is given with data on their distribution, trophic associations, occurrence, abundance, and locations. A characteristic of the xylophilous insect community associated with Polygraphus proximus is given. The impact of this invasive species on the composition and structure of the bark beetle consortia in the native ecosystems is shown.     

Biology of xylophilous larvae of the rhagionid flies <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chrysopilus dives</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chrysopilus nigrifacies</Emphasis> (Diptera,Rhagionidae)

The larval morphology and biology of two species of rhagionid flies (Diptera, Rhagionidae) from the Russian Far East are described for the first time. Larvae of Chrysopilus dives Loew develop in the tunnels of xylobiont insects in the trunks of ash trees. Larvae of Ch. nigrifacies Nagatomi were found under the bark of the elm, Sakhalin cork tree, birch, and fir. Morphological characteristics of larvae of Chrysopilus are discussed.     

Description of the stridulatory apparatus of the Far Eastern bark beetles <Emphasis Type="Italic">Polygraphus proximus</Emphasis> Blandford, 1894 and <Emphasis Type="Italic">P. jezoensis</Emphasis> Niisima, 1909 (Coleoptera,Curculionidae: Scolytinae)

The stridulatory organ structure in two Far Eastern bark beetles, Polygraphus proximus and P. jezoensis, is described. The elytro-tergal type of the stridulatory apparatus is found in P. jezoensis. The structure involved in acoustic communication of P. jezoensis is present only in males. The plectrum of P. proximus males is re-described. Similarly to that in P. jezoensis, it is formed by two tubercles at the distal margin of tergite VII. An additional type of stridulatory organ used for the producing of precopulatory courtship signals is described for males of P. proximus. In this type of stridulatory organ, transverse ridges on the costal margin of the elytron act as pars stridens, and the hind tibia, as the plectrum.     

Olfactometric evidence for aggregation pheromone production by females of the four-eyed fir bark beetle <Emphasis Type="Italic">Polygraphus proximus</Emphasis> Blandf. (Coleoptera,Curculionidae: Scolytinae)

Chemical communication of the four-eyed fir bark beetle Polygraphus proximus Blandf., an aggressive invasive pest of the Siberian fir Abies sibirica Ledeb., was experimentally studied using a four-way olfactometer of a modified design, in which the tested insects were allowed to move on their own from a lightproof plastic container onto the lighted arena. Young hibernated adults of P. proximus were offered four variants of odor: fir log segments infested with (1) 10 males, (2) 10 females, (3) 10 couples of P. proximus, and (4) clean air as the control. The pheromone of P. proximus was shown to be produced by females; a similar response of both sexes characterized it as an aggregation pheromone. All the three variants with infested fir logs were much more attractive than the control variant with clean air. Volatiles from fir tissues not only seem to serve as markers facilitating host selection by the first-to-arrive beetles before direct contact with the tree bark, but also to be used as pheromone precursors or synergists. The absence of difference in response to the logs infested with males and couples of the bark beetle indicated that pheromone synthesis was inhibited after couple formation.     

Additions to the check list of bark beetles (Coleoptera,Curculionidae: Scolytinae) from Leningrad Province,Russia

The field work of the authors during the last 16 years in both the western and the eastern parts of Leningrad Province, Russia, has resulted in the addition of 7 species to the regional list of bark beetles, namely: Hylurgus ligniperda F., Crypturgus subcribrosus Egg., Pityogenes irkutensis Egg., Scolytus mali Bechst., S. scolytus F., S. pygmaeus F., and Xyleborinus attenuatus Blandf. Of these species, P. irkutensis occurs only in the eastern districts of Leningrad Province, C. subcribrosus, over the whole territory, and the remaining species, only in the western districts. We suggest excluding Polygraphus proximus Blandf. from the regional faunal list. As a result, the updated list of the bark beetle species of Leningrad Province comprises 75 taxa. New data on findings of rare species in the region are considered.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Metarhizium bibionidarum</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">M. purpureogenum</Emphasis>: new species from Japan

Two new species of Metarhizium, M. bibionidarum and M. purpureogenum are described from Japan. Metarhizium bibionidarum is the phylogenetic sister species of M. pemphigi and a member of the M. flavoviride species complex. It is distinguished morphologically from M. pemphigi by its larger conidia. The species is based on a collection of an infected March fly larva (Diptera: Bibionidae) but is also known to occur on fruit beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) encountered in France. Metarhizium purpureogenum was isolated from soil by plating and insect baiting methods and represents a unique phylogenetic lineage placed outside the M. anisopliae and M. flavoviride species complexes. Three isolates of M. purpureogenum excreted a distinctive red-purple pigment into agar medium when co-cultured with M. robertsii or Aspergillus oryzae.     

A record of the Far Eastern crane fly <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tipula</Emphasis> (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Platytipula</Emphasis>) <Emphasis Type="Italic">moiwana</Emphasis> (Diptera,Tipulidae) in Moscow

The crane fly Tipula (Platytipula) moiwana (Matsumura, 1916) occurs in the southern Russian Far East, including Sakhalin Island and the Kuril Islands, in Japan (Hokkaido), and in northeastern China. Recently this species was found in Moscow. The reason for the appearance of this species in Moscow is unknown.     

Voles (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Microtus</Emphasis> Schrank, 1798) of the Russian Far East: Allozymic and karyological divergence

The intraspecific and interspecific differentiations of voles of the Russian Far East with respect to allozymic and karyotypic characteristics have been studied. The morphologically similar but karyotypically different species Microtus oeconomus, M. fortis, M. maximowiczii, and M. sachaliensis are characterized by considerable allozymic differentiation. In these voles, the allozymic differentiation has been found to increase in the order adjacent populations-subspecies-species. The interspecific allozymic differentiation of the chromosomally polymorphic M. maximowiczii-M. evoronensis-M. mujanensis does not exceed the intraspecific differences in M. oeconomus, M. fortis, and M. maximowiczii. The results are analyzed in terms of the allopatric and stasipatric models of speciation. The taxonomic status of M. maximowiczii gromovi is considered.     

Dynamic associations between <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ips sexdentatus</Emphasis> (Coleoptera: Scolytinae) and its phoretic mites in a <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pinus pinaster</Emphasis> forest in northwest Spain

The relationship between the pine bark beetle Ips sexdentatus and its phoretic mites in a Pinus pinaster forest in northwest Spain was studied during 2014. Four species of mites were collected, three of them from the body of the beetle—Histiostoma ovalis, Dendrolaelaps quadrisetus and Trichouropoda polytricha—the fourth, Cercoleipus coelonotus, was collected from the sediments. The main aims of this study were to explore (1) mite diversity and related parameters, (2) the location on the body of the (male and female) beetle, as well as mite assemblages, and (3) the seasonal dynamic association between mite species and the beetle. Results indicated that the diversity oscillated around 0.71 through the study period and the most dominant, frequent and abundant mite was H. ovalis. Histiostoma ovalis was found attached to almost all parts of the body (mainly on the elytral declivity and ventral thorax), whereas D. quadrisetus was exclusively found under the elytra, and T. polytricha displayed affinity towards the elytral declivity as well as the ventral thorax. None of the mite species displayed any preference for the sex of the beetle and the most frequent mite assemblage was H. ovalis, T. polytricha and D. quadrisetus all together. Maximum abundance of each phoretic mite species was related with each of the flight peaks of the beetle that would indicate that these mite species use phoresy as a primary method of transport for colonizing new food sources.     

Grass Flies (Diptera,Chloropidae) of Crimean Peninsula

The fauna of grass flies (Diptera: Chloropidae) of the Crimean Peninsula is reviewed for the first time. The study is based on examination of the collection of the Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences (St. Petersburg), which includes the material collected in Crimea by the authors, the collections of the Zoological Museum of the M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University and V. I. Vernadsky Crimean Federal University (Simferopol). The annotated list includes 92 species in 34 genera and three subfamilies. Most of the species (61) are recorded from Crimea for the first time. Six species, Chlorops horridus Becker, Ch. puncticornis Loew, Dicraeus (Oedesiella) beschovskii Nartshuk, Lasiosina chandleri Ismay, Meromyza meigeni Nartshuk and Oscinimorpha longirostris (Loew) are recorded for the first time from Russia and Eastern Europe. The characters for distinguishing Oscinimorpha arcuata Duda from O. longirostris (Loew), i.e., the structure of head and the male genitalia, are provided. The boreo-montane species Oscinella vastator (Curtis) and Meromyza curvinervis (Zetterstedt) are found on the Chatyrdag Mountain and Yaila (mostly forestless plateau in the Crimean Mountains). Species with southern European, Mediterranean and Macaronesian-Mediterranean ranges were recorded mostly on the South Coast of Crimea. The Crimean fauna of Chloropidae is compared with the faunas of Sardinia and Turkey.     

Taxonomy and pathogenicity of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Leptographium</Emphasis> species associated with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ips subelongatus</Emphasis> infestations of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Larix</Emphasis> spp. in northern China,including two new species

The larch bark beetle (Ips subelongatus), which occurs in larch plantations over a vast area of eastern Asia, infects both dying and fallen trees. When its population reaches a high density, the beetle may also infect healthy trees, resulting in tree decline and, eventually, death. Leptographium spp., in both their sexual and asexual states, are mainly associated with conifer-infesting bark beetles; some species are important tree pathogens. The aims of this study were to identify the Leptographium spp. associated with I. subelongatus infestations of Larix spp. in northern China and to examine their pathogenicity towards the tree. Morphological studies and phylogenetic approaches based on multilocus DNA sequence data (ITS2- partial r28S, partial β-tubulin, and EF-1α gene regions) showed that three Leptographium species occur in association with I. subelongatus in the areas investigated: Leptographium taigense, which is recorded in China for the first time, and two new species, namely L. innermongolicum sp. nov. and L. zhangii sp. nov. Leptographium innermongolicum is closely related to L. taigense, whereas L. zhangii belongs to the Grosmannia piceaperda species complex. The pathogenicity of these Leptographium species towards mature Larix spp. was tested by stem inoculation in forests. All inoculations only resulted in small lesions on the inner bark; therefore, the three Leptographium species were not considered to be pathogenic.     

Habitat Associations of the Larvae of the Genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sphegina</Emphasis> Meigen, 1822 (Diptera,Syrphidae) with Xylobiont Insects

The paper presents the first data on the life histories of the larvae of five species of the genus Sphegina Meigen, 1822 (Diptera, Syrphidae) and their habitat associations with other xylobiont larvae of ambrosia insects: xylomycetophagous bark beetles (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Scolytinae), flies of the families Axymyiidae and Syrphidae (Diptera), and other insects. The biotopes of Sphegina larvae are divided into two types: the main biotope where larval development takes place and the additional biotope where pupation occurs.     

Contribution to the Fauna of the Ichneumon-Wasp Genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rynchobanchus</Emphasis> Kriechbaumer, 1894 (Hymenoptera,Ichneumonidae: Banchinae) in the Russian Far East

A new species, Rynchobanchus trjapitzinisp. n., named after the prominent hymenopterologist Vladimir Aleksandrovich Trjapitzin, is described from the Russian Far East based on the material of the Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg. A new record of R. niger Sheng, Li et Pang, 1997 from Russia (Khabarovsk Territory) and a key to the Russian species of this genus are given.     

First Record of the Subgenus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Empis</Emphasis> (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Planempis</Emphasis>) (Diptera,Empididae) from Middle Asia,with Description of a New Species

A new species of the subgenus Planempis Frey, 1953 (Diptera: Empididae), Empis (Planempis) gussakovskiisp. n., is described from Tajikistan, being the first record of the subgenus from Middle Asia. The relationships of the new species within the subgenus Planempis are shortly discussed. An updated check-list of Planempis species is provided.     

Beetles (Coleoptera) in polar deserts of the Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago

In the course of five expeditions to the Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago, four beetle species were found: Micralymma brevilingue (Staphylinidae), Chrysolina subsulcata, Ch. septentrionalis (Chrysomelidae), and Dienerella filum (Latridiidae). The zonal plant communities do not contain beetles at all. All the species found prefer intrazonal habitats, where the snowless season is prolonged. Only M. brevilingue is common enough in various biotopes of the archipelago. All the beetle species found are wingless, rather small, polytopic and have vast distribution areas (D. filum is a cosmopolitan polyzonal species, and the others are semi-circumpolar arctic forms). Obviously, M. brevilingue should be considered as the most cold-tolerant beetle species of the Northern Hemisphere. This is the first report on the coleopteran fauna in the polar desert zone.     

Beetles (Coleoptera) associated with the polypore <Emphasis Type="Italic">Daedaleopsis confragosa</Emphasis> (Bolton: Fr.) J. Schrot (Basidiomycetes,Aphyllophorales) in Forests of the Urals and Transurals

The beetle complex associated with Daedaleopsis confragosa (Bolton: Fr.) Schrot. (Basidiomycetes, Aphyllophorales) in the Urals and Transurals is characterized. A total of 54 species of 16 families were found in this complex, the commonest species including Cis comptus Gyll., Sulcacis affinis (Gyll.) (Ciidae), Tritoma subbasalis (Rtt.), Dacne bipustulata Thunb. (Erotylidae), Mycetophagus multipunctatus F., M. piceus (F.) (Mycetophagidae), and Thymalus oblongus Rtt. (Trogossitidae). The main trends of the ecological and trophic specialization of the mycetophilic beetles are discussed; some features of formation of their complexes at different stages of the tree-fungi fruit bodies formation were established.     

Contributions to the knowledge of tetrastichine wasps (Hymenoptera,Eulophidae, Tetrastichinae) of the Middle Volga Region

The Tetrastichinae fauna of the Middle Volga Region comprises 115 species of 16 genera. Quadrastichus rosarum sp. n. is described as an endoparasitoid of Torymus bedequaris L. (Hymenoptera, Torymidae); the latter develops in galls of Dasineura rosarum (Hardy) (Diptera, Cecidomyiidae) on Rosa canina L. Aprostocetus populi (Kurdjumov) is redescribed and transferred from Tetrastichus to Aprostocetus. Thirty-three species are recorded for the Middle Volga Region for the first time. The genus Puklina Graham is new to the Russian fauna. New hosts are reported for five species of Tetrastichinae.     

New species of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Spathius</Emphasis> Nees (Hymenoptera,Braconidae) from Japan and neighboring territories

Eight new species of the genus Spathius Nees from Japan and the Russian Far East are described and illustrated: S. enigmatus sp. n., S. ishigakus sp. n., S. konishii sp. n., S. multigranulatus sp. n., S. omotodakus sp. n., S. pseudaspersus sp. n., S. pumilio sp. n., and S. tsushimus sp. n.     

New and little known species of gray moths (Lepidoptera,Gelechioidea, Blastobasidae) from Eurasia

Some additional data on the taxonomy of Blastobasidae are reported. Four new Palaearctic species are described: Blastobasis ponticella sp. n. from the Crimea, North-Western Caucasus, and Transcaucasia; B. centralasiae sp. n. from Central Asia; Hypatopa ibericella sp. n. from the Iberian Peninsula, and Pseudohypatopa beljaevi sp. n. from the Russian Far East (Primorskii Territory). Based on examination of the type material, the following new synonymies are established: Blastobasis phycidella (Zeller, 1839) [= B. roscidella (Zeller, 1847), syn. n.]; Hypatopa inunctella (Zeler, 1839) [= Hypatima haliciella Klemensiewicz, 1898; =Hypatima fuscella Klemensiewicz, 1898, syn. n.]. Blastobasis magna Amsel, 1852, stat. n., originally described as a subspecies of B. roscidella, is considered a distinct species with the range extending throughout the Western Mediterranean.