Pugs of the tribe Eupitheciini (Lepidoptera,Geometridae): the history of study and distribution over biogeographic regions

The World fauna of the tribe Eupitheciini is the most species-rich in the family Geometridae. This tribe includes about 1900 species (almost 3000 species-group names) from 47 genera; about one third of the genera (15) are monotypic. The generic diversity of Eupitheciini is the highest in the Australian (38 genera, 11 of them endemic) and Oriental regions (32 genera, 4 endemic) and the lowest in the Neotropical Region (possibly one genus only). The faunas of different biogeographic regions can be arranged in following order by their species richness: the Palaearctic (487 species), Oriental (397), Neotropical (346), Australian (251), Afrotropical (198), and Nearctic Regions (166 species). Eupithecia is the most species-rich genus in the family Geometridae and the entire order Lepidoptera, and one of the largest genera in the whole World fauna of insects. The greatest number of species of this genus is recorded in the Palaearctic Region (466 species), where Eupithecia accounts for about 95% of the tribe Eupitheciini. The mainland of the Oriental Region (especially the Himalayas) is also very species-rich; however the proportion of the Eupithecia representatives decreases towards Malaysia, Sundaland, and the Australian Region (about 2% of the tribe). The Eupitheciini faunas have the greatest similarity at the generic level between the Oriental and Australian Regions (the Jaccard and Sørensen coefficient values being 0.62 and 0.77, respectively). The Palaearctic fauna is more similar to the Afrotropical and Oriental faunas at the genus-group level. On the whole, the fauna of the Nearctic Region is similar to that the West Palaearctic, with the exception of the fact that representatives of the genera Gymnoscelis and Chloroclystis are absent in North America, although two endemic genera Nasusina and Prorella are present. At the genus-group level, the Nearctic fauna of Eupitheciini is more similar to the Neotropical (the Jaccard and Sørensen coefficients 0.20 and 0.33, respectively) than to the Palaearctic fauna (0.17 and 0.29). The number of synonymies is very high in the tribe Eupitheciini because of the homogeneity of this group, whose species are difficult to identify without the use of elaborate anatomical techniques. Modern revisions, catalogues, surveys, and atlases on Eupitheciini are absent for many countries and large geographic regions. Revisions of pugs of the tribe Eupitheciini for some biogeographic regions are extremely difficult because of fragmentation of entomological collections including the type specimens of many species-group taxa. A large fraction of synonyms is characteristic of parts of the World with the best known faunas: Europe (64% of synonyms) and North America (39%). On the contrary, the lowest levels of synonymy are typical of the less known faunas of the regions situated at the equatorial latitudes, namely the Neotropical (9%) and Afrotropical (8%) ones.     

Two new palaearctic species of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Scoliophthalmus</Emphasis> Becker, 1903 (Diptera,Chloropidae) with a key to the species occurring in the Palaearctic Region

Two new species of the genus Scoliophthalmus Becker, 1903 (Diptera, Chloropidae) are described: S. miscanthi sp. n. from southern Primorskii Territory (Russia) and S. gussakovskii sp. n. from southern Tajikistan. The genus is recorded for Russia for the first time. The species of Scoliophthalmus occur only in the southern areas of the Palaearctic Region. A key to eight species occurring in the Palaearctic Region is given.     

On the distribution of broad-winged moths (Lepidoptera, Oecophoridae) of the Palaearctic fauna

The Palaearctic fauna of broad-winged moths (Oecophoridae with the subfamilies Oecophorinae, Pleurotinae, and Deuterogoniinae) comprises 47 genera and 329 species. The number of species rapidly increases from north to south, from 19 species in the Euro-Siberian taiga Region to 149 in the Mediterranean Region, but the Scythian steppe Region (30 species) and Sethian desert Region (49 species) have relatively poor faunas because the majority of oecophorid species are trophically associated with arboreal plants. The proper desert species are very rare among Oecophoridae moths, and the majority of species in the Sethian desert Region occur in the mountains. The number of endemic species is also greater in southern regions; it amounts for more than half of the total number of species in the Hesperian and Orthrian evergreen forest regions and in the Sethian desert Region. The faunas of European (62 species) and Far Eastern (67 species) deciduous forests comprise close numbers of species but are very different, having only 5 species in common. This fact indicates their long isolation. The Oecophoridae are represented in the Palaearctic mainly by the genera with a small number of species, except for 2 genera, Pleurota (100 species) and Promalactis (85 species). The distribution patterns of these genera are opposite: the species of Pleurota are numerous in the south of West Europe and in North Africa, their number quickly decreasing from west to east and only 2 species being present in China (Wang, 2006). The species of Promalactis are numerous in Southeast Asia, their number quickly decreasing from east to west: 3 species occur in Tibet and only 1, P. splendidella (Amsel, 1935), in Israel and Turkey.     

Biogeographic distribution of the Phytoseiidae (Acari: Mesostigmata)

More than 1982 species in 90 genera were included in an analysis of the biogeography of the Phytoseiidae, a family of predatory mites. Seven biogeographic regions were taken into account: Nearctic, Neotropical, Ethiopian, West Palaearctic, East Palaearctic, Oriental, and Australasian. The number of species was particularly high in the Neotropical, Oriental, and West Palaearctic regions. These regions also present the highest levels of species endemism. The number of genera was quite similar in all regions except for the Neotropics, which also had a high level of endemism. The possible Gondwanian (Neotropical, Ethiopian, Australasian, and Oriental regions) origin of the Phytoseiidae, most probably in the Neotropics, and their possible radiation to Laurasia (Nearctic, West Palaearctic, and East Palaearctic regions) are discussed. The comparison between genera and species in the different biogeographic regions indicate the importance of both dispersal and vicariance events in the evolution of the group. Dispersal is assumed to have been most important between Neotropical and Nearctic regions and between East Palaearctic and Oriental regions, whereas vicariance could have been the dominating process between Australasian, Ethiopian, and Oriental regions, as well as between West and East Palaearctic regions. A parsimony analysis of endemicity showed the Neotropical and the Nearctic regions to be isolated from the other regions. This is certainly due to a diversification after the continents drifted apart and then a high dispersal between Nearctic and Neotropical regions. Different phylogenetic hypotheses and scenarios are proposed for each subfamily based on the results obtained and further investigations are proposed.  © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2008, 93 , 845–856.     

The Identity of Simulium murmanum Enderlein, 1935 (Diptera: Simuliidae)

The identity of Simulium murmanum is re-established by designation of lectotype and paralectotype. The species is common and widespread in the northern Holarctic Region and has up to now been reported from the Nearctic Region as S. corbis and from the Palaearctic Region as S. relictum (and S. rostratum, auct., nec Lundstrüm).     

The role of chromosomal polymorphism in divergence of populations and species of the genus Chironomus (Diptera)

The data on the structure and level of chromosomal polymorphism in natural populations of species of the genus Chironomus are summarized. A very high level of chromosomal polymorphism was noted for most species. Paracentric inversions prevailed among the chromosomal rearrangements found in natural populations. Changes in the set and frequency of inversion sequences are the most important factor of cytogenetic divergence of populations. Several cytogenetic types of populations were distinguished. The Palaearctic and Nearctic populations of Holarctic species diverged to a greater extent due to the formation of endemic Palearctic and Nearctic inversion sequences. The sequences common for both regions indicated a common ancestry of the populations. The cytogenetic distances between the Palearctic and Nearctic populations are greater by an order of magnitude than those between populations within each zoogeographic region. Divergence of species karyotypes was found to result from fixation of different inversion sequences in the course of evolution. The karyotypes of Palearctic and Nearctic species mainly differ by the presence of endemic Palearctic and Nearctic banding sequences. Several basic sequences common for some species allow the cytogenetic history of their origin to be revealed. A NJ phylogenetic tree was built for the genus Chironomus, demonstrating chromosomal evolution of its species.     

A review of grassflies of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Meromyza</Emphasis> Meigen, 1830 (Diptera,Chloropidae) of the palaearctic fauna with a key to species,analysis of the synonymy,host specialization,and geographic distribution. Part 2

The second part of the paper considers the position of the genus Meromyza Meigen, 1830 in the system of the family Chloropidae, its intrageneric classification, species synonymy, food plants, habitat preferences, geographic distribution of its species, and the faunas of some regions in the Palaearctic. A list of literature is provided.     

Industrial and post-industrial habitats serve as critical refugia for pioneer species of newly identified arthropod assemblages associated with reed galls

Gravel-sand river terraces were nearly eliminated from central European landscape by river channelization. Monotypic stands of common reed (Phragmites australis) growing on such terraces are often stressed by drought, which makes them vulnerable to Lipara spp. (Diptera: Chloropidae) gallmakers. Although Lipara are considered ecosystem engineers, only fragmentary information is available on the biology of their parasitoids and inquilines. We analyzed the assemblages of arthropods (Arachnida, Collembola, Dermaptera, Psocoptera, Thysanoptera, Hemiptera, Raphidioptera, Neuroptera, Coleoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera and Hymenoptera) that emerged from 17,791 Lipara-induced galls collected in winter from 30 reed beds in the Czech Republic, 15 of which were situated at (post)industrial sites (gravel-sandpits, tailing ponds, limestone quarries, colliery dumps, and reclaimed lignite open-cast mines) and 15 were in near-natural habitats (medieval fishponds, and river and stream floodplains). The Chao-1 estimator indicated 229.3 ± 18.1 species in reed galls at (post)industrial and 218.1 ± 23.6 species at near-natural sites, with the Sørensen index reaching only 0.58. We identified 18 red-listed species and four new species for the Czech Republic (Gasteruption phragmiticola, Echthrodelphax fairchildii, Haplogonatopus oratorius and Enclisis sp.), representing mostly obligate (64 %) or facultative (9 %) reed specialists. We propose that Lipara gall-associated assemblages undergo a long-term cyclic ecological succession. During first 10 years after reed bed formation, only Lipara spp. and several other species occur. During next decades, the reed beds host species-rich assemblages with numerous pioneer species (Singa nitidula, Polemochartus melas) that critically depend on presence of prior disturbances. Middle-aged reed beds (near medieval fishponds) are prevalently enriched in common species only (Oulema duftschmidi, Dimorphopterus spinolae). Habitats with the longest historical continuity (river floodplains) host again species-rich assemblages with several rare species that probably require long-term habitat continuity (Homalura tarsata, Hylaeus moricei). Landscape dynamics is thus critical for the persistence of a full spectrum of reed gall inquilines, with (post)industrials serving as the only refugia for pioneer species ousted from their key nesting habitats at once cyclically disturbed gravel-sand river terraces.     

A new species of the bristletail genus Pedetontus silv. (Thysanura, Machilidae) from Thailand

A new bristletail species, Pedetontus phuketi sp. n., is described from Phuket Island, Thailand. It is most similar to P. hainanensis Yu, Zhang W.-W. et Zhang J.-Y., 2010 described from Hainan Island (China). The genus Pedetontus comprises 33 described species in two subgenera: Pedetontus s. str. (6 species) and Verhoeffilis (27 species). The subgenus Verhoeffilis has originated in the southeastern part of the Palaearctic Region. Its representatives migrated to North America in the Paleocene through the Bering Land Bridge which was sunken in the Eocene, so that the Nearctic centre of Pedetontus speciation became isolated and the subgenus Pedetontus s. str. has been formed. The Bering Land Bridge was formed at the end of the Miocene, and the backward migration of bristletails of the subgenus Pedetontus s. str. from the Nearctic to the Palaearctic occurred. Pedetontus palaearcticus was formed on Kamchatka. The southward migration of bristletails of the subgenus Verhoeffilis has led to formation of 10 Indo-Malayan species.     

Seasonal population changes of five parasitoids attacking the scale insect Nipponaclerda biwakoensis on the common reed, with special reference to predation by wintering birds

Seasonal changes in the abundance of five species of hymenopterous parasitoids (four species of Encyrtidae and one species of Eulophidae) attacking the scale insect Nipponaclerda biwakoensis on the common reed were investigated for 2 years in Lake Biwa, with special reference to predation by the reed bunting, Emberiza schoeniclus, during winter. The scales settled on reed shoot stems under sheath leaves, passing through three discrete generations per year. The abundance of adult female scales increased exponentially from July (first generation) to December (third generation). Adult female scales of the third generation overwintered on reed shoots. During winter, female scale abundance dramatically declined, whereas the number of predation marks made by reed buntings using their bills on reed sheath leaves increased. The generations of all five parasitoids were synchronized with the host scale generations, and the five parasitoids overwintered as larvae inside the scale bodies. The abundance of parasitized scales and parasitoid adults emerging from the scales also increased from July to December, but greatly decreased during winter. The overall parasitism rate of the female scales remained at relatively low levels (less than 40%) throughout the year, including before and after winter. A bird exclusion experiment revealed that the dramatic winter decrease of the abundance of the scale and its five parasitoids was due to intensive and non‐selective predation by the buntings on unparasitized and parasitized scales. Additionally, the proportion of immature parasitoids removed by birds varied between the five parasitoid species. Thus, seasonal population changes of the five scale parasitoids are considerably affected by bird predation on overwintering immature parasitoids.     

The Palaearctic centers of taxonomic diversity of fleas (Siphonaptera)

The Palaearctic flea fauna includes 921 species and 479 subspecies from 96 genera of 10 families. Of them, 858 species (94%) from 43 genera are endemic to the Palaearctic; they comprise 40% of the Palaearctic Hystrichopsyllidae, 24% of Ceratophyllidae, and 20% of Leptopsyllidae. Ranges of 581 species (63% of the Palaearctic fauna) are situated within one province or subregion of the Palaearctic. Species with ranges including a part of Asia (592) comprise 87% of the total fauna; 72% of the species (517) are endemic to the Palaearctic. The largest centers of taxonomic diversity of Palaearctic fleas are situated in the East Asian, Central Asian, and Turano-Iranian Subregions: 320 species of fleas (214 of them endemic) from 59 genera (8 endemic) are known from the East Asian Subregion; 270 species (over 120 endemic) from 54 genera (5 endemic) are distributed in the Central Asian Subregion. The Turano-Iranian fauna comprises 213 species (103 endemic) from 47 genera (3 endemic); about 160 species occur in the Turanian Subprovince closest to the Russian borders, one-third of them (52 species, or 33%) are endemic; 69 species more are endemic to the entire Asian part of the Palaearctic. Extra-Asian and extra-Siberian ranges are known in 190 flea species. In the western Palaearctic, 76 species are endemic to the European Province, and 57 species, to the Mediterranean Province; 36 species have Euro-Mediterranean distribution. The fauna of the Saharo-Arabian Subregion comprises 30 species (12 endemic), 6 species have ranges of the Mediterranean-Saharo-Arabian type. Scenarios of the origin of the Siphonaptera at the Triassic-Jurassic boundary are hypothesized. Formation of the Palaearctic flea fauna was mostly supported by the Asian-Indo-Malayan and East Asian-Western American palaeofaunal centers of taxonomic diversity. The long history of faunal exchange between the east Palaearctic and the west Nearctic is manifested by the distribution of the parasites of rodents and insectivores, fleas of the genera Stenoponia, Rhadinopsylla, Nearctopsylla, and Catallagia, belonging to several subfamilies of the Hystrichopsyllidae, as well as members of a number of other flea families. A great number of endemic species in the genera Palaeopsylla and Ctenophthalmus (Hystrichopsyllidae), both in the European and Asian parts of the Palaearctic, can be explained by the junction of the European and Asian continental platforms in the late Cretaceous and their subsequent isolation during the Paleocene. A considerable contribution to the flea fauna in the Russian territory was made by the East Asian-Nearctic center of taxonomic diversity, with a smaller role of the European palaeofauna. Immigration of species of the family Pulicidae from the Afrotropical Region is restricted to the southern territories of Russia.     

A multilocus study of pine grosbeak phylogeography supports the pattern of greater intercontinental divergence in Holarctic boreal forest birds than in birds inhabiting other high-latitude habitats

Aim Boreal forest bird species appear to be divided into lineages endemic to each northern continent, in contrast to Holarctic species living in open habitats. For example, the three-toed woodpecker (Picoides tridactylus) and the winter wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) have divergent Nearctic and Palaearctic mitochondrial DNA clades. Furthermore, in these species, the next closest relative of the Nearctic/Palaearctic sister lineages is the Nearctic clade, suggesting that the Palaearctic may have been colonized from the Nearctic. The aim of this study is to test this pattern of intercontinental divergence and colonization in another Holarctic boreal forest resident – the pine grosbeak (Pinicola enucleator). Location The Holarctic. Methods We sequenced the mitochondrial ND2 gene and Z-specific intron 9 of the ACO1 gene for 74 pine grosbeaks collected across the Holarctic. The sequences were used to reconstruct the phylogeographical history of this species using maximum likelihood analysis. Results We discovered two distinct mitochondrial and Z-specific lineages in the Nearctic and one in the Palaearctic. The two Nearctic mtDNA lineages, one in the northern boreal forest and one in south-western mountain forest, were more closely related to each other than either was to the Palaearctic clade. Two Nearctic Z-chromosome clades were sympatric in the boreal and south-western mountain forests. Unlike the topology of the mtDNA tree, the relationship among the Z-chromosome clades was the same as in the three-toed woodpecker and winter wren [Nearctic (Nearctic, Palaearctic)]. The Palaearctic Z-chromosome clade had much lower genetic diversity and a single-peak mismatch distribution with a mean < 25% of that for either Nearctic region, both of which had ragged mismatch distributions. Main conclusions Our data suggest that, similar to the other boreal forest species, the pine grosbeak has divergent lineages in each northern continent and could have colonized the Palaearctic from the Nearctic. Compared with many Holarctic birds inhabiting open habitats, boreal forest species appear to be more differentiated, possibly because the boreal forests of the Nearctic and Palaearctic have been isolated since the Pliocene (3.5 Ma).     

Global diversity of non-biting midges (Chironomidae; Insecta-Diptera) in freshwater

Chironomidae are common inhabitants of most aquatic habitats, and often dominate aquatic insect communities in both abundance and species richness. Species occur in all continents, including Antarctica, and most major oceanic islands that have been investigated. The family is divided into 11 subfamilies and 22 nominal tribes. Although individual species occur in a wide range of habitats from terrestrial to fully aquatic, a total of 339 genera and 4,147 species are unambiguously aquatic in their immature stages. Greatest species and generic richnesses occur in the Palaearctic Region and Nearctic Region, respectively, but this pattern may largely reflect historical patterns of past taxonomic research efforts. Guest editors: E.V. Balian, C. Lévêque, H. Segers & K. Martens Freshwater Animal Diversity Assessment     

Global diversity of water mites (Acari,Hydrachnidia; Arachnida) in freshwater

The Hydrachnidia (water mites) represent the most important group of the Arachnida in fresh water. Over 6,000 species have been described worldwide, representing 57 families, 81 subfamilies and more than 400 genera. The article analyzes extant water mite diversity and biogeography. Data on distribution and species richness of water mites are substantial but still far from complete. Many parts of the world are poorly investigated, Oriental and Afrotropical regions in particular. Moreover, information among different freshwater habitats is unbalanced with springs and interstitial waters disproportionately unrepresented. Therefore, more than 10,000 species could be reasonably expected to occur in inland waters worldwide. Based on available information, the Palaearctic region represents one of the better investigated areas with the highest number of species recorded (1,642 species). More than 1,000 species have been recorded in each of the Neotropical (1,305 species) and Nearctic regions (1,025 species). Known species richness is lower in Afrotropical (787 species) and Australasian (694 species) regions, and lowest in the Oriental region (554 species). The total number of genera is not correlated with species richness and is distinctly higher in the Neotropical (164 genera); genus richness is similar in the Palaearctic, Nearctic and Australasian regions (128–131 genera) and is lower in the Afrotropical and Oriental regions with 110 and 94 genera, respectively. A mean number of about three genera per family occur in the Palaeartic, Nearctic and Oriental while an average of more than four genera characterizes the families of Australasian and Afrotropical regions and more than five genera those of the Neotropical. Australasian fauna is also characterized by the highest percentage of endemic genera (62%), followed by Neotropical (50.6%) and Afrotropical (47.2%) regions. Lower values are recorded for the Palaearctic (26.9%), Oriental (24.4%) and Nearctic (21.4%). The Palaearctic and Nearctic have the highest faunistic similarity, some minor affinities are also evident for the generic diversification of Holarctic and Oriental families. The faunas of Southern Hemisphere bioregions are more distinct and characterized by the presence of ancient Gondwanan clades with a regional diversification particularly evident in the Neotropics and Australasia. This scenario of water mite diversity and distribution reflect the basic vicariance pattern, isolation, phylogenetic diversification, recent climatic vicissitudes and episodes of dispersal between adjacent land masses together with extant ecological factors can be evoked to explain distribution patterns at a global scale. Guest editors: E. V. Balian, C. Lévêque, H. Segers & K. Martens Freshwater Animal Diversity Assessment     

New species and host records of New World,mostly Neotropical,opiine Braconidae (Hymenoptera) reared from flower-infesting,stem-galling,and stem-mining Tephritidae (Diptera)

New host records (all members of the family Tephritidae) are presented for 14 newly described species of opiine Braconidae from the neotropics and two previously described species, one from the neotropics and one from the Nearctic Region. Doryctobracon anneae Wharton, Opius baderae Wharton, O. baeblus Wharton, O. cablus Wharton, O. dablus Wharton, O. danielsae Wharton, O. gabriellae Wharton, O. godfrayi Wharton, O. marshi Wharton, O. nablus Wharton, O. pipitae Wharton, O. stecki Wharton, O. taramegillae Wharton, and O. yoderi Wharton are newly described. Hosts are newly recorded for the previously described species Opius nympha Fischer and O. peleus Fischer. A key is presented to Opiinae that have been reared from flower, stem, and leaf feeding tephritids in the New World. Host and host plant associations are discussed; a few of the tephritid host plant records are also new. Opius cosa (Fischer), is a comb. n.     

Aggregative structure is the rule in communities of fleas: null model analysis

We used null models to examine patterns of species co‐occurrences in 59 communities of fleas parasitic on small mammals from 4 biogeographic realms (Afrotropics, Nearctic, Neotropics, and Palaearctic). We compared frequencies of co‐occurrences of flea species across host species with those expected by chance, using a null model approach. We used 4 tests for non‐randomness to identify pairs of species (within a community) that demonstrate significant positive or negative co‐occurrence. The majority of flea communities were non‐randomly assembled. Patterns of flea co‐occurrences on the same host species indicated aggregation but not segregation of flea species (except for the flea community of Madagascar). Although only a small fraction of species pairs were associated significantly (264 of 10, 943 species pairs according to the most liberal criterion), most of these associations were positive (except for 2 negatively associated species pairs). Significantly associated pairs were represented mainly by non‐congeneric species. The degree of non‐randomness of the entire flea community was similar among biogeographic regions, but the strength of pair‐wise association varied geographically, being the highest in the Afrotropics and the lowest in the European region of the Palaearctic.     

The influence of the rearing host on the response of the parasitoid Venturia canescens (Gravenhorst) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) to odours from Ephestia kuehniella and Plodia interpunctella in a Y-tube olfactometer

Venturia canescens (Gravenhorst) is an ichneumonid generalist parasitoid that successfully attacks the larvae of different lepidopteran pests that infest stored products. These pest species include Plodia interpunctella and Ephestia kuehniella. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the influence of the rearing host on the parasitoid’s ability to detect and respond to a new host different from the rearing species. For this reason, the trials tested the preference of parasitoids reared on P. interpunctella or E. kuehniella for products that were or were not infested with larvae of these hosts. The trials were conducted in a Y-tube olfactometer. Regardless of the rearing host species, the parasitoids showed no preference for uninfested products. The parasitoids were attracted to products infested with larvae of their rearing host in preference to uninfested products. They also showed preferential attraction to products infested with the new host over uninfested products. E. kuehniella was the preferred host, irrespectively of the parasitoid host rearing species. The results are discussed to develop a better understanding of the ecology of V. canescens for its application in biological control.     

Cascading effects of host size and host plant species on parasitoid resource allocation

1. The bottom‐up factors that determine parasitoid host use are an important area of research in insect ecology. Host size is likely to be a primary cue for foraging parasitoids due to its potential influence on offspring development time, the risk of multiparasitism, and host immunocompetence. Host size is mediated in part by host‐plant traits that influence herbivore growth and potentially affect a herbivore's quality as a host for parasitoids. 2. Here, we tested how caterpillar host size and host plant species influence adult fly parasitoid size and whether host size influences wasp parasitoid sex allocation. We measured the hind tibia lengths and determined the sex of wasp and fly parasitoids reared from 11 common host species of polyphagous caterpillars (Limacodidae) that were in turn reared on foliage of seven different host plant species. 3. We also tested how host caterpillar species, host caterpillar size, and host and parasitoid phenology affect how the parasitoid community partitions host resources. We found evidence that parasitoids primarily partition their shared hosts based on size, but not by host species or phenology. One index of specialisation (d′) supports our observation that these parasitoids are quite generalised within the Limacodidae. In general, wasps were reared from caterpillars collected in early instars, while flies were reared from caterpillars collected in late instars. Furthermore, for at least one species of solitary wasp, host size influenced sex allocation of offspring by ovipositing females. 4. Host‐plant quality indirectly affected the size attained by a tachinid fly parasitoid through its direct effects on the size and performance of the caterpillar host. The host plants that resulted in the highest caterpillar host performance in the absence of enemies also yielded the largest parasitoid flies, which suggests that host plant quality can cascade up to influence the third trophic level.     

Systematic revision of Nearctic species of Achalcus Loew (Diptera: Dolichopodidae) with comments on their phylogeny, ecology and zoogeography

The species of the genus Achalcus Loew from the Nearctic Region are revised and a key to males and females is provided. Achalcus utahensis (Harmston & Miller) and A. oregonensis (Harmston & Miller) are redescribed, and A. californicus sp.n., A. dytei sp.n. and A. similis sp.n. are described. Together with eight of the nine known Palaearctic species of the genus, they represent a monophyletic species group, which is characterized by the presence of five pairs of dorsocentral bristles and the incorporation of the epandrial setae onto the shaft of the epandrial lobe. Like their Palaearctic congeners, most Nearctic species occur in damp habitats, such as coastal forests and riparian vegetation. Most specimens were collected in the Pacific coastal states from British Columbia to California, but one species occurs in Utah, and one of six species which were not described because males are lacking, was discovered in Ontario.     

Revision of Palaearctic mountain midges (Diptera: Deuterophlebiidae), with phylogenetic and biogeographic analyses of world species

Abstract. The mountain midges (Diptera: Deuterophlebiidae) of the Palaearctic Region are revised to include eight species. Four new species are described: D. brachyrhina sp. nov., D.oporina sp. nov. and D. blepharis sp.nov. from the Himalayas (Assam and Sikkim), and D.bicarinata sp. nov. from southern Korea. A lectotype is designated for D.mirabilis Edwards, and a key to adult males of all Palaearctic species is provided.
Larval, pupal and adult characters were used to reconstruct the phylogenetic and biogeographic relationships of world species of Deuterophlebiidae. Based on features of the adult male, the Himalayan species D. brachyrhina and D. oporina are considered the most primitive deuterophlebiids. The Nearctic species D. inyoensis is proposed as the sister group of the remaining species. Relationships among the latter are based primarily on larval and pupal characters; however, lack of information about the immature stages of several Palaearctic species contributes to a poorly resolved phylogeny. Several alternative hypotheses are presented and discussed. All phylogenetic alternatives suggest that the Nearctic fauna originated from at least two invasions of North America.