Since no major review of the literature on tsetse physiology has hitherto been undertaken, relevant papers up to the beginning of 1977 are included in the present work. The physiology of Glossina is dealt with under three major headings; reproductive, developmental and nutritional events in the life of this haematophagous and viviparous insect are discussed in relation to general principles of insect physiology gained from the study of other genera. The role of adult maturation and the possible involvement of a sex pheromone in successful mating are considered. The difficulties of studying neuroendocrine function in relation to reproductive physiology in a viviparous insect, where reproductive and developmental events are not always separated chronologically, are emphasised. Nevertheless, the role of the neuroendocrine system in the control of such events as ovarian development, ovulation, parturition, pupariation and metamorphosis is considered, and the contribution that recent work on Glossina has made to an increased understanding of general principles in this field is discussed. Laboratory observations have demonstrated circadian components of behaviour in Glossina that can influence interpretation of field observations and likewise should influence the design of physiological experiments. Utilisation of nutritional reserves for larval growth and for flight activity has received considerable attention recently. The general pattern seems to be one of rapid mobilisation of blood-meal amino acids and the involvement of a large lipid reserve. The combined haematophagous and viviparous habit of Glossina has led to some interesting modifications of basic physiology particularly in regard to flight metabolism, female accessory gland function and Malpighian tubule activity. The relevance of physiological studies to current developments in the field of tsetse control is discussed and the importance of exploiting our knowledge in the quest for novel insecticidal techniques emphasised.

Experiments in Malawi over several seasons indicated that use of sex pheromone baited traps would be an unsatisfactory method for the more efficient timing of insecticide applications against Diparopsis castanea Hmps. Excessive temporal and spatial variation between catches of male moths in pheromone traps and corresponding oviposition by females on cotton renders the method unreliable. Experiments indicated, however, that fewer sprays of insecticide against Diparopsis could be applied without significant loss of yield or quality by spraying when the numbers of eggs of Diparopsis reached 0·25/plant. It is suggested that modification of the existing method of egg scouting on plants offers the best prospect for efficient control of Diparopsis concomitant with the increasing demand by farmers for reduced spraying.

The tortricid moth Oporopsamma wertheimsteini (Rebel) is a potential biological control agent of Chondrilla juncea, which is a serious introduced weed in Australia. The biology of the moth was studied on wild C. juncea growing in Azerbaidzhan (Iran). It has one generation per year and undergoes two periods of diapause, aestivating as a pupa and hibernating as an egg. The larvae live in cases attached to and feeding on the collar region of C. juncea and may destroy plants with thin stems. Larval infestations are common on C. juncea growing in sandy soils. The braconid Chelonus asiaticus Telenga was recorded as a larval parasite. Host specificity assessment by laboratory tests in France, in which trimmed crowns of various Compositae were exposed to late-instar larvae, suggested that they had a broader host range within that plant family than would be desirable in an organism to be used for biological control. However, tests under both field and glasshouse conditions in Iran indicated that the first-instar larvae select only Chondrilla juncea as hosts. The species was therefore introduced into Australia under quarantine for further host-safety studies.

After injections of U-14C-phenylalanine into the haemolymph of female Glossina morsitans Westw. during late pregnancy, radioactivity was detected in the post-parturient female and its larval offspring in the injected material and in lipids, a range of non-essential amino acids and tyrosine. After intrahaemocoelic administration of U-14C-tyrosine, radio-activity was detected in the adult and larva in all these nutriments except phenylalanine. The level of radioactivity in the larva was higher than that remaining in the female parent, and in both radioactivity was greater in amino acids than in the lipid fraction. Radiometric analysis of the oocyte and the infra-uterine larva 24 h after injection of labelled phenylalanine or tyrosine on different days of the pregnancy cycle revealed patterns of radioactivity relative to their respective growth characteristics. The rate of phenylalanine utilisation by the pregnant female for nourishment of the in-utero third-instar larva was significantly higher than the rate of tyrosine utilisation. For both labelled materials, there was a significantly higher utilisation for energy during early than during late pregnancy, but at both physiological ages tyrosine was metabolised for energy to a relatively greater degree. Uric acid is the main nitrogenous waste product of aromatic amino acid metabolism in this insect, though a very low level of activity was also detected in the amino acid fractions of the excreta from females in early and late pregnancy.

Vaporising mats are used to volatilise small amounts of pyrethroid to prevent mosquito nuisance within houses. A small absorbent mat containing pyrethroid is placed on a 5- to 6-W electric heater. The mat surface temperature is about 125°C. Pyrethroid is released for several hours at a slowly diminishing rate. In tests, no evidence of degradation of bioallethrin was obtained. Vapour from mats inhibited biting by female Aedes aegypti (L.) and caused knockdown and kill. A commercial mat containing 88 mg allethrin was as effective as a mosquito coil containing 0·25% allethrin. In laboratory-made mats, 40 mg bioallethrin or 19 mg S-bioallethrin gave equal or better action than allethrin. Additives, such as piperonyl butoxide, mineral oil or antioxidant slightly reduced the rate of emission of pyrethroid and diminished the bite inhibitory and knockdown effects.

The survival rate of the females of Musca vetustissima Wlk., the Australian bushfly, was determined as a function of age and size from an analysis of the age-size distribution of 11 530 females caught over a period of four years at three sites in south-eastern Australia. The mean length of life of the largest female flies commonly observed in the field was about 15·5 egg-stage periods, as compared to 8·5 for the smallest flies commonly observed. Over the same range of sizes, the breeding potential of a female varied by a factor of 22 to 1. It was found that the attractiveness of a human observer as a bait to female flies varied with the flies' reproductive state; taking the attractiveness to newly emerged flies to be unity, the attractiveness of the observer to flies that had just laid eggs was 1·22, and to flies in the pre-gravid stage 0·15. The mathematical model presented in this paper is appropriate for use in an overall model of bushfly population dynamics.

Six morphological variates were examined in fundatrigeniae and alienicolae of Myzus persicae (Sulz.) from four clones. In all clones, fundatrigeniae had significantly more abdominal tubercles, a relatively larger tubercle on segment 4, and relatively shorter cornicles than did alienicolae. Alienicolae reared on Chinese cabbage had significantly shorter hind femurs than those reared on potato, but otherwise there were no consistent differences between the two types. Mature fundatrigeniae did not differ consistently from young ones. The total number of abdominal tubercles was the most reliable character for distinguishing alate fundatrigeniae from alienicolae.