Efficiencies of light and pheromone traps were estimated from captures of moths emerging from pupae in the center of circular arrays of traps up to 200 m in radius. Light traps captured 1 insect for every 3.6 that passed through a linear meter at the trap, an efficiency factor of 0.28. This factor was constant for different insect densities. The pheromone traps were 3.5 times as efficient as light traps based on the captures of males only. The low efficiencies imply that the traps have a small zone of influence and several may be needed in a limited area to produce catches within reasonable confidence limits when populations are sparse and detection of increasing numbers has the greatest value.

Annual assessments from 1953 to 1977 of insect damage to the preharvest crop in apple orchards in Nova Scotia show a general decline in injury, except for 1966–68. Laspeyresia pomonella (L.) and fruit chewing insects (chiefly Operophtera brumata (L.), Alsophila pometaria (L.), Orthosia hibisci Guenee, Lithophane spp., and Xylena spp.) caused the greatest amount of fruit damage. Dysaphis plantaginea (Pass.), Campylomma verbasci (Meyer), and Atractotomus mali (Meyer) were serious in some years. In integrated control program orchards the proportion of fruit damaged was twice that in preventative pesticide orchards. Fruit destined for processing had more injury than fruit destined for the fresh fruit market.

Population levels of the major insect pests and their natural enemies were monitored regularly and gave early warning of threatening levels of pests. Generally predator population levels were high during periods of selective insecticide use but were low when widely toxic insecticides were introduced into the integrated control program.

The corixid Trichocorixa verticalis (Fieber) was the most abundant aquatic insect in small intertidal pools (potholes) of a New Jersey salt marsh. Aquatic samples revealed that first to third instars of T. verticalis were evenly distributed but the distribution of fourth and fifth instars was associated with the abundance of chironomid larvae. Aquatic samples of adult T. verticalis showed wide fluctuations in abundance. These fluctuations were associated with the drying up of shallower potholes, forcing adults to migrate to deeper sites that still retained water.

Light trapping of adult T. verticalis showed that there was a negative correlation between abundance and nocturnal ambient air temperature. This correlation indicated that T. verticalis dispersed on cooler nights to minimize water loss that would have been high had they emerged from warm pothole water temperatures into warm ambient air temperature. Spatial heterogeneity in the abundance of T. verticalis in light-trap samples was associated with differences between plots in water-surface area within a 100 m radius of the light trap. Dispersive behavior of T. verticalis is discussed in relation to harsh, ephemeral, and unpredictable salt-marsh aquatic habitats.

The venom apparatus was examined in 160 species of female Braconidae. The venom apparatus is illustrated for females of 26 representative genera and those of the remaining females are described.

Our findings indicate that there are two types of venom apparatus present in Braconidae. Type 1 is found in females of subfamilies having more ancestral character states: Doryctinae, Spathiinae, Braconinae, Opiinae, Rogadinae, Alysiinae, and Ichneutinae. Typically, type 1 venom apparatus consists of a cone-shaped reservoir which is surrounded by many longitudinal and circular muscles and lined with a relatively thick cuticular intima, gland filaments, and a venom duct. Type 2 is found in females of subfamilies having more derived character states: Cheloninae, Microgasterinae, Agathidinae, Macrocentrinae, Helconinae, Neoneurinae, Centistinae, Paxylommatinae, and Euphorinae. Typically, type 2 consists of a thin-walled reservoir surrounded by relatively few muscles, two gland filaments, and a venom duct.

The Aphidiinae is the only subfamily in which the females examined have both types of venom apparatus represented. Of those genera examined, only females of Praon have type 2, while females of the remaining genera have type 1 venom apparatus.

Braconid females with type 1 venom apparatus are either ectoparasitoids or endoparasitoids which pupate within the host remains, while those females with type 2 are endoparasitoids which pupate outside the host remains.

A temperature-dependent model for predicting green peach aphid population development in potato fields was devised and tested. A laboratory estimate of generation time was utilized to derive expected generation number from field accumulated degree days (1975–77). Different aphid populations were produced in replicated field plots (1975–77) with various application rates of the systemic insecticide, aldicarb. Density data from these plots were regressed on the expected number of generations to derive prediction equations. These equations were coupled in a Fortran computer program with a degree day algorithm. Weather forecasts, therefore, provide input for future aphid population predictions. The model is being used to evaluate various control strategies and to decide on spray dates from weather forecasts.

The genus Alopecosa Simon is revised for North America. A general description for the group is given, and a key to species is presented. Seven species are represented in North America: A. aculeata (Clerck, 1757) from Alaska to Newfoundland and southward to Arizona; A. kochi (Keyserling, 1877) (= Tarentula gertschi Schenkel, 1951 syn. n., = Lycosa jollensis Schenkel, 1951 syn. n.) from southern B.C., southern Ontario, and western and northern U.S.A.; A. pulverulenta (Clerck, 1757) (= Tarentula aquilonaris Fox, 1940 syn. n.), recorded from the Nearctic on the basis of a female from Attu Island, Alaska; A. exasperans (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1877) from the Canadian Arctic islands; A. mutabilis (Kulczynski, 1908) from northern Alaska; A. pictilis (Emerton, 1885) from Alaska to Labrador and New Hampshire; and A. hirtipes (Kulczynski, 1907) (= Tarentula hirta Kulczynski, 1908, syn. n., = Lycosa asivak Emerton, 1919, syn. n., = Tarentula hamiltoni Chamberlin & Ivie, 1947, syn. n.) from Alaska to northern Quebec.

When visiting the Canadian National Collection (CNC), Ottawa in the spring of 1978, I not only studied Proctotrupoidea but also worked with Pteromalidae. To my great surprise, I came upon a female specimen of a Zdenekiana Hugg., previously only known from the type-species Z. plana (Hugg.), described from one reared pupa out of six found under pine bark in northern Sweden (Huggert 1976a, b).

The host specificity of Lema cyanella (L.) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) and its suitability as a biological control agent were investigated. The females lay an average of 1564 eggs and development from egg to adult takes 17.6 days at 25°C during the day and 20°C during the night (average about 23°C). Feeding of adults and larvae is confined to Cirsium, Carduus, and Silybum species, and according to literature records, Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop. is the main host. No economic plants are attacked. A colony of field collected beetles imported from Germany was infected with a Nosema disease. It is recommended that disease free L. cyanella should be released against the weed C. arvense in North America.

To discover measurable parameters for detecting quality differences (with respect to reproduction) in insect populations, variations in temperature were utilized to obtain manifestation of quality at different levels. Rates of reproductive and associated processes such as yolk deposition, gallery excavation, and oviposition were measured in Dendroctonus rufipennis (Kirby) at four temperatures. Information presented here allows an estimation of D. rufipennis reproduction as affected by temperature. Among the various parameters measured the length of initial egg-free gallery and the number of eggs/unit productive gallery length and yolk deposition rate could be used to discriminate bark-beetle population quality. Rates of yolk deposition appeared most useful and widely applicable for this purpose.

The importance of pleural characters in Scelionidae is discussed and assessed. Two new terms, peculiar to some Scelionidae, are proposed, viz. the netrion for a specialized area on sides of pronotum, and mesopleural carina for a diagonal keel on mesopleuron (mesepisternum). Netrion and mesopleural carina are considered important characters for higher classification of the Scelionidae. The proposed characters are reviewed in the suprageneric categories (tribes and subfamilies) of the Scelionidae. The tribe Tiphodytini n. stat. is reinstated and removed from the synonymy with Thoronini, partly on account of the pleural characters.

Vol. 111, 1979

p. 357, title: for (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) read (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

p. 357, Abstract, line 4: For Bol. read Boh.