Three new species of fleas are described, two of the family HYSTRICHOPSYLLIDAE Tiraboschi 1904 (Nearctopsylla grahami n. sp. and Rhadinopsylla (Micropsylla) rauschi n. sp.) and one of the family CERATOPHYLLIDAE Dampf 1908 (Ceratophyllus calderwoodi n. sp,). N. grahami is known only from western Ontario where it has been collected from marten, Martes a. americana. R. (M.) rauschi was collected from deer mice, Peromyscus maniculatus osgoodi, in southwestern Saskatchewan. C. calderwoodi was collected from a nest of cliff swallow, Petrochelidon pyrrhonota, in eastern New Brunswick.

The behaviour of individual adult female European red mites was observed on peach leaf discs sprayed with different numbers of 200 micron droplets of nigrosine dye solution, nigrosine plus Carzol miticide, and nigrosine plus dicofol. On nigrosine and Carzol deposits, the relationship between the number of contacts and the number of stains was linear, but the addition of Carzol reduced the slope of the line. Tests of stains containing dicofol were intermediate to those of nigrosine and Carzol.

In Schletterer's “Die Hymenopteren Gruppe der Evaniiden,” Annalen d. k. k. Nath.Hofmuseum Wien, IV., p. 311, read trochanterata, Cameron, for trochanterica, Cameron. Page 338, the locality for Evania semirubra, Cresson, should be Cuba. Page 118, in synonmy of Evania, date 1829, after “Evania, Curtis,” should come the following reference: “Brachygaster, Stephens Systematic Catalogue of British Insects.

The sounds produced by Metaleptea adspersa (Blanchard 1843) were recorded in captivity with an analogical tape recorder. The signal was digitized in the laboratory and studied with a software. Three types of sound were described: copulation, rivalry, and crepitation. All three sounds were produced only by males. The frequency of the sounds occupied a broadband, from 3–4 to 16 kHz, although the main peak frequency for each type of song differed. We also studied the structures involved in sound production. Copulation and rivalry songs were produced by the rubbing of the subcostal, radial, medial, and cubital 1 veins of the hind wing against the subcostal and radial veins of the tegmen; the enlarged cubital area of the hind wing acted as a resonator. Crepitation sound was produced by the cubital area of hind wing when its expanded membrane became taut.

Professor Riley gave some verbal notes on the above subject, covering substantially the facts in articles recently published in the Canadian Entomologist, and an editorial prepared for the first number of Volume V., Insect Life.† Both the Bean Weevil and the Pea Weevil were found to have temporary thoracis legs of a peculiar form in the post-embryonic larval state, and also certain prominent spines on the prothoracic shield. The eggs of the Bean Weevil in the field are not attached to the outside of the pod, as had hitherto been stated and believed, but are laid in masses within the pod, through an aperture made by the jaws.

Frequency modulation has been discovered in the calling song of a conocephaline katydid, Conocephalus nigropleurum (Bruner). Real time sound spectrum analysis reveals a drop of 5 khz during the closing wingstroke.

Seed produced by Fraser fir, Abies fraseri (Pursh) Poir., infested by the balsam woolly aphid, Adelges piceae (Ratzeburg), was compared with that originating from uninfested trees during a cyclic year of heavy seedfall (1969) in western North Carolina. Cones were significantly shorter and seed uniformly lighter and smaller from trees infested by the aphid. X-ray examination indicated the number of full seed from uninfested trees averaged nearly 70% and 42% higher than in comparable seed samples from infested trees. Germination tests indicated viability of seed from infested trees exceeded 32% and that from uninfested trees exceeded 75%. An important factor affecting survival of seed from the two sources appeared to be the relative susceptibility of seed to attack by Megastigmus specularis Walley. Almost 28% more seed were destroyed by these seed chalcids for aphid-infested trees than for uninfested trees.

For the last 50 years, populations of the Bruce spanworm, Operophtera bruceata Hulst, and other wingless geometrid species have been sampled using sticky bands placed around host-tree trunks to catch wingless females in search of oviposition sites. This method is tedious and, because of trap saturation by males, may underestimate female populations at moderate to high levels. A standard oviposition trap was developed to sample eggs of the Bruce spanworm and other wingless geometrid species. A small polyurethane foam band placed on a post covered by a Multi-Pher® plate detected low populations and was almost unsaturable during outbreaks. Sub-sampling can be easily done in such situations. Egg density on oviposition traps was higher than female density on sticky bands for both the Bruce spanworm and the fall cankerworm, Alsophila pometaria Harris. This suggests that the oviposition trap might be useful to sample other wingless geometrid species. Operating this system was easy and could involve woodlot owners and companies to reduce the traveling costs necessary to collect samples.

Tenthredo retura Ross is here placed in synonymy under T. maxima (Norton) as the subspecies T. maxima retura Ross (syn.nov., stat.nov.). The range of T. maxima is associated with montane meadows or semi-open forest habitats in the montane zone of the Rockies, the Cascades, and the Sierra Nevada. Following the analysis of 24 characters from 2405 specimens, we recognized 12 geographically distinct populations, clustered into two subspecies, T. m. maxima and T. m. retura. Originally included in the originalis group of the genus Tenthredo, T. maxima is characterized as a group of its own with no close relatives in North America. We describe the species and its subspecies, give their distribution, discuss their geographical variation, and attempt to reconstruct their zoogeographical history during the Pleistocene.

Water added to stored wheat in the Prairie Provinces of western Canada promotes heating in the autumn and early winter. A rapid increase in a population of C. ferrugineus (Stephens) where the wheat was wet occurred after heating began and was, therefore, a consequence of the heating and not a cause.

Camponotus modoc was associated with numerous species of Homoptera in Giant Forest, Sequoia — Kings Canyon National Park, California. Ant-exclusion experiments and field observations indicated that survival of the abundant Cinara occidentalis Davidson on white fir depends on attendance by C. modoc. More of the predators, Neomysia oblonguttata (Mulsant), Deraeocoris brevis Uhler, Passaloecus cuspidatus F. Smith, Pityophyphantes sp., were found on ant-unattended than on attended aphid colonies. As aphid populations decreased, ant attendance per aphid and number of predators/aphid increased. Attended aphid colonies were more likely to survive to produce oviparae and a lower proportion of alates.

The following study of Diapterna is based upon the availabile types together with material in the Museum of Comparative Zoology and in the Canadian National and Owen Bryant Collections. The collections of F. S. Carr and J. B. Wallis have also been studied. Most of the characters presented by the species are not well adapted for use in keys, and many of them vary within the species. However, material can be readily and accurately determined without reference to the genitalic characters which, though often feeble, are very constant. It will be noted that the form of the male anterior tibial spur is characteristic in each species. In the descriptions which follow, no mention is made of this spur except a note as to whether or not the apex is turned caudad, a very important feature not shown in the accompanying figures.

Stethynium Enock, a mainly old world genus most of whose members occur in Australia, is redescribed based on study of the non-Australian species. The subgenus Neostethynium Ogloblin is removed from Stethynium and given generic status. The names S. faunum Girault and S. empoascae Subba Rao are synonymized under S. triclavatum Enock. A lectotype is designated for S. triclavatum. Stethynium angustipennesp. n. is described.

Schizophragma Ogloblin, formerly a subgenus of Patasson, is redescribed as a genus. Anaphes bicolor Dozier and Stethynium annulatum Doutt are transferred to Schizophragma. The names S. annulatum and S. nana Ogloblin are synonymized, respectively, under S. bicolor and S. parvula Ogloblin. Lectotypes are designated for S. bicolor (Dozier) and S. latipennis (Crawford). A provisional key to the species of Schizophragma is presented.