There is strong evidence that a biodiversity crisis is underway, fuelled by pollution, climate change, and invasive species. These impacts are especially important in northern Canadian regions. However, insect and other arthropod monitoring in Northern Canada urgently needed for land preservation is lacking. This paper presents the Nunavik Sentinels, a community-based participatory research programme (see definition, Table 1), that is aiming to fill those knowledge gaps while promoting collaboration among all stakeholders (organisations and members of northern communities, and scientists). Nunavik Sentinels is a unique insect-monitoring programme facilitated by the Montréal Insectarium – Espace pour la vie (Montréal, Québec, Canada), making entomology accessible to Indigenous youth by providing them with tools to lead expeditions in unexplored habitats and involving them in data collection. We present how this programme came to existence and its four-pillar framework (i.e., training land camp, summer employment, educational kit, and research). We touch upon how the programme is continually evolving. Finally, we demonstrate the benefits of the programme and how it will help better define the actions to be taken to prepare for future changes in northern biodiversity.

Root feeding by the larvae of multiple Delia species can lead to economic loss in many agricultural crops. Field vegetables are subject to infestations by a species complex composed of Delia radicum (Linnaeus) (Diptera: Anthomyiidae), a pest in brassica crops (Brassicaceae), Delia antiqua (Meigen), believed to cause the majority of crop damage in onions, and the generalists Delia florilega (Zetterstedt), Delia platura (Meigen), and Botanophila fugax (Meigen) (Diptera: Anthomyiidae). Correct species identification is necessary to implement field management strategies, but these species are challenging to identify morphologically. We propose a polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism method as a molecular tool to distinguish between five species of Delia and between two genetic lines of D. platura. The mitochondrial DNA cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 barcode fragment is targeted, then the polymerase chain reaction product digested with four different restriction enzymes (AccI, BsrI, MlyI, and StyI). The BsrI enzyme distinguishes the two genetic lines of D. platura and D. florilega. The MlyI enzyme identifies B. fugax from the Delia species. Combining BsrI, StyI, AccI, and MlyI into double digestion reactions allows for rapid diagnostics among the species tested. Our method was validated using DNA from specimens collected in eastern Canada. This method provides tools in ecological and environmental studies where these species are of interest.

Trialeurodes abutiloneus (Haldeman) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) is known to have been present in Canada since 1973. Despite this, the species has until now not been officially recorded; a surprising fact considering the close association of the species with economically important crops. The historic distribution expands from Mexico to southern New York and Michigan in the United States of America. In 2016, all life stages of T. abutiloneus were collected again on soybean (Glycine max (Linnaeus) Merrill; Fabaceae) plants grown in research greenhouses in southwestern Ontario, Canada. Specimens were morphologically and genetically identified to confirm their identity as T. abutiloneus. Thereafter, the barcode sequence for this species was also identified from the barcode of life data system, informing on the prior detection of this species from specimens collected at Point Pelee National Park, Ontario, Canada in 2012 during a barcode of life collection. Although this species is not considered a major pest on crops in Canada, it is related to other common pests within the same genus and can potentially transmit similar plant diseases. We provide the barcode COI sequence for the species, give an overview of the documented host range pertinent to Canada, and provide information concerning its natural enemies.

Although human-modified landscapes are characterized by the loss of natural habitats, new habitats also can be created and exploited by many species. The importance of landscape change to invertebrate associations (particularly host-parasite associations) is understudied. Our objective was to determine whether prevalence and intensity of gregarine parasitism in the damselfly Ischnura verticalis (Say) (Odonata: Coenagrionidae) differed between 17 artificial and 7 natural wetlands in landscapes that varied in amount of forest and wetland cover and road density determined at spatial extents of 500m and 1km from each wetland. Wetlands were located in and around Ottawa, Ontario, and Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. Wetland type did not account for significant variation in principal components based on forest and wetland cover and road density at either spatial extent. Gregarine prevalence was higher in damselflies collected from natural wetlands than in those collected from artificial wetlands and was positively associated with increasing forest cover. In contrast, gregarine intensity was inversely related to road density. Our results suggest that parasitism of damselflies by gregarines is associated with wetland type and landscape characteristics, although the mechanisms producing such relationships are unknown.

Camptopeltesn.gen. is described for three new species: Camptopeltes atratumn. sp. (type species of the genus; type locality Cartago, Costa Rica); Camptopeltes citrinumn. sp. (type locality Yacambo, Venezuela); and Camptopeltes nubilatumn. sp. (type locality Aragua, Venezuela). Camptopeltes is distinguished from other oscinelline genera on the combination of a strongly convex scutum, a trapezoidal scutellum that is deflected dorsally relative to the scutum, a reduced flexure in wing vein CuA1, reduced cephalic bristling, reniform third antennal segment, and thin arista. Although its relationship to the rest of the Oscinellinae is unresolved, it may be closely related to the tribe Elachipterini.