A taxonomic revision of the Oriental spittlebug genus Paphnutius Distant (Homoptera: Cercopidae)

The spittlebug genus Paphnutius is transferred from the Tomaspidini to the Considiini. The genus is revised and redescribed to contain nine species. A key to species is given and all species are redescribed and illustrated with their distributional data provided. One new species is described and one new generic synonymy, six new specific synonymies and four new combinations are established. Five lectotypes are newly designated. Paphnutius costimaculus Metcalf and Horton is considered as a species incertae sedis.     

Morphometry of sculpins ( Cottus ) in the Clearwater drainage, Idaho

The morphometry of four Idaho species of Cottidae were compared. Pectoral ray counts allowed separation of Cottus beldingi and C. confusus from C. bairdi and C. rhotheus but not from each other. Preopercular armature also allowed identification of the same two groups of two species. Palatine tooth development generally allowed separation of each species as did body prickle development. Body ratios involving caudal peduncle depth allowed separation of C. rhotheus and C. bairdi. Development of lateral lines allowed differentiation of C. rhotheus from the other three species. A key was developed based on the combination of characters studied.     

Biochemical differentiation in the Idaho ground squirrel, Spermophilus brunneus (Rodenta: Scuridae)

Spermophilus brunneus is restricted to a 90 × 125-km area of west central Idaho, with two distinct (northern and southern) groups of populations within this limited range. Morphological differences in pelage length and coloration, external and cranial measurements, and bacula suggest that these groups are either very distinct subspecies or species. We used starch-gel electrophoresis to estimate the amount of genetic differentiation accompanying these morphological differences by assaying genetic variation at 31 loci in the two geographic groups. Fifteen loci were polymorphic (13 in the northern group, 12 in the southern), and mean heterozygosity (H) was high (12.3% northern and 10.8% southern). Nei's genetic distance (0.057) is in the range usually associated with subspecific differences. However, Jaccard's association coefficient (0.893) is about the same as that found between several ground squirrel taxa currently recognized as species. The high levels of heterozygosity suggest that S. brunneus is a neoendemic rather than a paleoendemic species.     

Blow flies (Diptera, Calliphoridae) of Idaho: an annotated checklist

A total of 33 species of blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) are recorded from Idaho. They include 1 species each of Cochliomyia, Phormia, Protophormia, Trypocalliphora, Cyanus, Cynomya, and Melanodexia ; 12 species of Protocalliphora ; 5 species of Lucilia ; 6 species of Calliphora ; and 3 species of Pollenia . Other calliphorid species that may also occur in the state include 5 species of Protocalliphora and 3 species of Calliphora . Known distribution, periods of activity, abundance within the state, and biological notes are provided.     

Bionomics,behaviour and immature stages of Pelecotoma fennica (Paykull) (Coleoptera: Rhipiphoridae)

Ptilinus fuscus (Anobiidae) was confirmed as the host species of Pelecotoma fennica (Rhipiphoridae, Pelecotominae). Females of Pelecotoma oviposit into the wood infested by the host larvae. First-instar larvae are elongate, unsclerotized, very different from the triungulinid larvae known in other rhipiphorids. They search actively for the host larvae in the wood; no phoresy is involved in the life cycle. The first-instar larvae temporarily paralyse the host larva and enter its body, overwintering (some perhaps more than once) as an endoparasite. In the spring of the year of emergence, the endoparasite engorges enormously (without moulting) and develops a special sclerotized caudal structure which is then used for perforation of the host's integument. The larva undergoes a further four ectoparasitic instars. The fifth (i.e. fourth ectoparasitic) instar differs considerably from the preceding three, and is capable of boring through the wood to prepare the emergence gallery for the adult. Pupation occurs in the wood. The rate of parasitization may locally far exceed 50%. Superparasitization by the first-instar larvae is possible, but usually only 1 larva survives to the ectoparasitic stage. Larval morphology of Pelecotoma is described and illustrated. Additional data on bionomics and larval morphology are also presented for the genus Metoecus (Rhipiphorinae). Comparing the biology and larval morphology of Pelecotoma with other Rhipiphoridae, it is assumed that ancestral rhipiphorids may have been xylophilous Tenebrionoidea with predaceous or omnivorous larvae, and that the ‘triungulinid’ larvae and phoretic habits may not belong to the groundplan of the family Rhipiphoridae. The widespread opinion considering Rhipiphoridae closely related to the family Mordellidae is questioned.     

Systematics and biology of the Rhinocolinae (Homoptera: Psylloidea)

Based on a cladistic analysis, the subfamily Rhinocolinae is redefined to comprise 13 genera and 39 species, of which two genera and eight species remain unnamed. Four new genera and 14 new species are described; one subfamily and one genus are synonymized, and two species are recombined; one lectotype is designated. The subfamily is divided into two groups, one with a Gondwanan distribution comprising four genera in Australia, New Zealand, South America and Africa, and another with Laurasian distribution in the Palaeotropics, the Western Palaerctic and North America comprising nine genera. Twenty-one species develop on host plants in the Rutales, three on Asteraceae, three on Cistaceae and one on Zygophyllaceae. The genus Pistacia (Anacardiaceae) in particular hosts six species whose biology is discussed.     

Checklist of Tiger Beetles from Idaho (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae)

Sixteen species of Tiger Beetles are listed for Idaho, along with the counties of occurrence for each species. Three species are placed in a checklist of Idaho species for the first time: Cicindela depressula depressula Casey, Cicindela parowana wallisi Calder, and Cicindela decemnotata decemnotata Say.         

Insect damage, cone dimensions, and seed production in crown levels of ponderosa pine

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} Insect damage to second-year cones was generally not significantly different between crown levels, but was significantly different among areas and among trees within areas for Conophthorus, Megastigmus, and Cydia. Both cone length and width were not significantly different between lower and middle crown, but cone length was significantly greater in the upper crown. Seeds per cone ranged from 34 to 66, but the percent of sound seed per cone varied significantly according to the amount of insect damage.        

Some aphid waxes,their form and function (Homoptera: Aphididae)

Summary

The visible wax coatings of nine species of Aphididae, distributed through six tribes in four subfamilies, are examined by means of the Scanning Electron Microscope. The micromorphology of the extrusions is described and illustrated, as are the cuticular specializations via which the coatings are constructed. The relationships between the form and possible functions of the wax are discussed in the light of the results, as is the degree of correlation between its morphology and current opinion concerning the classification of the family.     

Cave-dwelling Fulgoroidea (Homoptera: Auchenorrhyncha) from the Canary Islands

Examination of Fulgoroid specimens collected in several caves of volcanic origin on the Canary Islands (Tenerife, El Hierro) has revealed the existence of at least two undescribed troglobitic Fulgoroid species. These are apparently the first records of troglobitic Auchenorrhyncha, not only from the Middle Atlantic Islands, but from the Palaeartic Region. These cavernicolous taxa belong to the families Cixiidae (Tachycixius lavatubus sp. nov.) and Meenoplidae (Meenoplus cancavus sp. nov.). Possible pathways towards the evolution of troglobitic forms in Auchenorrhyncha and ways of speciation—sympatric or allopatric—for T. lavatubus sp. nov. and its epigean relative Tachycixius canariensis (Lindberg) are discussed. These findings suggest that cavernicolous Homoptera are more widely distributed over the world than was previously assumed.     

Burrows of the sagebrush vole ( Lemmiscus curtatus ) in southeastern Idaho

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} Burrows of the sagebrush vole ( Lemmiscus curtatus ) were analyzed by injecting them with expanding polyurethane foam. Average mean depth ± 1 SE of four burrows was 12.5 ± 2.6 cm. Tunnels were wider than high and flat on the bottom. Three of four burrows were nearly linear, with an average of five entrances. Burrows usually contained one nest made of Artemisia tridentata bark. No middens or communal nests were found. The burrow structure in sagebrush habitat suggests that sagebrush voles occur singly or in pairs rather than in colonies.     

Aestivating sexual morphs in the aphid genus Thelaxes (Insecta: Homoptera)

The sexual morphs of the aphid Thelaxes dryophila are redescribed and compared with the sexuales of other Thelaxes species. The unusual life-cycle of the species, in which the immature sexuales pass the entire summer aestivating, is also described.     

Range extension and ecological information for Orconectes virilis (Hagen 1870) (Decapoda: Cambaridae) in Idaho, USA

We report the 1st record of the crayfish Orconectes virilis (Hagen 1870) from Idaho and the Pacific Northwest, USA. We also provide an updated checklist of recent Idaho crayfishes, which now includes 2 families (Astacidae and Cambaridae), 3 genera ( Pacifasticus, Orconectes , and Procambarus ), and 7 species and subspecies ( Pacifasticus connectus (Faxon 1914), P. gambelii (Girard 1852), P. leniusculus leniusculus (Dana 1852), P. leniusculus klamathensis (Stimpson 1857), P. leniusculus trowbridgii (Stimpson 1857), O. virilis , and Procambarus clarkii (Girard 1852). Native crayfish were not found at the O. virilis collection sites. The localities where O. virilis was found were characterized by low-gradient streams impacted by fine sediment. Aquatic invertebrates found in association with O. virilis tended to be the more pollution-tolerant taxa.     

Larger ectoparasites of the Idaho ground squirrel ( Spermophilus brunneus )

We sampled both subspecies of the Idaho ground squirrel ( Spermophilus brunneus ) to document the larger ectoparasites of this rare endemic. S. b. brunneus was host (+ = new host record, ? = new Idaho record) to 4 flea species ( Neopsylla inopina + , Oropsylla idahoensis + , O. tuberculata , and Thrassis pandorae +), 1 tick ( Ixodes sculptus +), and an eyeworm (Nematoda: Rhabditis orbitalis ? + , also 1st records from Seiuridae); S. b. endemicus was host to a louse species ( Neohaematopinus laeviusculus +), 5 flea taxa ( Rhadinopsylla sp. + , O. t. tuberculata, Thrassis f. francisi + , T. f. barnest + , and T. f. rockwoodi ), and a mite ( Androlaelaps fahrenholzi +). Spermophilus brunneus had fewer known ectoparasite species than other congeners. Although all of their parasites had many other hosts, S. b. endemicus and S. b. brunneus shared only a single parasite species in common, whereas all but one of their ectoparasites also occurred on the closely related Townsend's ground squirrel ( S. townsendii ). The proportion of parasitized individuals and the parasite loads per individual were significantly lower in S. b. brunneus , which lives in small, isolated populations, than in S. b. endemicus , which has larger, less fragmented populations, suggesting a relationship between host population structure, parasite loads, and parasite species diversity. All but one of the flea species have been linked to plague transmission.     

The status of Hemilecanium imbricans (Green) (Homoptera : Coccoidea) in Africa south of the Sahara

Summary

This paper describes the findings from two series of observations on variation in C. austropalpalis L. and R. In Series I the distribution of head capsule lengths of 174 larvae, collected from 11 breeding sites in S.E. Queensland, was polymodal. Polymodality was also shown by the wing lengths of 15♂, 27♀ reared from 7 of the sites. In Series II the head lengths of 302 larvae from 5 sites (one not in Series I) gave the same polymodality, interpreted as representing 3rd and 4th instars of two forms A (smaller) and B (larger). 276 of these larvae, grouped on head length, were reared on agar and small nematodes, producing 62♂, 70♀ C. austropalpalis and 13♂, 5♀ C. narrabeenensis. The latter was not the cause of the polymodality. Adult wing lengths were bimodal in each sex. Form B was longer winged than form A. Within each form there was no significant correlation between larval head length and adult wing length. Only one of the many additional characters (19 in ♀; 22 in ♂) examined, differed between the two forms. Form B had more distinctly patterned wings with the intercalary pale spot more obvious. The results are discussed.     

The stylet structure of a leafhopper (Eupteryx melissae Curtis: Homoptera,Cicadellidae)

Summary

The structure of the mandibular and maxillary stylets of the leafhopper Eupteryx melissae Curtis is described and comparisons made between them and the stylets of Heteroptera and other Homoptera with particular reference to the apical barbs, the marginal hairs and the stylet cavities. Maxillary barbs are absent but the flanges of both pairs of stylets bear microtrichia, those of the maxillaires much reduced. The axial stylet cavity of the mandibular is single, but that of the maxillary bifurcated distally: there is some evidence that the cavities of both pairs of stylets contain nerve fibres. The salivary canal is confined to the right maxillary stylet and both it and the food canal maintain constant dimensions along the stylet shaft so facilitating movement of one stylet upon the other, an important feature during plant penetration. There is some evidence, particularly from staining reactions, that the stylets contain resilin, but if present, it is overlaid and masked physically and functionally by chitinous cuticle.     

List of Idaho Scolytidae (Coleoptera) and notes on new records

Reported are 105 species of Scolytidae (Coleoptera) from Idaho. About one-third of these are rarely collected, of which 22 species are known from a single locality each. Twelve species reported from Idaho for the first time are: Carphoborus carri Swaine, C. sansoni Swaine, Phloeosinus hoferi Blackman, Conophthorus monophyllae Hopkins, Dryocoetes betulae Hopkins, Ips confuses (LeConte), Pityophthorus absonus Blackman, P. aquilus Blackman , P. blandus Blackman, P. deletus LeConte, P. sculptor Blackman, and Xyleborinus saxeseni (Ratzeburg). Significant extensions of the known distributions in Idaho are reported for seven other scolytids; Alniphagus aspericollis (LeConte), Dendroctonus murrayanae Hopkins, Phloeotribus lecontei Schedl, Procryphalus mucronatus (LeConte), Trypophloeus populi Hopkins, Xyleborus dispar (Fabricius), and X. intrusus Blandford. Xyleborus dispar especially needs study in anticipation that it may become increasingly important in Idaho fruit trees and other woody plants including ornamentals and shade trees.     

Neotropical whiteflies of the subfamily Aleurodicinae established in the western Palaearctic (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae)

Four members of the small, mainly Neotropical, whitefly subfamily Aleurodicinae, Aleurodicus dispersus Russell, Paraleyrodes bondari Peracchi, P. citricolus Costa Lima and P. minei Iaccarino, are now established in the western Palaearctic, where all have economic impact. Keys are presented to enable their identification. The puparium of P. citricolus is redescribed, and the adult male is described for the first time.