Musca albifrons Linnaeus, 1761—a long-forgotten name for the common Palaearctic species Eriothrix rufomaculata (De Geer, 1776) (Diptera: Tachinidae)

Three Afrotropical species and 3 Palaearctic migrant species of Acrocephalus warblers inhabit a reed-bed at the Jekara dam, Kano, northern Nigeria. A study of their seasonal occurrence and weight changes was made by mist-netting during 1981–82. Individuals of the Palaearctic species comprised about 85% of the total captures of Acrocephalus during the period September to May. The Sedge Warbler was the commonest species throughout this time. Reed Warblers appeared in November, numbers increased steadily to March and April, and the last birds were seen in May. Both Sedge and Reed Warblers grew fat in March-May at rates of perhaps about 0.3 g/day. A few Great Reed Warblers were caught during the months October-December and March-May. Their weights were considerably higher in spring than in autumn. Individuals of all 3 of the Palaearctic species were recaptured at the same site in the following season. The Afrotropical species, the African Reed Warbler, the Lesser Swamp Warbler and the Rufous Swamp Warbler, we...

Summary On the basis of about 1000 bee specimens have been collected by more than 30 professional and ameteur entomologists or various visitors since 1959, a synthesis is presented of the present knowledge of the Chelostoma fauna of Anatolia from faunistic and zoogeographical points of view. Twenty-five species have been noted occurring in Anatolia. Among them Chelostoma diodon Schletterer 1889 is the most common and abundant species. The Chelostoma fauna of Anatolia seems to present a relatively high diversity, if compared to the total 49 species worldwide and 40 species in Palaearctic. For the zoogeographical analysis, 25 Chelostoma species have been considered and the main chorological categories are represented as follows: Holarctic Region (2), European (6), SW-Asiatic (7), E-Mediterranean (1), Turanian (2), Turano-European (2), Centralasiatic-European (1) and Anatolian endemics (4). Moreover, type localities of 12 species are Anatolia; two species are Armeno -E-Anatolian endemics. Species in the Holartic, European and Turano-European chorotipes (10 species) are most probably European origine and spread to Anatolia from Europa. The remaining species were originated in Anatolia and were spread from here to neighboring countries.

The fauna of water beetles of the main types of stagnant water bodies in the middle part of the Gydan Peninsula was studied. Altogether, 20 species were found, with 2 to 16 species recorded in diff erent types of water bodies. The family Dytiscidae was represented by the greatest number of species; the most diverse genera were Agabus and Hydroporus, which together accounted for 60% of the total species richness. Most of the recorded species have vast ranges extending both longitudinally and latitudinally. The East Palaearctic species Helophorus niger was recorded within the “penetration area” at its western distribution boundary. The most common species in the material studied were Agabus serricornis and A. arcticus. Beetles were the most abundant in floodplain lakes and temporary water bodies. The highest faunal similarity was recorded between temporary water bodies and swamps.

A neotype is designated for Bethylus femoralis Förster, 1860 (now Laelius femoralis), and a lectotype for Bethylus rufipes Förster, 1860, nec Say 1824 (now Laelius foersteri Kieffer, 1914). Three new natural species are described from Southern Finland: Laelius borealis Vikberg sp. n. (also in S. Sweden), L. virilis Vikberg sp. n., and L. parcepilosus Vikberg sp. n.. The most common species in Sweden is described as Laelius fumimarginalis Vikberg sp. n. One imported indoor species, L. pedatus (Say), attacks larvae of Reesa vespulae (Milliron) (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) in Finland. The female of Laelius seticornis (Duchaussoy, 1916) is redescribed from La Palma, the Canary islands. All nominal species of Laelius from the Palaearctic region are listed and keys are presented for females and males of those examined.

Examination of material of the genus Campichoeta Macq. (= Thryptocheta Rond.) from both the Old and the New Worlds, follawing clarification of the identities of most of the Palaearctic species by Basden and Collin (1958), revealed significant new information on the taxonomy of the genus. It showed that the common species in North America, heretofore called Thryptocheta micans Hendel (1911), is the same as Campichoeta griseola (Zett.) (1855) known from a single collection apparently made by Boheman in central Sweden about 1852. Also, it showed that an undescribed species occurs in southwestern United States.

The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature has conserved current usage of the specific name of Curculio antirrhini Paykull, 1800 (currently Rhinusa antirrhini) for a common Palaearctic weevil species by giving this nominal species precedence over its little-used older subjective synonym Curculio noctis Herbst, 1795, whenever the two are considered synonyms.

Abstract. The purpose of this application, under Articles 23.9.3, 81.2.1 and 81.2.3 of the Code, is to conserve the name Curculio scirpi Fabricius, 1792, a common Palaearctic weevil species currently belonging to the genus Notaris (curculionoidea, erirhinidae) by giving it precedence over the little-used older name C. rhamni Herbst, 1784 whenever these names are considered to be synonyms, and by suppressing the little-used senior homonym C. scirpi Rossi, 1790.

The purpose of this application, under Articles 23.9.3, 81.2.1 and 81.2.3 of the Code, is to conserve the name Curculio antirrhini Paykull, 1800, a common Palaearctic weevil species currently belonging to the genus Rhinusa Stephens, 1829 (Curculionoidea, Curculionidae) by giving it precedence over the little-used older name Curculio noctis Herbst, 1795 whenever these names are considered synonyms.

So far, besides some specialised Neotropical ant species of the genus Cephalotes Latr., the Palaearctic Myrmica schencki Viereck, M. rubra (L.) and Tetramorium cf. caespitum (L.) were known to be, at least facultative, pollen-eaters. The present paper reports on nine other common Palaearctic ant species occasionally feeding on pine pollen: Myrmica ruginodis Nyl., F. pratensis Retz., F. cinerea Mayr, F. clara For., F. sanguinea Latr., F. exsecta Nyl., Lasius niger (L.), L. platythorax Seifert, and L. fuliginosus (Latr.) and re-confirms pollenivory of M. schencki. Pollenivory of all these species was revealed based on the presence of pollen grains in the alimentary canal of the dissected workers. The possible role of pollen in the diet of ants as a generally omnivorous insect group is discussed.

On the basis of comparative-morphological analysis of 43 genera and 92 species of Palaearctic Notodontidae, as well as the study of the eggs of outgroup species, complexes of characters that are diagnostic, taxonomic or phylogenetic are singled out. It is shown that the egg characteristics are of great taxonomic value at species and generic levels. Some characters are useful for grouping genera. In general, a complex of characters should be used, because different species or genera often share the same characters. Possible apomorphic and plesiomorphic states of the different characters are discussed in relation to the different taxa. The results of this study are discussed with reference to recently published classifications of Notodontidae. As a result of the studies, the keys for identification to the eggs of 43 genera and 92 species of notodontid moths from the Palaearctic region are presented. Reliable diagnostic characters that do not disappear with the injury of eggs or with eggs preserved in alcohol were used. Characters including egg shape, egg and chorion colour, the shape of gnawed holes in eggs when caterpillars hatched, chorionic sculpture, the type of oviposition, foodplants, and geographic distribution of the genera and species were applied. Occasionally, characters that are typical for live eggs, which vary during development, were used. These are characters of egg colour and pattern. The keys are illustrated with photographs made using a digital camera and a scanning electron microscope.

a checklist of the Western Palaearctic species of the family. - Valenzuela labrostylus sp. n. is described and illustrated (female only). The generic placement of this species remains doubtful because of the presence of labral stylets, which are absent in all other known Valenzuela species. The holotype of Caecilius corsicus Kolbe, 1882 is redescribed and the synonymy of this name with rhenanus Tetens, 1891 is proposed: Valenzuela corsicus (Kolbe) becomes the valid name of the most common Mediterranean species of Caeciliusidae. The 15 presently recognized Western Palaearctic species of this family are listed.

Identification of Culicoides biting midges to species has attracted attention due to the recent outbreak of bluetongue disease in Northern Europe. Identification of Culicoides to species level has been based on morphological characters and is difficult as several species belonging to species complexes are hard to distinguish. We evaluated the use of the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome oxidase I gene (COI) barcode region in the identification of species within the subgenus Culicoides. COI barcode sequence divergence within species was <1%, whereas it ranged from 12.5% to 19.8% between subgenus Culicoides species. The divergence of subgenus Culicoides species to C. nubeculosus from the subgenus Monoculicoides ranged from 24.4% to 26.1%. Specimens were differentiated into eight unique clusters, including the four common Palaearctic species Culicoides punctatus, Culicoides pulicaris, Culicoides impunctatus, and Culicoides grisescens. Additionally, this study confirms the existence of Culicoides halophilus as a valid taxon and presents the first Culicoides deltus barcode sequences. Three additional groups of specimens were identified: Culicoides dk1 with a COI barcode diverging by 14.3% to 17.2% from other subgenus Culicoides species and Culicoides Kalix and Culicoides dk3, which diverged by 5.9% from each other and showed 12.5% to 17.6% divergence in COI barcode to subgenus Culicoides specimens.

ABSTRACTAnagrus nilaparvartae Pang and Wang has been recorded frequently as an egg parasitoid of rice planthoppers in SE Asia, especially of brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens (Stål). However, what appears to be the same species was often identified either as the morphologically similar Holarctic species Anagrus incarnatosimilis Soyka (as A. incarnatus Haliday) or misidentified as an unrelated, strictly New World species A. flaveolus Waterhouse, which, unlike A. nilaparvartae, does not belong to the A. incarnatus ‘species complex’ of Anagrus (Anagrus Haliday). Besides being mostly geographically separate from each other (except in the Eastern Palaearctic region), A. nilaparvatae and A. incarnatosimilis were not known to share any hosts. Using a combination of genetic analyses and morphometric methods, specimens of A. incarnatosimilis collected in Europe were shown to be not significantly different from those of A. nilaparvatae reared from eggs of rice planthoppers and leafhoppers mainly in Taiwan and also in Malaysia. Moreover, both A. incarnatosimilis and A. nilaparvatae as well as the morphologically very similar Nearctic species A. columbi Perkins were found to be genetically identical to the common Palaearctic species A. incarnatus Haliday based on both CO1 (mitochondrial) and ITS2 (nuclear) gene regions. Consequently, A. columbi Perkins syn. n. and A. nilaparvatae Pang and Wang syn. n. are synonymised under A. incarnatus, which is re-diagnosed and illustrated. Anagrus incarnatosimilis Soyka stat. rev. (along with its eight current synonyms) is reinstated as a synonym of A. incarnatus.http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:70441879-F52B-46FD-8136-6CDAC7B76511

Two new species ofTachinusare described:T.minorfrom the Huachuca Mountains, Ariz., and Durango, Mexico, andT.schuhifrom Oregon.Tachinus corticinusGravenhorst, a common Palaearctic species is recorded from North America for the first time and is redescribed. A male ofT.vergatusCampbell, previously unknown, is described from an Ontario specimen. The latest key to North and Central AmericanTachinus(Campbell 1973) is modified to include these additions. The pertinent features of each species are illustrated with line drawings or scanning electron photomicrographs.

The ptyctimous mite fauna of each zoogeographical region of the world is highly specific and includes many endemic or native species. In Palaearctic Region it comprises 295 known species. The number of widespread species is very low: 14 semicosmopolitan, 16 Holarctic, and 15 pan-Palaearctic. Out of the relatively narrowly distributed species, over half (114) have also been noted as endemic to the Palaearctic Region. Twenty-seven species are known to originate from other zoogeographical regions and have been introduced to the Palaearctic in prooriental and East-Asiatic parts. The fauna of North Africa has a much lower number of endemic species than the neighbouring subregions, but a high number of Palaearctic species and a relatively high number of widespread species. This fauna is completely different from the Afrotropical fauna on the same continent. The majority of common species are West Palaearctic. The fauna of North Africa is much poorer in species than that of North Mediterranean subregion, but both these faunas share a lot of common species, especially many of West Palaearctic origin. Moreover, in North Africa the regional faunas show poor similarity, e.g. the fauna of the western islands (Canary Island and Madeira) is very different from that of Maghreb (Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia).