Although changes, particularly declines, in Australian terrestrial insects and other invertebrates have long been suspected and well‐documented for some species, the magnitude, rate and spatial extent of decline remain unclear. Here we use a combination of alternative, qualitative approaches (expert opinion, historical records and temporal replication of surveys) to standardised monitoring and mapping

Conservation biology is a field of science that is heavily biased against insects and allied invertebrates, largely due to a data deficiency feedback loop that maintains a cycle of ignorance and inaction. Because many invertebrate groups are, and remain, extremely data poor, it is frequently difficult to conduct even the most basic conservation actions, such as status evaluation, listing, recovery

The biology and seasonal phenology of Aacanthocnema dobsoni (Froggatt) were studied at a single site in Victoria over a 2 year period between 2013 and 2015. This species is monophagous on the dioecious host, Allocasuarina verticillata (Lam.) L. Johnson (Casuarinaceae). Laboratory studies found that females attained reproductive maturity 24 h post‐eclosion, lived for 28.6 ± 2.8 (mean ± SE) days and

The swallowtail butterfly Papilio schmeltzi is endemic to the Fiji Islands. To date, P. schmeltzi larvae and eggs have been found exclusively on a native Fijian shrub, Micromelum minutum, even though numerous other seemingly suitable native and exotic species of Rutaceae now occur in its Fijian forest habitat. This study used outdoor cages and laboratory studies to examine oviposition preferences and

The Bogong moth Agrotis infusa is well known for its remarkable long‐distance migration – a return journey from the plains of southeast Australia to the Australian Alps – as well as for its cultural significance for Indigenous Australians. Each Spring, as many as four billion moths are estimated to arrive in the Australian Alps to aestivate in cool mountain caves and in boulder fields, bringing with

The Anthropocene is characterised by pervasive human‐inflicted impacts on a broad range of biota, including insects. In 2019, we reviewed scientific literature quantifying the prevalence and magnitude of insect declines in recent time. Here, drawing upon 40 additional long‐term studies, we add evidence that is consistent with our earlier review and some other reviews on the fate of insect populations

Recent reports of insect declines across Europe and other parts of the world have emphasised the generally poor baseline that exists for assessing changes in biodiversity. One important source of untapped baseline distribution data is field notebooks, which are often associated with the collection activities of museums and other scientific institutions and may be decades or even centuries old. Over

Insecticides are important for chemical control of arthropod pests in agricultural systems but select for resistance as an adaptive trait. Identifying the genetic mechanism(s) underpinning resistance can facilitate development of genetic markers, which can be used in monitoring programs. Moreover, understanding of genetic mechanisms in a broader population genetic context can be used to infer the origins

The green carpenter bee, Xylocopa aerata (Smith, 1851), has undergone a severe reduction in its distribution over the previous century, in part because of habitat loss and fragmentation and its dependency on old‐growth heathland habitats. In 2007, the last remaining South Australian population, on Kangaroo Island, was negatively affected by a shortage of nesting substrate as a consequence of a series

No abstract is available for this article.

No abstract is available for this article.

Leaf‐cutting ants (genera Acromyrmex and Atta) are the most important herbivores in the Neotropical region. Within the genus Acromyrmex, the species and subspecies Acromyrmex striatus, Acromyrmex silvestrii subsp. silvestrii and Acromyrmex silvestrii subsp. bruchi are morphologically similar to one another but differ from the rest of their congeners. Recent studies have suggested that Ac. striatus

The Australian trunk‐boring cycad weevils of the genera Demyrsus Pascoe, 1872 and Siraton Hustache, 1934 (Molytinae) are sometimes considered as cycad pests when they infest planted cycads and can be transported to other countries. In the present study, the taxonomy of Demyrsus and Siraton is reviewed, and four species are recognised: D. meleoides Pascoe, 1872, D. digmon sp. nov., S. internatus (Pascoe

In this work, two endemic genera of Eumolpinae from New Zealand, Pilacolaspis Sharp, 1886 and Peniticus Sharp, 1876, are revised for the first time since the description of their constituent species in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The five taxa of Pilacolaspis are considered to comprise two species, P. huttoni (Broun, 1880) (=P. wakefieldi Sharp, 1886 n. syn. =P. rugiventris Broun, 1914

To date, there are 74 described species of armoured scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Diaspididae) whose only known hosts are bamboos (Poaceae: Bambuseae) and 12 armoured scale insect genera that consist mainly or entirely of bamboo feeders. Fully 71 of the species and all 12 of the genera are native to Asia. Another region where bamboos dominate the forest understory is southern South America

A new genus, Tyligma gen. nov., is created within Cixiini to accommodate the new species Tyligma dandavalex sp. nov. Tyligma is characterised by a swollen postclypeus and is closely related to the Australian genera Chidaea Emeljanov, 2000, and Leades Jacobi, 1928, but differs in the shape of the ventral ridge of the aedeagus in males and several other characters presented here. Occurring in the Australian

The scattered information regarding the Australo‐Papuan noctuid genus Pachythrix Turner, 1942 is consolidated to provide an overview of this little‐known group of bright green and black‐coloured moths. Nomenclatural comments are provided to challenge current opinion that the genus is based on a misidentified type species. Current evidence supporting its systematic relationships and subfamilial placement

In this study, we evaluated the causes of mortality in immature stages of Ascia monuste orseis Godart 1918 (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) over each of four seasons, for 2 years, on an experimental cabbage plot using life tables. We addressed two key questions: (1) Do the mortality rates caused by a factor vary by season? And (2) how does the local weather contribute to such variation? We identified five causes

In southwestern Australia, outbreaks of cerambycids have been associated with infestation of drying and stressed trees. Felled timber provides an abundant habitat for a variety of subcortical beetles where their development can be modified by attack from natural enemies, including parasitoids. There are a variety of parasitoid wasps of cerambycids native to Australia, yet their effectiveness in controlling

Here we describe and test a novel canopy trap design for catching the little fire ant, Wasmannia auropunctata, known as the electric ant in Australia, as part of the National Electric Ant Eradication Program (the program) in North Queensland. As W. auropunctata is known to nest and forage both on the ground and in tree canopies, an effective arboreal trap to monitor their presence is a critical management

The extent and variety of roadside environments in Australia in largely anthropogenic landscapes render them substantial remnant habitats for insect biodiversity. The importance of these areas for insect biodiversity conservation and the key threats they face are discussed, as well as the needs for their protection and conservation management. Many rural roadsides harbour significant patches of native

The majority of modern insect extinctions are likely unrecorded, despite increasing concern for this hyperdiverse group. This is because they are either yet to be discovered and described, their distributions and host associations are poorly known, or data are too sparse to detect declines in populations. Here, I outline the likely extinction of an Australian mealybug, Pseudococcus markharveyi Gullan

Understanding mosquito biodiversity in the Atlantic Forest is important for assessing changes in the distribution of mosquito populations, which have been considered predominantly to be sylvatic. An observational study of Culicidae was conducted in a remnant of the Atlantic Forest in the Poço das Antas Biological Reserve, Silva Jardim municipality, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, to evaluate species

Mosquitoes are effective vectors of disease‐causing organisms, and some species are duly very well‐studied organisms. Little fundamental biology is known for a large proportion of mosquito taxa, especially in the Afrotropics, including mosquitoes preferring herpetofauna as blood hosts. Since mosquitoes are effective vectors of pathogens, mosquitoes using herpetofauna as hosts require some scientific

Permethrin is a pyrethroid insecticide that has been widely used for the impregnation of fabrics to prevent the bites from arthropods such as mosquitoes and ticks. There are two types of permethrin impregnation: Do‐It‐Yourself (DIY) packs and pre‐impregnated fabrics. Both forms have been on sale for many years in Australia, however to date, no data are available regarding their efficacy against Ixodes

Eristalinus punctulatus (Macquart, 1847) is a hoverfly (Syrphidae) that is native to Australia. Eristalinus belongs within tribe Eristalini, which is well known for its pollination efficiency. Although there is not much information available about this species, the abundance and floral constancy of this group of flies make E. punctulatus an appropriate candidate for use as pollinating agent. However

No abstract is available for this article.

No abstract is available for this article.

Heterostigmatic mites (Heterostigmata) are highly diverse, have symbiotic associations with various insects and occur worldwide. Despite Australia's rich insect biodiversity, little is known about its heterostigmatic mites. In this study, we conducted a preliminary study on heterostigmatic mites associated with beetles in eastern Australia and found four species, of which three were new: Caraboacarus

The genus Psenulus Kohl, 1897 is the largest in Pemphredoninae, with about 161 described species. In contrast to several groups of Crabronidae, especially to other Pemphredoninae, Psenulus is underrepresented in the Neotropical region, with only three described species: Psenulus aztecus Bohart & Grissell, 1969, P. improvisus van Lith, 1978 and P. mayorum Bohart & Grissell, 1969. The Neotropical species

The Mesostoinae are an almost entirely Gondwanan subfamily of Braconidae, known from Australia, New Zealand and South America (extending into MesoAmerica). They are morphologically and biologically diverse and, together with Aphidiinae and Maxfischeriinae, are the sister group to all other extant cyclostome braconids. Here we describe and illustrate a new genus, Zealastoa Quicke & Ward, gen. nov.,

Many eye‐catching and undescribed species of Australian soldier flies have been collected but left undiagnosed in entomological collections. We describe Opaluma Lessard & Woodley gen. nov., a new genus of iridescent soldier fly endemic to Australia from the subfamily Antissinae, and provide an updated key to the five Australian antissine genera. Seven new species are described and illustrated herein

A new genus of Euptychiina, Emeryus Zacca, Casagrande & Mielke, gen. nov., is herein described using an integrative taxonomic approach to accommodate three species previously placed in Paryphthimoides Forster, 1964: Emeryus argulus argulus (Godart, [1824]), comb. nov. (type species), Emeryus difficilis (Forster, 1964), comb. nov. and Emeryus numeria (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1867), comb. nov. Additionally

A new Australian genus Notointybia gen. nov. is established for three species formerly placed in Laius Guérin‐Méneville, Dicranolaius Champion or Intybia Pascoe. It can be separated from the other apalochrine genera by the following characters combined: pronotum with complete lateral carinae, basal antennomeres modified and fore tarsi four‐segmented or five‐segmented and without combs on the second

Tympanoblissus ecuatorianus Dellapé & Minghetti, gen. et sp. nov. from the Amazon slope of the Eastern Andean Cordillera in southern Ecuador is described. This constitutes the second apterous genus known in the family Blissidae and the first with a tymbal‐like mechanism of sound production. The tiny males hide in bamboo branches where they produce a faint drumming sound. The observed vertical vibration

Paropsis charybdis (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) has been a major pest of Eucalyptus spp. since invading New Zealand from Australia over 100 years ago. Here, we report on the phenology, egg parasitism and defoliation levels of P. charybdis at two Eucalyptus nitens plantations in the central North Island of New Zealand and assess the establishment prospects and potential impact of a new biological control

Animals with scramble competition mating systems commonly exhibit female‐biased sexual size dimorphism, protandry and biased population sex ratios that reflect the active mate‐searching role of males. This is particularly so in many Lepidoptera, where males are classic scramble competitors. However, it is unclear how these features relate to the actual mating success of males or females over the reproductive

Deriving node calibrations from fossils remains by far the most common method for attaching an absolute timescale to a molecular tree. But this 'node dating' approach has a credibility problem: different studies using the same molecular data and even the same sets of fossils regularly arrive at drastically different age estimates. A major reason for these differences is well known: even well‐dated

Aulacothrips dictyotus Hood, 1952 (Thysanoptera: Heterothripidae) is a highly specific ectoparasite, which infests nymphs and adults of Aetalion reticulatum (Linnaeus, 1758) (Hemiptera: Aetalionidae) in South America. However, nothing is known about the consequences of this remarkable interaction to the hemipterans, which also exhibit mutualistic associations with ants. In this study, we test the hypothesis

The bird‐cherry oat aphid (Rhopalosiphum padi) is a global pest, attacking most cereal crops including barley, wheat, oats and triticale. The aphids cause yield losses through direct feeding damage and the transmission of plant viruses. In Australia, feeding injury can reduce cereal yields by 6%, with the damage caused by aphid‐vectored viruses reducing the yield of cereal crops by up to 30%. Aphid

Carpocorini are the most diverse tribe within Pentatominae, comprising about 100 genera and 500 species, with the highest diversity found in the Neotropics. Within Carpocorini, some groups of genera have been, formally or informally, proposed based on morphological similarities and taxonomic history. The Euschistus group was informally proposed and comprises 20 genera, including Euschistus Dallas,

Assassin or robber flies (Asilidae) and bee flies (Bombyliidae) are two of the largest and most diverse fly families with over 7400 and 4700 described species worldwide, respectively. Adult assassin flies are predatory, feeding on smaller insects captured on the wing, and larvae predate on soft‐bodied arthropods in the soil or rotting wood. Adult bee flies feed on nectar and pollen. Almost all bee

Daptolestes Hull, 1962 is a small genus of distinctive, ornate robber flies (Asilidae) endemic to Australia, currently placed in the subfamily Brachyrhopalinae, containing three described species, D. limbipennis, D. nicholsoni and D. sergius. Adults of Daptolestes species (except D. sergius) have patterned wings, brown and yellow integumental colour and a waisted abdomen and could be mistaken for vespid

Arthropods are the cause of considerable human morbidity. In spite of numerous text books and reviews published on arthropods of medical importance, this is the first paper in the world to present a comprehensive review of specimens sent to a medical entomology laboratory over an extended period. The Department of Medical Entomology at Westmead Hospital is the New South Wales reference laboratory for

Bee responses to anthropogenic disturbances have received much recent attention in scientific literature. These studies typically involve 1–3 years of sampling along spatial gradients of disturbance, though occasionally greater temporal replication and/or longer time periods are used at the expense of spatial replication. We surveyed bees using a blue vane trap during spring, summer and autumn from

Understanding how polyphagous herbivores optimise foraging for multiple hosts remains unclear: prior experiences with hosts and the modification of subsequent behaviours (referred to in the broad sense as learning) have been proposed as one potential mechanism. A critical feature of learning is the effect of reward value, with learning and memory positively linked with reward quality. However, the

Flies (Diptera) are one of the most important groups of insect pollinators. Families Bombyliidae (bee flies) and Syrphidae (hover flies) are globally distributed with aproximately 5000 and 6200 described species, respectively. Many studies have attempted to quantify Syrphidae diversity in natural and agricultural environments, due to their perceived value as pollinators, decomposers of organic waste

Knowing which habitats (e.g. forest interiors or edges) are used by mosquitos and their relationship with possible environmental changes can assist in the development of public policies for the prevention of mosquito‐borne disease epidemics. This study assessed the influence of abiotic factors and vegetation structure on a mosquito community in an Atlantic rainforest remnant frequented by humans. Biting

The accidental introduction of the eucalypt‐feeding paropsine beetle Paropsisterna cloelia (Paropsisterna variicollis) into New Zealand (NZ) in 2016 prompted investigation of the species complex to which the invasive species belongs. Two mitochondrial gene regions, Cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 and Cytochrome b, were sequenced from field‐collected specimens superficially resembling P. cloelia collected

No abstract is available for this article.

No abstract is available for this article.

Two new species from Queensland rainforest belonging to genera Hemilobella and Sphaeronura are described and illustrated with drawings and colour photographs. Hemilobella matildae sp. nov. Smolis and Greenslade is characterised by elongated tubercles laterally on body and an elongated ogival labrum. Sphaeronura ameliae sp. nov. Smolis and Greenslade differs from other taxa in the genus in chaetotaxic

Three new species in the Smicridea (Smicridea) nigripennis species group are described and illustrated based on specimens collected in Serra da Mocidade National Park and Serra do Tepequém in the northern mountain range of Brazilian Amazonia, Roraima State, and in Rio Formosinho located in Cerrado biome of midwestern Brazil, Mato Grosso do Sul State. Smicridea (Smicridea) mocidade Desidério & Rázuri‐Gonzales

A new plant bug genus and species, Andrewia bochkovi gen. et sp. nov., of the Phylinae is described from the Biak Island, Papua Province of Indonesia. The described species has been characterised molecularly based on COI, 16S and 28S markers, and its phylogenetic position has been tested using model‐based (RAxML and Bayesian) phylogenetic analyses. Photographs of habitus, male and female genitalia

Macronychia (Moschusa) rubesca sp. nov. is described from Australia and represents the first record of this genus from the Australasian region. An updated key to the world species of Macronychia is provided. In addition, molecular markers are analysed to place Macronychia Rondani within the most recent phylogeny of the subfamily Miltogramminae. The genus is resolved as a monophyletic clade and placed

Tabanidae, commonly known as horseflies, is a large, cosmopolitan family with approximately 4400 described species, of which about 400 occur in southern Africa. Both sexes feed on nectar or pollen and some species are important pollinators. Females usually require a bloodmeal to produce eggs, implicating them as vectors of disease‐causing agents. Despite their importance, they have been largely neglected

Nests and life‐cycle stages of bees in the endemic Australian bee genus Trichocolletes have been little studied hitherto. Discovery of a nesting aggregation of Trichocolletes orientalis near Perth, Western Australia, provided an excellent opportunity to extend knowledge of the genus, and some surprising facts have emerged from observations made in the field and laboratory. Brood cells were more or

Grasslands are valuable non‐crop habitats in the world's agricultural regions, providing more than simply forage for grazing domestic and wild animals. They provide refuge and resources that support high levels of arthropod biodiversity, most importantly for natural enemies that provide vital biological control services to the surrounding cropped landscape. Ideally, farmers could manage and manipulate

Tetranychid spider mites are a significant worldwide pest of agriculture with Tetranychus urticae being the most important. In Australian cotton, T. urticae is the most damaging, but Tetranychus ludeni and Tetranychus lambi are also present and can be difficult to distinguish morphologically. For this reason, a fast‐diagnostic assay was developed to identify T. urticae, T. lambi and T. ludeni in a

Açaí palm (Euterpe oleracea) production in the Amazon region has grown rapidly in recent decades to meet both domestic and international demand for the fruit. Understanding functional roles of different insects in açaí fruit production is essential for the development of sustainable management practices and the conservation of associated biodiversity in plantations. Ants play a variety of key roles