Vol 96, No 8 (2016)

The laboratory experiments showed that various parameters of the “quality” of Trichogramma telengai Sor. females that emerged from a batch of simultaneously parasitized eggs of the grain moth Sitotroga cerealella Oliv. were significantly dependent on the day and circadian time (i.e., time from light-on) of emergence: the later the females emerged, the smaller were their size, fecundity, and life span. The difference in size and in fecundity between individuals emerged on different days constituted up to 20% and 70% of the mean, correspondingly. Differences between the early (emerged during 2 h after the light-on), middle (emerged from 2 to 3 h after the lighton), and late (emerged from 3 to 6 h after the light-on) fractions of females which emerged on the same day were also significant (about 5% in size and about 25% in fecundity). Based on these results, we conclude that the day and circadian time of emergence should be taken into account in elaboration of the methods of laboratory experiments and of the protocols for Trichogramma quality tests in mass rearing.

The complexity of life cycles, clonal structure of populations, and polymorphism underpin the ability of aphids to quickly evolve adaptations and inflict greater damage to crops. Harmfulness of aphids can only be limited by controlling changes in the adaptive norm that occur during seasonal cycles. In this study, timing of emergence of the main morphs and their developmental traits as reflected in 27 parameters are established for 9 heteroecious holocyclic clones of the bird cherry–oat aphid Rhopalosiphum padi (Linnaeus, 1758). On the basis of ranking the clones by the performance index, 3 clones with good performance and 4 clones with bad performance were identified. Three intermediate clones were discovered, which are capable of prolonged anholocyclic development and of overwintering at the active stage. Omission of the generation that develops on the primary host may change the population dynamics and harmfulness of aphids on secondary hosts. It is shown that performance of clones should be assessed by using demographic characteristics of morph development and phenological and behavioral peculiarities. The work was carried out under field conditions and in outdoor metal grid cages.

Field tests conducted in Leningrad Province of Russia showed methyl salicylate to be highly attractive to the dance fly Rhamphomyia (Amydroneura) gibba (Fallén, 1816) (Diptera, Empidoidea, Empididae). Yellow sticky traps baited with methyl salicylate caught similar numbers of males and females, although males somewhat prevailed at the beginning of the flight while females were slightly more numerous at its end. Rhamphomyia gibba is the first species of the family Empididae for which an attractant chemical is known, and methyl salicylate is the only attractant currently known for Empididae.

The oldest circumscriptional names of the taxon under consideration are Orchesopia Rafinesque, 1815 and Saltatoria Latreille, 1817. The recent Saltatoria are divided into two subordinate taxa whose circumscriptional names are Dolichocera Bey-Bienko, 1964 and Caelifera Ander, 1936 [= Metorthoptera Crampton, 1927 = Brachycera Bey-Bienko, 1964 (non Brachycera Zetterstedt, 1842)]. The name Ensifera Chopard, 1920, according to its original circumscription, belongs to the taxon which includes Tridactylidae; the name Caelifera Ander, 1936 originally belongs to the taxon which also includes Tridactylidae; therefore, these two circumscriptional names cannot be used in the same classification. Saltatoria belong to Tegminoptera Kluge, 2013, which belong to Rhipineoptera Kluge, 2012. Holophyly of Saltatoria is well proved by autapomorphies, the most conclusive of which are the stagnofemoral leaping specialization of the hind legs with the irreversibly reduced trochanter, and the inversed position of protoptera at the penultimolarval and ultimolarval stages. All the Saltatoria can be divided into an extinct plesiomorphon Permorchesopia taxon n. (characterized by primitively 5-segmented tarsi) and Neorchesopia taxon n. (characterized by partial or complete fusion of the 1st and 2nd tarsomeres). The structure and evolution of ovipositors are discussed. The term kinetapophyses is proposed as a common name for homologous abdominal appendages: the retractile vesicles on the pregenital segments of Triplura and Diplura and the 1st and 2nd ovipositor valves on abdominal segments VIII and IX of female Amyocerata. The portion of the sternum containing the muscles that extend to the kinetapophyses and styli can be referred to either as a styliger, a bistyliger, or a pair of unistyligers; the term “coxite” should be avoided since it implies doubtful homologization of these appendages. In the digging ovipositor of Caelifera, the shortened kinetapophyses IX are not vestiges but functionally important components. Examination of Ripipteryx gives insight into the origin of the peculiar lateral apodemes present in the ovipositors of the other representatives of Caelifera. Based on new hypotheses about character polarity in the ovipositor morphology and about evolution of stridulatory and hearing apparatuses, a new phylogenetic classification of Saltatoria is suggested, in which Dolichocera includes taxa with new circumscriptional names Stratensifera taxon n., Acoustopoda taxon n., Mesensifera taxon n., Striduloptera taxon n., Tettigensifera taxon n., and Gryllensifera taxon n., and Caelifera includes taxa with new circumscriptional names Vectocaelifera taxon n. and Acoustogastra taxon n.

Characters of 25 abdominal structures were analyzed in the fleas of 96 genera representing over 90% of the world fauna. It was shown that different flea taxa could be described based on 16 universal and 12 specific characters, whose 108 states reflect the entire known diversity of the flea abdominal morphology. Of them, 16 characters with 39 states are formulated based on universal terms. Five universal characters with 13 states describe the proportions of various structures, and also the proportions and shapes of their sclerites; 17 specific characters with 69 states describe the structure of the skeletal elements and the patterns of their junctions. Judging by the number of characters (14) and their states (69), the most evolutionarily flexible structures in fleas are the inner sclerites and anchoring structures of the aedeagus, sternite IX in males, and also the spermatheca and tergite I in females. The character states reflecting the possible phylogenetic closeness of taxa comprise 39%, while 61% of the abdominal character states are homoplasies.

The brown marmorated stink bug Halyomorpha halys (Stål, 1855) is recorded for the first time from Russia (Khosta and Adler districts of the city of Sochi), Abkhazia (Pitsunda), and Georgia (Khobi Municipality). Outbreaks of H. halys populations were detected in all of these regions in October 2016. More than a hundred specimens congregated for overwintering were collected in Sochi during two days. According to the personal communications of the local people, the species appeared in Sochi not later than in 2013, and in Georgia not later than in 2015. It must have been brought to Sochi from Europe (from Italy) with planting material of ornamental plants for landscaping the XXII Olympic Winter Games. Thereafter it spread to Abkhazia and Georgia. Additional steps to identification of H. halys are provided for the keys to the true bugs of the European part of the former USSR (Kerzhner and Jaczewski, 1964).

Three new species of the genus Otiorhynchus Germar, 1822 are described from the Caucasus: O. titarenkoi sp. n. in the subgenus Motilacanus Reitter, 1912 and O. dittae sp. n. and O. zierisi sp. n. in the subgenus Eprahenus Reitter, 1912. The incivilis species-group is transferred from the subgenus Choilisanus Reitter, 1912 to the subgenus Eprahenus (new subgeneric placement).

The flea fauna of the Ciscaucasia comprises 76 species, 13 of which are associated with birds and the rest, with mammals. Rodent parasites are the most numerous; fleas associated with carnivores, bats, and insectivores are less abundant. Fleas parasitize different species of birds of the orders Passeriformes, Anseriformes, Falconiformes, and Strigiformes. Among 41 flea genera known from the Caucasus, species of the genera Amalaraeus, Araeopsylla, Atyphloceras, Caenopsylla, Callopsylla, Doratopsylla, Paraneopsylla, Peromyscopsylla, Phaenopsylla, Tarsopsylla, and Wagnerina are absent in the Ciscaucasia. Only two subendemic species were revealed in the region; 33 flea species are distributed over the entire Ciscaucasia, while the distribution of others is limited to landscapes of one or two natural zones.

A new tribe, Udenopogonini trib. n., is erected for Udenopogon Becker, 1913 and Trichardopsis Oldroyd, 1958. Detailed photographs of the external structures of Trichardopsis dolicharista Lehr, 1963, T. richteri Oldroyd, 1958, and Udenopogon inscriptus Becker in Becker et Stein, 1913 are given. Details of the male genitalia in the genus Trichardopsis Oldroyd, 1958 are illustrated for the first time.