Aphidiinae (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) aphid parasitoids of Malta : review and key to species

This paper brings an annotated list of the 16 aphid parasitoids detected up to 2015 in Malta. All the species were reared from identified aphid-plant associations. An illustrated key to the identification of the recorded species from Malta is provided. Taxonomy and peculiarities of the individual taxa are discussed and research outlines are also presented. Two species, Aphidius absinthii and Trioxys pallidus are newly recorded for the Maltese fauna, in association with Uroleucon inulae and Hoplocallis picta, respectively. The first host association has never been reported so far. The documented aphid fauna of the Maltese Islands indicates the probable existence of other species of aphid parasitoids that may be present in the archipelago, especially those already known in nearby Mediterranean territories.peer-reviewe

Report on a collecting trip of the British Myriapod Group to Hungary in 1994

During a collecting trip participated jointly by the members of the British Myriapod Group and by Hungarian experts in 1994, 34 species of millipedes, 14 of centipedes, 8 of woodlice and 73 of spiders were recorded from Hungary. Two records of the millipede species Boreoiulus tenuis (Bigler, 1913) and Styrioiulus styricus (Verhoeff, 1896) were new to the fauna of Hungary

The Palaearctic species of Pristaulacus Kieffer, 1900 (Hymenoptera, Aulacidae) : remarks on taxonomy, systematic, and biogeography

Taxonomic, systematic, and biogeography knowledge on the Palaearctic species of Pristaulacus Kieffer 1900 is summarized. Twenty-one valid species are recognized. The most important morphological characters taken into consideration are: shape, cuticular sculpture, and pubescence of head; index length/width of antennomeres; shape, sculpture and cuticular processes of mesosoma, especially of pronotum and mesonotum; number and shape of teeth on claw; shape and sculpture of metasoma; ovipositor length compared with wing and antenna length; and colour pattern (e.g., the dark spots on fore wing, and the colour of hind tarsus). Several characters of the genital capsule of the male were proved to be very useful for species identification, e.g., the shape of the paramere, volsella, cuspis, and digitus. Based on analysis of twenty-five morphological characters, eight species groups are recognized. The critical revision of the chorological data, including many new records, introduced relevant changes of the geographical distribution pattern of most species. Twelve species are restricted to the western part of the Palaearctic Region and eight species are restricted to its eastern part; only one species, P. gibbator, has a wider distribution, including both western and eastern parts of the Palaearctics

New records of ichneumon wasps (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) from Malta

Recently some Maltese Hymenoptera were donated to the Hungarian Natural History Museum (HNHM) and some other material was sent to the Natural History Museum in London (BMNH) for identification by the second author. Amongst these specimens were six ichneumon wasp species new to the fauna of Malta. Ichneumonidae taxonomy and nomenclature follow Yu et al. (2012), and host records were traced through this resource. Identifications were based on keys provided by Szépligeti (1905), Schmiedeknecht (1909), Bajári (1960), Townes et al. (1965), Bajári & Móczár (1969), Townes (1969; 1970a; 1970b; 1971), Horstmann (1976), Gauld & Mitchell (1977), Fitton et al. (1988), Wahl (1993), and Tolkanitz (2007). The voucher specimens are deposited in the Hymenoptera Collection of HNHM, Budapest, Hungary (those indicated by a HNHM id. number below), and some duplicate specimens in D. Mifsud’s private insect collection (CDM) in Malta.peer-reviewe

The Kateretidae and Nitidulidae of the Maltese Archipelago (Coleoptera)

In the present work, a total of 3 Kateretidae and 26 Nitidulidae are recorded from the Maltese Islands. Of these, 14 Nitidulidae (Epuraea luteola, Epuraea ocularis, Carpophilus bifenestratus, Carpophilus marginellus, Carpophilus quadrisignatus, Carpophilus dimidiatus, Carpophilus nepos, Urophorus humeralis, Urophorus rubripennis, Nitidula carnaria, Omosita discoidea, Meligethes rotundicollis, Meligethes ruficornis, Cybocephalus rufifrons rufifrons) and 1 Kateretidae (Brachypterus curtulus) represents new records for the Maltese Islands. Of these both autochthonous and accidentally introduced but established species are present. The earlier citation of Cybocephalus politus may be due to a misidentification. Three further new records of Nitidulidae, Carpophilus opacus, Brachypeplus deyrollei and Brachypeplus rubidus were collected alive on logs originating from Tropical Africa and intended for the timber industry. So far, there were no local records of establishment of any of these three species. All species were assigned to four faunistic groups. These include introduced but non-established species, cosmopolitan species, species with confined distributions and species with small distribution ranges. The complete absence of other species whose host-plants are locally available and which have typical Mediterranean distribution was highlighted. From a zoogeographical perspective the species assemblages of Kateretidae and Nitidulidae of Malta show strong affinities with those present in Italy.peer-reviewe

First North American record of the Palaearctic rhinophorid Stevenia deceptoria (Loew) (Diptera: Rhinophoridae)

The Rhinophoridae (Diptera) have a cosmopolitan distribution and a known fauna of about 150 species (Cerretti & Pape 2007). So far as known, all species are parasitoids of terrestrial woodlice (sow bugs) of the order Isopoda (Oniscoidea) (Pape 2010). Female rhinophorids lay eggs in the vicinity of potential hosts and the planidial first instars parasitize sow bugs as they pass by (Pape 1998). The only rhinophorids native to North America belong to the genera Apomorphyto Cerretti, Lo Giudice & Pape (with one described species from Costa Rica and an undetermined species from Nicaragua) and Bezzimyia Townsend (Pape 2010; Cerretti et al. 2014). Bezzimyia is a mostly Neotropical genus of 17 known species with two species reaching the southern United States (Texas and Arizona) (Pape & Arnaud 2001). Recently, the monophyly of Bezzimyia was called into question but the limits of the genus have yet to be formally revised (Cerretti et al. 2014). Two rhinophorids are well known as introductions from the Palaearctic Region, Melanophora roralis (Linnaeus) and Phyto discrepans Pandellé, with the former widespread in eastern North America, West Indies and South America (Crosskey 1977; Pape 2010) and the latter known only from Newfoundland (Canada) (Wood 1987). A key to separate the two species was given by Wood (1987). The genus Stevenia Robineau-Desvoidy is currently known from 23 species, all native to the Old World and most diverse in the West Palaearctic Region (Cerretti & Pape 2007). One species native to Europe and North Africa, Stevenia deceptoria (Loew), was reported recently as an introduction to Argentina by Mulieri et al. (2010). The authors recorded the species from several locations within Buenos Aires Province and hypothesized that it became established through the introduction of parasitized woodlice originating from the Palaearctic Region. Introduced woodlice are common in the New World (Jass & Klausmeier 2000) and parasitized immigrants or transported puparia most likely account for the presence of all three exotic rhinophorid species in North America. Mulieri et al. (2010) summarized the Palaearctic distribution of S. deceptoria, gave locality records of the species in Argentina, and provided a key to the five genera of Rhinophoridae known from the New World. Here we report another finding of Stevenia deceptoria in the Americas, this time from Ohio in North America. All records are from a single locality, the backyard of author GAD. Specimens were caught in a six metre Malaise trap (BioQuip® Products, Inc.) and killed in the trap head using a small piece of Hot Shot® No-Pest® Strip [active ingredient 2,2-dichlorovinyl dimethyl phosphate 18.6%]. Trap samples were frozen and later sorted, with selected Diptera subsequently pinned and labeled. The first two specimens of S. deceptoria to be detected were removed, pinned, and labeled by JEOH and identified as S. deceptoria by PC (Cerretti & Pape 2007) (one of these specimens is shown in Fig. 1). Additional specimens were later found in earlier and later samples by GAD. Specimens are housed in the Canadian National Collection of Insects, Ottawa, Canada (CNC) and the personal collection of Gregory Dahlem, Cincinnati, USA (GAD)

Aphids (Hemiptera: Aphidoidea) associated with native trees in Malta (Central Mediterranean)

In the present study 25 aphid species which are known to be associated with trees in the Maltese Islands are recorded. Of these, 18 species represent new records; these include Aphis craccivora, Brachyunguis tamaricis, Cavariella aegopodii, Chaitophorus capreae, C. populialbae, Cinara cupressi, C. maghrebica, C. palaestinensis, Essigella californica, Eulachnus rileyi, E. tuberculostemmatus, Hoplocallis picta, Lachnus roboris, Myzocallis schreiberi, Tetraneura nigriabdominalis, Thelaxes suberi, Tinocallis takachihoensis and Tuberolachnus salignus. A number of the above mentioned species alternate hosts between the primary host, being the tree species, and secondary hosts being mainly roots of grasses. The record of Tetraneura ulmi could be incorrect and could possibly be referred to T. nigriabdominalis. Most of the aphid species recorded in the present study have restricted distribution in the Maltese Islands due to the rarity of their host trees. This is particularly so for those aphids associated with Populus, Quercus, Salix and Ulmus whose conservation should be addressed.peer-reviewe

A faunistic study on ground-dwelling spiders (Araneae) in the Tirana district, Albania

Spiders from the Tirana district of Albania were investigated. Currently, 78 species from 24 families and a collection of 400 specimens from January to August 2010 were recorded for Tirana. A total of 32 new records for the Albanian fauna are included in the present paper. Agraecina lineata (Simon, 1878) is the first record for the Balkan Peninsula. Saitis graecus Kulczyński, 1905 was known before only from Greece and Bulgaria. Presently, 373 spider species are known for Albania

Faunal diversity of Paederus Fabricius, 1775 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) in Iran

Beetles of the genus Paederus sensu stricto Fabricius, 1775 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) are often noticed because of their potency in inducing a dermal lesion, so-called linear dermatitis. This genus, which is placed in the tribe Paederini and subfamily Paederinae of Staphylinidae, currently comprises 490 species worldwide. Our study presents a short review of the former records of Paederus spp. in Iran plus some unpublished data. Field collections were done during March-October yearly (1997-2007) in northern and southern Iran and April-June from central, eastern, western and north-western Iran (2008-2009). The present study adds four species to the Iranian fauna of the genus Paederus, which are P. brevipennis Lacordaire, 1835, P. basalis Bernhauer, 1914, P. pubescens Cameron, 1914 and P. schoenherri Czwalina, 1899. Paederus brevipennis and P. schoenherri are the first members of the subgenus Harpopaederus Scheerpeltz, 1957, ever reported from Iran. Considering previous reports, museum-deposited materials and our findings, 14 species and subspecies of the genus Paederus, which are grouped in five subgenera, occur in Iran. These subgenera are Eopaederus Scheerpeltz, Harpopaederus Scheerpeltz, Heteropaederus Scheerpeltz, Paederus Fabricius and Poederomorphus des Cottes; however P. duplex spectabilis Bernhauer, 1913 is not yet attributed to any of the 13 so-far defined subgenera

A preliminary account of the Auchenorrhyncha of the Maltese Islands (Hemiptera)

A total of 46 species of Auchenorrhyncha are reported from the Maltese Islands. They belong to the following families: Cixiidae (3 species), Delphacidae (7 species), Meenoplidae (1 species), Dictyopharidae (1 species), Tettigometridae (2 species), Issidae (2 species), Cicadidae (1 species), Aphrophoridae (2 species) and Cicadellidae (27 species). Since the Auchenorrhyncha fauna of Malta was never studied as such, 40 species reported in this work represent new records for this country and of these, Tamaricella complicata, an eastern Mediterranean species, is confirmed for the European territory. One species, Balclutha brevis is an established alien associated with the invasive ontain rass, Pennisetum setaceum. From a biogeographical perspective, the most interesting species are represented by Falcidius ebejeri which is endemic to Malta and Tachycixius remanei, a sub-endemic species so far known only from Italy and Malta. Three species recorded from Malta in the Fauna Europaea database were not found during the present study.peer-reviewe