Delimitation of species and identification of specimens to the species level continue to be difficult problems for practising entomologists, particularly those in tropical countries who often have no access to the holotype specimens or original literature of their local fauna. As a first step to the development of accurate Web-based species identification keys for Indian gryllids, we have examined the utility of morphological and song characters in correctly delineating species boundaries among 4 sympatric species of tree crickets of the Genus Oecanthus. Using a numerical taxonomic approach, phenetic clusters and ordinations were constructed on the basis of morphological and song characters. Quantitative and qualitative morphological characters were analysed independently and the results compared. The efficacy of the clustering and ordination techniques in species delimitation was examined by both internal and external allocation of individual specimens. Both the delimitation of species and the allocation of new specimens were 95 to 100% accurate using song or qualitative morphological characters. Quantitative morphological characters could also accurately delimit species, provided a large number of characters were used, irrespective of the specific characters chosen. For quantitative morphological characters, ordination was found to be more accurate than cluster analysis, both for delimiting species and in the allocation of new specimens.

Studies on the rarely reported Australian genus Onchestus have revealed a confusing situation where only one of the 4 species currently included, belongs to the genus. A new species from north Queensland, Onchestus rentzi, is described and figured, including the egg. Keys are provided.

The male of Pylaemenes guangxiensis (Bi & Li 1994) is described and its distribution range extended to Japan and Taiwan. Recent confusion regarding Pylaemenes species is discussed and a corrected list of species included.

In laboratory and field trials in China, the Australian isolate (FI-985) of the fungus Metarhizium anisopliae var. acridum caused high mortality of nymphs of the oriental migratory locust, Locusta migratoria manilensis. In the laboratory, various dilutions of Green Guard^®, the commercial M. anisopliae var. acridum product, caused 70 to 80% mortality of 4^th instar nymphs. In field trials conducted at Tianjin and in Henan province, backpack sprayers were used to treat 40 ha (2002) and over 160 ha (2003) with an ULV formulation of Green Guard^®.The spray was applied at a rate of 50 to 125g spores in 1125 to 1500 mL of oil/ha and, 8 to 11 d later, field populations had declined by 65 to 97%.

In female Romalea microptera grasshoppers, the interval between ovulation and oviposition is flexible. Females kept without sand laid their 1^st egg clutch an average of 7 d later (Day 36) than females maintained on moist sand (Day 29). When we examined the ovaries of females who had recently laid, females denied sand had longer primary oocytes (5.7 vs 3.3 mm) and smaller follicle resorption bodies (0.61 vs 0.83 mm diameter) than females kept on sand, confirming that mature oocytes had been retained in the lateral oviducts of females denied sand. Some females kept without sand retained their 1^st clutch until the 2^nd clutch was ready to be ovulated. This suggests that grasshoppers exhibit adaptive flexibility in their ability to retain ovulated oocytes in the calyses of their lateral oviducts until a suitable oviposition substrate is found. The results also imply that using oviposition as a marker for underlying physiological/hormonal events or treatment/environment effects is problematic, because oviposition may not reliably indicate time of oocyte maturation or ovulation.

Pterotiltus hollisi n. sp. is described from the forests of Southern and Western Uganda, and compared with the type of the genus, P. impennis. The new species is the most easterly known representative of the genus. It feeds on broad-leaved monocotyledonous plants, especially of the families Marantaceae and Commelinaceae. The eggs are laid in groups of 4 to 6 in packets of foam, sandwiched between leaf surfaces of these foodplants. The female ovipositor valves have a form extremely like those found in unrelated epiphyllous egg-layers in the Neotropics, such as Tela (Acrididae, Proctolabinae) and the details of oviposition are similar to those of Euprepacris (Romaleidae, Bactrophorinae). On the basis of the ovipositor, it is postulated that the related genera Badistica and Digentia probably also have epiphyllic oviposition habits.

We surveyed the lakeshore dunes on Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Superior in the state of Michigan to determine the extent of the range and number of populations of the threatened Lake Huron locust (Trimerotropis huroniana Wlk.) (Orthoptera: Acrididae). The locust's distribution is determined by a combination of historical and recent influences. Historical factors include the glacial history of the state and probable competition from other banded-wing locusts. Recent factors are primarily anthropogenic, including major habitat disturbances in the form of development, recreational use, and revegetation efforts; but lake level changes may also influence small local populations. Our surveys indicate that the species is fairly tolerant of disturbance and currently secure in Michigan. The status of the species in adjoining Wisconsin and Ontario is not well known.

Alulatettix angustivertex n. sp. is described with illustrations of external morphology and female genitalia in detail. Comparison between the species A. angustivertex n. sp. and the other species of the genus Alulatettix is compiled into a table for identification. The distribution map of this species in Taiwan and its offshore islands is also provided.

Fourteen new species of the predaceous katydid genus Phlugis Stål, 1860 (Meconematinae), collected using pesticide-fogging methods, were recently described from northern Peruvian rainforest canopies. This paper reports the presence of 2 new species of Phlugis from rainforest canopies in Costa Rica. Although most of our representation of Phlugis species in museums consists primarily of easily collected understory species, the occurrence of a very diverse fauna in rainforest canopies, suggests that many species of this genus are yet to be discovered.

We report the occurrence in Western Panama of several previously unsuspected species of the genus Hylopedetes, including H. fuliginosus n. sp. and H. nigrithorax panamensis n. ssp. H. gemmeus Rehn 1929, previously known only from Costa Rica, is also recorded. A further spp. of Hylopedetes, H. punctatus n. sp. is described from W. Central Costa Rica. We also describe Chiriquacris quadrimaculata, n. gen, n. sp., from W. Panama, and Oedalacris cambrai n. sp. and O. lesbiae n. sp. from Eastern Panama. Oedalacris was previously known only from Colombia. We describe the previously unknown female of Piezops ensicornis (Stål 1878) and provide information on the distribution and biology of that species in Panama.

An analysis of the development of infestations of the Australian plague locust (Chortoicetes terminifera) (Walker) (Orthoptera: Acrididae) from 1977–1995 in eastern Australia is presented which traces the sequence of generations and redistribution of gregarious populations through migration. Migration in this species has previously been viewed as a one-way trip, locusts reaching southern regions of the species range were thought to have no reliable means of return to the areas of summer population increase in western Queensland. However, a study of outbreaks over recent years, using new technologies for simulating and observing migratory events, suggested a pattern of exchange migrations, with northward movements in November and December.

In this paper we provide further evidence of migrations to western Queensland from populations in the southern or eastern parts of the species range. Several northward or westward migrations from New South Wales, South Australia or eastern Queensland are identified from historic distribution data and supported by meteorological records. These migrations were significant in that they allowed the rapid re-establishment of gregarious populations in arid western Queensland after summer rains. The frequency of late-spring northward migrations is comparable to that of the better-known southward migrations in autumn. The evidence for previous conclusions about the source of historical plagues and the importance of spring breeding in arid southwest Queensland are re-examined in the light of these findings.

Behavioral thermoregulation, by basking in sunlight, is very common in acridids. The resulting increased body temperatures may be beneficial by accelerating feeding and developmental rates and by enhancing disease resistance. The absorption of solar energy is affected by the degree of cuticular melanization. In this paper, we quantify differences in color and thermoregulation between subarctic and temperate populations of Melanoplus sanguinipes. We also quantify effects of rearing temperatures and density on melanization of 5^th instars. Alaskan grasshoppers tended to be darker than those from Idaho when reared under the same conditions and Alaskan grasshoppers also responded to cooler rearing temperatures by increased pigmentation. Density-dependent melanization was evident in both populations. Increased pigmentation enhanced the ability to thermoregulate. Absorption of wavelengths in the near infrared region was similar to that in the visible range, confirming that visible color is a reliable measure of relative absorption of total solar irradiance. Strong selection for efficient thermoregulation at high latitudes was suggested by the population differences in pigmentation.

The effects of different food plants (spinach, carrots, organic and non-organic lettuce, defrosted frozen oak leaves) on the longevity, growth rate and survival of the Annam stick insect Medauroidea extradentata (Brunner von Wattenwyl) were studied. Among the food plants tested, organic lettuce and defrosted oak leaves were the best food alternative during winter time for maintaining live cultures of M. extradentata.