Neopanorpa flavoferruginea Byers, new species, from western Java, is described and illustrated. A problem of homonymy is corrected by proposal of a replacement name, Neopanorpa simulans, nomen novum.

Specimens of Paleozoic Coleoptera are quite rare, particularly so in North America where they have been hitherto represented by a single specimen. The first Permian beetle from North America was only recently described from a single specimen of a complete elytron (no counterpart). A second specimen from another locality in those same beds, comprised of the part and counterpart of a fragment of an elytron, is figured and discussed here. While representing a somewhat larger individual than the original specimen, the present material appears to represent the same species, Permocoleus wellingtonensis Lubkin and Engel.

Two new species of the genus Dryinus Latreille from China are described: D. spathulatus new species, from Guangdong, Liuxihe, and Dryinus punctulatus new species, from Guangdong, Nanling. Keys are provided for the determination of the species along with illustrations of female chelae.

Dicranomyia (Idiopyga) flabellifera is described and illustrated. The male hypopygium is compared with that of other nearctic members of the subgenus.

In mid 2003 a diverse floral resource was planted in a small urban residential plot at the University of California, Berkeley Oxford Tract with the goal of attracting local native California bee species to assess emerging patterns of diversity and seasonality. A standard procedure was then used in 2004 to sample the bees and monitor their host flowers. Pollen and nectar resources were abundant and consistently available during spring, summer, and early fall months of that year. Thirty-two bee species representing 17 genera, and five families used these resources through the 2004 season. Urban bees were categorized into three seasonalities: early season, late season, and full season represented by seven, eight, and 17 species respectively.

Results of this study indicate that newly-planted urban gardens, which are designed for bees, have the potential to attract diverse seasonal bee taxa if diverse floral resources are provided throughout the growing season. Implications of these finding are discussed in terms of managing and conserving local bees in new and more developed urban gardens. Long-term monitoring continues at this site.

In the last two decades, three previously common coccinellids (Adalia bipunctata (L.), Coccinella transversoguttata richardsoni Brown, and Coccinella novemnotata Herbst) have declined in abundance in South Dakota, while two invasive species (Coccinella septempunctata (L.) and Harmonia axyridis (Pallas)) have become established there. The objectives of this study were to survey coccinellids in various habitats in South Dakota to better characterize the current coccinellid fauna, determine the extent of exploitation by invasive coccinellids, and possibly identify refuge habitats of previously common coccinellid species. Overall, 2827 coccinellids, comprising 23 species, were collected on yellow sticky traps in field and woody habitats and during timed visual searches in field crops. Adalia bipunctata was found during additional sampling in Butte County in western South Dakota. However, it was not present in samples from eastern and central parts of the state, which is consistent with previous findings that this species is absent from those areas. Coccinella transversoguttata richardsoni and C. novemnotata were absent at all sites sampled. Scymnus kansanus Casey was collected for the first time in South Dakota among arboreal habitats. Harmonia axyridis (Pallas) expanded its geographic range into central South Dakota by 2002 and western South Dakota by 2004. Invasiveness of H. axyridis and C. septempunctata was evident by their presence in a wide variety of habitats surveyed, dominance of larval coccinellid assemblages, and predation upon non-target species of aphids. Harmonia axyridis was the most abundant larval coccinellid in maize and C. septempunctata was the most abundant larval coccinellid in intercropped wheat-alfalfa. Harmonia axyridis preyed upon Stegophylla quercicola (Monell), Aphis nerii Boyer de Fonscolombe, and Aphis asclepiadis Fitch in the field. Both H. axyridis and C. septempunctata preyed upon Hyalopterus pruni (Geoffroy) in the field.

We identified adult insects aspirated from tamarisk, Tamarix ramosissima Ledebour (Tamaricaceae), flowers during May–August 2005 next to the Colorado River at Topock Marsh, Arizona. We compared tamarisk pollen loads and flower constancies, estimated as percentages of T. ramosissima pollen, of genera with >3 specimens. Insects from tamarisk flowers represented four orders, 16 families, and 37 genera. Detritus-feeding flies in Syrphidae were the predominant insects collected and comprised mostly of introduced Syritta pipiens (L.). Bees were second most-frequently aspirated and predominated by introduced Apis mellifera L. Wasps comprised the highest diversity of genera and included parasitic Tiphiidae and predaceous Vespidae and Sphecidae. Tamarisk pollen loads were greatest on A. mellifera and least on S. pipiens. All adult insects collected exhibited high flower constancies with tamarisk pollen averaging >91% of the pollen load in each genus. Introduced honey bees appear to be the most important pollinators of T. ramosissima at Topock Marsh based on their abundance, pollen loads, and flower constancies. Insects visiting T. ramosissima flowers require a variety of resources to reproduce such as cavities for nesting or soil for excavating burrows and insect prey or decomposed plants for feeding larvae.

The augochlorine (Halictidae) bee genus Xenochlora is the diurnal sister group to the nocturnal Megalopta, both of which are stem-nesting halictid bees. Here we present notes on the nesting biology and social behavior in four nests of Xenochlora nigrofemorata and one nest of X. ianthina from Madre de Dios, Perú. All nests contained multiple females and dissections of X. nigrofemorata indicated within nest reproductive differentiation among females that is associated with body size. Size variation among females is conspicuous and a variety of morphometrics are examined to document it. A genal index is used to describe cephalic variation, and results are compared with seven other halictine bees. All morphometrics were investigated for measurement error. Nests of Xenochlora appear to be founded by single females and multifemale nests clearly exhibit parasocial behavior and we hypothesize that they temporally switch between semisocial, eusocial and possibly communal phases.