Pterostichus (Leptoferonia) hackerae sp. nov. is described based on a single male specimen with its type locality No Name Cave, Josephine Co., Oregon. This is the seventh species of microphthalmous Leptoferonia Casey, 1918 to be described, and based on the analysis of DNA data, it is found to be most closely related to another microphthalmous species, P. rothi (Hatch, 1951). A second specimen and location for P. (Leptoferonia) enyo Will, 2007, also a microphthalmous species, is reported. Analysis of DNA sequence data (28S rDNA and COI mtDNA) places P. enyo as sister to the more southern microphthalmous species P. (Leptoferonia) caligans Horn, 1891. A modified version of the key by Hacker (1968) is presented, allowing for identification of all known species of Leptoferonia.

Peach, Prunus persica (L.) Batsch (Rosaceae), has been reported to be a host of the apple maggot fly, Rhagoletis pomonella (Walsh, 1867) (Diptera: Tephritidae), an important quarantine pest of apple (Malus domestica Borkhausen) (Rosaceae) in the western U.S.A. However, all reports of peach as a host appear unreliable. Here, we tested the hypothesis that apple maggot does not utilize peaches in western Washington state. In 2013, unbaited sticky yellow rectangle traps were hung in a peach orchard ∼50 m from neglected apple trees in Vancouver, Washington. During 2013–2015, peaches in the orchard were collected, peaches were hung in infested apple trees, and peaches were exposed to flies in the laboratory. In 2013, 24 flies were caught on 200 traps in the peach orchard, but no larvae emerged from 4,243 ‘Alberta’ or ‘Redhaven’ peaches collected under ∼200 trees in 2013 and 2014 or from peaches hung in apple trees in 2013. In 2015, however, 24 apple maggot larvae emerged from 804 ‘Starfire’ or ‘PE 23’ peaches, specifically from collections under two of 13 trees. In addition, in one of four laboratory tests, 11 larvae emerged from ‘Redhaven’ peaches exposed to apple maggot flies. Contrary to our prediction, results definitively show that peach can be an occasional developmental host for apple maggot larvae in the field and that apple maggot flies can be successfully reared using peach as a host in the laboratory.

The Asian shrub Rhodomyrtus tomentosa (Aiton) Hasskarl (Myrtaceae) is an invasive weed in Florida and Hawaii, U.S.A. Surveys for natural enemies of this exotic shrub in Hong Kong, China resulted in the development of a laboratory colony and host range testing of Neostauropus alternus (Walker, 1855) as a potential biological control agent of R. tomentosa. Twelve critical test plant species were presented to larvae of N. alternus. Complete development was limited to R. tomentosa, the ornamentally important Myrtus communis Linneaus (Myrtaceae), and the Florida natives Myrcianthes fragrans (Small) (K.A. Wilson) (Myrtaceae) and Morella cerifera (Linneaus) Small (Myricaceae). Total development time was more than ten days faster with R. tomentosa versus M. communis and M. cerifera, with the latter species requiring an extra larval instar to reach the pupal stage. Consumption rates were similar among R. tomentosa and M. cerifera, but due to the longer development time, larvae consumed two-fold more leaf material on M. cerifera. Despite an apparent larval survival and development preference for R. tomentosa, it is clear that the physiological host range of N. alternus includes M. cerifera and M. communis. The generalized feeding patterns exhibited in this research indicate that additional resources dedicated to the development of N. alternus as a biological control agent of R. tomentosa in Florida are unwarranted.