A key is given to the six genera of Signiphoridae including Rozanoviella gen. n. which is described to accommodate five congeneric species, three transferred from Signiphora and two from Thysanus. All are secondary parasites of Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera through Tachinids. The correct name of the type-species of Kerrichiella is shown to be Thysanus coleoptratus Kerrich.

The male accessory glands of Glossina austeni Newst. contain an apical secretion—a dense, opaque, whitish secretion at the apical end of the gland, and a diffuse secretion—a bulkier, more mobile, translucent, whitish secretion occupying nearly all the remainder of the gland. There is also a plug of clear solidified accessory material preventing the outflow of secretions from the resting gland. By immersing the whole accessory gland in a saline medium at pH 2·2, and then transferring the specimen to distilled water, the apical secretion can be separated manually from the rest of the gland, as an apical body. Measurements of the apical body in virgin male flies show that the apical body increases in width according to the equation: Age ≐ constant Χ width 2.5, but individual deviations from this relation were considerable. Immediately after mating the apical body is long and thin; recovery to approximately the resting condition is complete after 48 h, but, on average, mated males have thinner apical bodies than virgin males of the same age. The use of apical secretion measurements to assess mating frequency under field conditions might be possible if adequate samples of males were available.

The Australian species of the genus Heteropelma Wesmael (Anomaloninae) are revised. Three species, H. flavitarse (Brullé), H. scaposum (Morley) and H. perniciosum (Turner), are considered valid, and are redescribed. Two new synonymies have been proposed.

In Rhodesia, field studies were made of the initial attraction of G. morsitans morsitans Westw. and G. pallidipes Aust. to mobile and stationary baits, using flight traps which surrounded baits or which were placed in the densest part of the attracted swarm. With stationary baits, many flies were attracted by host odour and visual stimuli assisted final orientation. With mobile baits, many flies were attracted by visual stimuli alone; odour did not increase attraction. With both mobile and stationary baits, there was no indication that major hosts are much more effective than minor ones as initial attractants, although stationary men were exceptionally poor baits, for G. pallidipes especially. The sex and species compositions of catches from stationary baits other than men were representative roughly of the inactive population—70% females of both species, and a roughly 1:4 ratio of G. morsitans to G. pallidipes. The sex and species compositions of catches from all mobile baits were biased—40% female G. morsitans, 60% female G. pallidipes, and a roughly 2:1 species ratio. Nearly all flies attracted to stationary baits were hungry whereas 10–25% of both sexes visiting mobile baits had fed recently. The use of a variety of electrocuting devices showed that compact persistent responses and alighting reactions of attracted flies were evident more for males than for females, more for G. morsitans than for G. pallidipes, more near model animals with host odour than near odourless models, more near models than near men, and more with tenerals and hungry non-tenerals than with recently fed flies. Men with mobile baits depressed greatly the alighting reactions and with stationary baits men inhibited greatly the initial attractions. Both effects of men were greater with females than with males and greater with G. pallidipes than with G. morsitans. Men were recognised by their upright appearance and odour. Only desperately hungry flies probed men whereas less-hungry flies probed an ox with men. Food-seeking flies of differing nutritional state were not shown to distinguish between mobile and stationary baits. Although the results support the conventional view that mating and feeding functions in the response to hosts occupy distinct phases of the hunger cycle, it seems necessary to modify the conventional view by placing more emphasis on the role of mobile baits as food sources and by envisaging a definite mate-seeking response by mature females.

To elucidate the host preferences of tsetse, an observer followed animals as they wandered in woodland infested with Glossina morsitans morsitans Westw. From 55 to 88 landings by tsetse and 0·2–3·0 engorgements were seen per hour on ox, dog, bushpig and adult warthog, as against 14 landings and no engorgements on warthog 2–5 months old and 0·3–1·7 landings and no engorgements on impala and bushbuck. Many of the landings and most of the engorgements on adult suids occurred near the eye but this region was not attractive with other animals and young warthog. Unsuccessful attempts were made to determine the attractive stimuli from the eye region of adult suids.

Spring migrants of Myzus persicae (Sulz.) may be produced either by parthenogenetic aphids derived from fertilised eggs laid on the primary host, or by parthenogenetic aphids overwintering on secondary hosts. Five variates, based1 on eight morphological characters of alate M. persicae, are examined to investigate how to distinguish between alatae derived from populations that have overwintered by these two means. No single variate is adequate to identify correctly all specimens, although two of them, number of abdominal tubercles, and shape of the fenestra in the central abdominal patch, may each correctly assign as many as 90%.

In a survey of animal burrows in nine East African game areas or ranches 112621 specimens of Ornithodoros moubata pordnus Walton, vector of African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV), were collected from 172 burrows (out of 442 examined) in six areas. Burrows were usually located in open ground, in patches of scrub thicket and frequently in termite mounds; often the burrows had been excavated originally by antbear. Ticks were obtained by means of a lure, by chipping samples from the burrow walls and by taking soil samples from the burrow floors. Tick populations ranged from a few individuals to 250000 per burrow, second- and third-stage nymphae accounting for over 70% of the total population. Generally, ticks were found near the entrances of burrows on the floor, or on the roofs if the burrows had been unoccupied for some time, the latter position appearing to be a hunger response. Factors favouring large tick populations were neutral soils, high relative humidity, optimal temperature to be found at 3000–5000 ft above sea level, vegetation surrounding the burrow and the presence of burrow-inhabiting animals. Above 5000 ft O. m. porcinus was less common, and above 6150 ft none was found. Blood-meal identifications have shown warthog to be the primary host; other hosts included antbear, porcupine and hyaena. In areas with a particularly favourable environment the ticks can remain quiescent for long periods; in less favourable areas the continued maintenance of colonies is dependent upon the frequency with which ticks can feed on a suitable host. Some predation of adult ticks occurs but losses due to bush fires are not important. Heavy infestations of ticks may contribute to the mortality of young warthogs. The survey confirms experimental evidence that ASFV is well adapted to maintenance in the vector population.

Females of Stegobium paniceum (L.) produce a sex pheromone to which only males are attracted. Live females 4–5 days old attract males which first respond when they are 5–6 days old. Females extracted in diethyl ether showed the presence of pheromone immediately after eclosion (0 days) but secretion is delayed until 3–4 days just before emergence from the pupal cocoon (4–5 days). Mated females show a slight reduction in pheromone content and mated male response is significantly reduced, as is the response of males previously exposed to a pheromone extract. A series of pheromone concentrations ranging from 0·0005–l female equivalents was assayed, and the threshold level of male response estimated at about 0·0004 female equivalents.

Eggs of Austrosimulium pestilens Mack. & Mack, were separated from sandy loam deposits in river beds in Queensland by washing the deposit through a 64·5 mesh/cm plankton sieve; the eggs were then picked off the surface of the sieve. Viable eggs were recovered only from permanently wet deposits; deposits above the water table contained only empty egg shells or dead eggs. Since eggs are laid directly into the water, their distribution in the river bed is related to its topography and the degree of scour and fill. Eggs stored in the laboratory in wet river deposits were still viable after 2½ years of storage, but died rapidly when exposed to relative humidities of 96% or less. Only a few eggs hatched from samples of riverbed deposits in water following up to four days' agitation with compressed air.

Following the introduction and establishment of Rhabdionvirus oryctes in Mauritius, seven adults of Oryctes rhinoceros (L.) were found with external malformations ranging from slight deviation at the base of the elytra to almost complete atrophy of the wings and elytra. Histological abnormalities of the midgut are described from a sample of 46 beetles of which 36 proved to be infected; infected epithelial cells are discharged into the gut lumen and so into larval and adult habitats.

Zanjoneura kenyana gen. et sp.n. is described from specimens collected on Caesalpinia spinosa in Kenya, and two species are transferred to Zanjoneura from Frutioidia. A key is given to the 18 genera of the Erythroneurini found in Africa.

Screening of 38 selected juvenoids on Ceratitis capitata (Wied.) revealed that several aromatic compounds, mostly ethers of 6,7-epoxygeraniol and of 6,7-epoxycitronellol, inhibited hatching when administered to freshly laid eggs as 0·1% acetone solution. Application of juvenoids within 24 h before and after puparium formation caused disturbances in imaginal differentiation. Treated insects developed either into pupa-adult intermediates failing to emerge or into defective adults whose fecundity was severely decreased. Both earlier and later applications of juvenoids were less effective. The most active compound in topical assay on fully grown larvae was ethyl 10,11-epoxy-5-oxa-3,7,11-trimethyl-2-dodecenoate, which inhibited emergence of 50% of treated insects at 0·01 μg/specimen and caused external deformities in 50% of emerged adults at 0·00001 μ/g/specimen. Four other aliphatic compounds (methyl 11-methoxy-3,7,11-trimethyl-2,6-dodecadienoate; ethyl 11-methoxy-3,7,11-trimethyl-2-dodecenoate; isopropyl 3,7,11-trimethyl-2,4-dodecadienoate; and isopropyl 11-methoxy-3,7,11-trimethyl-2, 4-dodecadienoate) and l-ethyl-4[(6,7-epoxy-3,7-dimethyloctyl)oxy] benzene were about five times less active. A concentration of 33 parts /106 of ethyl 10,ll-epoxy-5-oxa-3,7,11-trimethyl-2-dodecenoate in larval food caused deformities in 60% of emerged adults.

Studies were made of populations of adult Rhyssa persuasoria (L.) from various geographical regions. Morphometric analyses were based on the relative size of 32 maculae on various sclerites and the colour of the coxae and legs. Size was determined by measuring the wing length and thorax length. Various statistical procedures were applied to these data and also the ratios of wing length: maculation, and thorax length: maculation in an attempt to distinguish races of R. persuasoria from different localities. Regression analysis, analysis of variance and classification procedures separated some populations from others, the results of the different analyses being in broad agreement with each other. Within each population, maculation was typically linear, smaller specimens having relatively small maculae. Some sexually dimorphic differences were also demonstrated. There were two major geographical groupings: S.W. European and North African (W. France, Spain, Portugal and Morocco) and the remainder. There were some geographical differences within the remaining populations although all had links with one or more adjacent populations. The degree of maculation was shown to be related to the colour and texture of host-tree species, populations with low maculation scores being associated with tree species having dark, fissured bark and vice versa. It is suggested that degree of maculation is an expression of cryptic colouration, providing camouflage from predators. Determinations of heat-coma temperature for male R. persuasoria from climatically different areas showed that the response to high temperature differed between populations and was correlated with the temperature of the locality of origin. These differences between strains were apparent after several months of identical conditioning and are probably genetically based.

Long-term records of aphid catches on two sticky traps, one at Rothamsted (1942–64) and one at Broom's Barn (1960–64) are extended to 1973 and are supplemented by data from up to 12 sticky traps in sugar-beet crops in eastern England (1960–73). The incidence of yellowing viruses of sugar-beet between 1965 and 1973 showed no relation to aphid numbers, but between 1942 and 1973 the pattern of annual incidence was similar to that of numbers of Myzus persicae (Sulz.) trapped in May and June. Linear regressions of the incidence of yellowing viruses on numbers of M. persicae in May and June accounted for 28–57% of the variance, and on Aphis fabae group for 2–40% of the variance. It is concluded that sticky traps provide useful information for advisory entomologists and that there has been no general increase in aphid numbers over the last 30 years.