The Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae), ranks as one of the world’s most destructive agricultural pests.

Cat fleas (Ctenocephalides felis [Bouché]) are the primary ectoparasites of dog and cat populations. In this study, we report the monthly population

A blood meal was necessary for a male cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis (Bouché), to display the mating attempts to an unfed or fed female. More mating

AlthoughFicus-associated wasp fauna have been extensively researched in Australasia, information on these fauna in Taiwan is not well accessible to scientists worldwide. In this study, we compiled records on theFicusflora of Taiwan and its associated wasp fauna. Initial agronomic research reports onFicuswere published in Japanese in 1917, followed by reports on applied biochemistry, taxonomy, and phenology in Chinese. On the basis of the phenological knowledge of 15 species of theFicusflora of Taiwan, recent research has examined the pollinating and nonpollinating agaonid and chalcid wasps (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea). Updating records according to the current nomenclature revealed that there are 30 taxa (27 species) of native or naturalizedFicuswith an unusually high proportion of dioecious species (78%). Four species were observed to exhibit mutualism with more than one pollinating wasp species, and 18 of the 27Ficusspecies were reported with nonpollinating wasp species. The number of nonpollinating wasp species associated with specificFicusspecies ranges from zero (F. pumila) to 24 (F. microcarpa). Approximately half of the Taiwanese fig tree species have been studied with basic information on phenology and biology described in peer-reviewed journals or theses. This review provides a solid basis for future in-depth comparative studies. This summary of knowledge will encourage and facilitate continuing research on the pollination dynamics ofFicusand the associated insect fauna in Taiwan.

Bionomic data usually hold the key for understanding the life history of the target insect species. Here, we provide morphological characteristics of different larval instars of Acanthoscelides macrophthalmus (Schaeffer), a leucaena bruchine beetle species that is a potential biocontrol agent for the notoriously invasive plant Leucaena leucocephala. The scanning electron micrographs of the head capsule, antenna, clypeolabrum, maxilla, labium, leg, spiracle, and anus of the larval stage of A. macrophthalmus also are provided for the first time for this species, with most of the traits reflecting the taxonomic placement of A. macrophthalmus in the genus Acanthoscelides. Successive instars are determined accurately by using a model of the distribution of the width of the larval head capsule. Therefore, the data generated from this study represent baseline information for further biological control programs involving A. macrophthalmus.