The present paper describes sensory structures on the apical segment of the labium in representatives of the subfamily Peiratinae (Heteroptera: Reduviidae), using the scanning electron microscope. The study is based on dry material representing 19 species and 16 genera. Within Peiratinae thirteen morphologically distinct types of sensilla were identified. Among them were four new types of sensilla (porous placodea sensillum [PPLS], multilobate sensillum [MS], domeelongated sensillum [UDES], and pit peg sensillum type 2 [NPPS2]) were found. Mechanosensilla are evenly distributed on the surface of the labium and form a characteristic pattern in various species. The main characters of the third visible (apical) segment of the labium are: presence of different sized sensilla of the chaetica type 1, 2, and 3; trichodea sensilla (TS); campaniform sensilla (CS); and various types of nonporous pit peg sensilla (NPPS1, NPPS2, and NPPS3). Distally on the apical segment of the labium dome-elongated sensilla (UDES) there are a characteristic arrangements, described as (3+3) and (1+2). Chemical sensilla are grouped on the tip of the labium. The position, number, and types of chemical sensilla on this area are very similar in all studied species.

This paper presents a taxonomic revision of 28 described species of the genus Sirthenea Spinola, 1837 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Peiratinae) distributed in the Afrotropical, Oriental, Palearctic, Oceanian and Australian zoogeographical regions. The following new synonymies are proposed: Sirthenea africana Distant, 1903 = S. rapax Horváth, 1909, syn. nov. = S. leonina Horváth, 1909, syn. nov. = S. bequaerti Schouteden, 1913, syn. nov. = S. leontovitchi Schouteden, 1931, syn. nov.; Sirthenea picescens Reuter, 1887 = S. atrocyanea Horváth, 1909, syn. nov.; S. rodhaini Schouteden, 1913 = S. collarti Schouteden, 1931, syn. nov. = S. angolana Villiers, 1958, syn. nov.; S. flavipes (Stål, 1855) = S. clavata Miller, 1948, syn. nov. = S. bharati Sucheta & Chopra, 1988, syn. nov. = S. koreana Kerzhner & Lee, 1996 syn. nov. = S. melanota Cai & Lu, 1990, syn. nov. = S. nigripes Murugan & Livingstone, 1990, syn. nov.; S. obscura (Stål, 1866) = S. glabra (Walker, 1873), syn. nov. A neotype is designated for S. picescens Reuter, 1887. Three species, S. erythromelas (Walker 1873), S. fulvipennis (Walker, 1873) and S. sobria (Walker, 1873), are excluded from the genus Sirthenea. Two new species from the Oriental Region, S. kali sp. nov. (India) and S. setosa sp. nov. (Malaysia) are described. Identification keys are provided for the subgenera and species from each zoogeographical region treated. Drawings of dorsal habitus and genitalic structures, drawings and images of selected morphological characters, and distribution maps of all valid species are presented.

Sirthenea nitida, a new species of the reduviid subfamily Peiratinae from Laos is described on the basis of two specimens deposited in the Moravian Museum in Brno, Czech Republic. The drawings of the dorsal habitus and male genitalia are given.

The main goal of this study was to predict, through the use of GIS tool as ecological niche modelling, potentially suitable ecological niche and defining the conditions of such niche for the representatives of the cosmopolitan genus Sirthenea. Among all known genera of the subfamily Peiratinae, only Sirthenea occurs on almost all continents and zoogeographical regions. Our research was based on 521 unique occurrence localities and a set of environmental variables covering the whole world. Based on occurrence localities, as well as climatic variables, digital elevation model, terrestrial ecoregions and biomes, information about the ecological preferences is given. Potentially useful ecological niches were modelled using Maxent software, which allowed for the creation of a map of the potential distribution and for determining climatic preferences. An analysis of climatic preferences suggested that the representatives of the genus were linked mainly to the tropical and temperate climates. An analysis of ecoregions also showed that they preferred areas with tree vegetation like tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests biomes as well as temperate broadleaf and mixed forest biomes. Therefore, on the basis of the museum data on the species occurrence and ecological niche modelling method, we provided new and valuable information on the potentially suitable habitat and the possible range of distribution of the genus Sirthenea along with its climatic preferences.

At least a dozen species of aphids (Insecta, Hemiptera) of non-native origin have expanded their range in Europe, however the importance of botanic gardens in this phenomenon has not been studied previously in detail. As a case study, investigations on the species composition and host range of Aphidomorpha in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London, United Kingdom, were conducted over a period of twelve days, in June 2017. The inventory study was carried out in the collection of living plants, both in the gardens and the glasshouses and nurseries. In total, 94 taxa of Aphidomorpha are identified (one phylloxerid, one adelgid and 92 species of aphids). 20 species are regarded as alien to the European aphid fauna and among them nine are believed to be the first published records for Kew. 20 species are regarded as serious pests, capable of virus transmission. The list of host plants includes 155 taxa from 89 genera and 49 families.Ericolophium holsti(Takahashi), species of Asiatic origin associated withRhododendronspp., was found for the first time in the field in the UK. Changes in the species composition of the aphid fauna in reference to the Eastop’s studies in 1960s were discussed.

The description of Platymeris biguttatus (Linnaeus 1767 ) nymphal instars as well as the prediction of the potentially suitable ecological niche was the main goal of this study. Our research was based on 258 specimens of P. biguttatus species of museum collections. A set of 23 environmental predictor variables covering Africa was used at ecological niche modeling - a method performed using the Maxent software to prepare potential distribution maps for this species.