Neoseiulus bicaudus is a predatory mite species that could potentially be used for the biological control of spider mites and thrips. Floral resources can provide excellent habitats and abundant nutrients for natural enemies. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effects of eight floral resources on the longevity, fecundity, and predation ability of N. bicaudus. Among the considered plants, Cnidium monnieri led to the highest longevity (24 days) and fecundity (13.8 eggs) of N. bicaudus, while Tagetes erecta resulted in the lowest longevity (7 days) and fecundity (0.1 eggs) observed in the predatory mites. By comparing the effects of three nectar and pollen plants on the predation of predatory mites, it was observed that N. bicaudus still exhibited a type II functional response to Tetranychus turkestani. In the presence of pollen, the predation efficacy (a/T_h) of N. bicaudus exhibited a lower value, compared to that in the absence of pollen (Control: a/T_h = 24.00). When pollen was supplied, the maximum consumption (1/T_h) of predatory mites was higher than in its absence (Control: 1/T_h = 9.90 d⁻¹), with the highest value obtained in the presence of B. officinalis pollen (B. officinalis: 1/T_h = 17.86 d⁻¹). The influence coefficient of predation of N. bicaudus on T. turkestani in the presence of pollen was compared in the presence of three nectar and pollen plants: Cnidium monnieri, Centaurea cyanus, and Borago officinalis. At low prey densities, the influence coefficient of C. cyanus exceeded that of B. officinalis, and the overall influence coefficient values were negative (i.e., the presence of pollen reduced predatory mite feeding on T. turkestani). They exhibited similar values at high prey densities, and all of the influence coefficient values were close to 0 (i.e., the presence of pollen had no effect on predatory mite feeding on T. turkestani). The findings revealed that diverse plant species exert differential impacts on N. bicaudus, with some influencing its lifespan and others affecting its reproductive capabilities. Furthermore, the presence of nectar and pollen plants had a significant impact on predatory mite feeding on T. turkestani at low prey densities; however, this effect diminished as the prey density increased. Therefore, we recommend planting C. monnieri, C. cyanus, and B. officinalis in the field to ensure an ample population of predatory mites. The obtained results hold significant implications for the utilization of nectar and pollen plants in eco-friendly pest management strategies within agricultural contexts.

In this study, we investigated Acridoidea species and their populations in the grasslands managed by 13 divisions of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (hereafter referred to as the Corps) during 2022–2024. We analyzed how the Corps’ grassland habitats influenced Acridoidea diversity. Using the netting method, we collected 5290 Acridoidea specimens, representing eight families, 37 genera, and 83 species. The Acridoidea were most abundant in mountain meadows and temperate grasslands, with 42 and 43 species, respectively, while the species richness in temperate desert grasslands and temperate steppe desert grasslands was comparably high. The highest diversity index of Acridoidea was recorded in temperate grasslands (3.053), followed by mountain meadows (2.563). Regarding altitude, the diversity index was highest in the 1000–1500 m range (3.237), followed by 500–1000 m (2.976) and 1500–2000 m (2.867). However, above 1500 m, the diversity index began to decline. The Acridoidea species diversity was significantly positively correlated with the average temperatures of the wettest and warmest seasons, as well as with precipitation levels during the wettest and driest months. The dominant grassland Acridoidea species were primarily distributed in areas with low-to-medium-low soil erodibility. These findings indicate that grassland types, elevation, temperature, humidity, and soil erodibility significantly influence Acridoidea habitats, survival, reproduction, and feeding behaviors, ultimately shaping their composition, distribution, and abundance across different habitats.

Research on insect biodiversity in arid and semi-arid agroecosystems of Central Asia remains limited, hindering the development of effective insect conservation strategies and integrated pest management (IPM) programs. This study examined insect community structure, diversity, and seasonal dynamics across three habitat types in Kekedala City, in the autonomous region of Ili Kazakh, Xinjiang, China. Solar-powered ultraviolet LED light traps (350–420 nm) were used for sampling from April to August 2024. A total of 63,090 individuals of 83 species, 57 families and 72 genera of insects were collected. Diversity indices calculated using the complete species dataset showed highest diversity in the riparian corridor (L3: H′ = 3.42, D = 0.962, S = 62), intermediate diversity in the agro-horticultural garden (L2: H′ = 3.18, D = 0.948, S = 54), and lowest diversity in the xerophytic shrubland (L1: H′ = 2.97, D = 0.935, S = 47). A supplementary analysis targeted a shared core assemblage of 17 species, defined as taxa captured at all three sampling sites with cumulative total abundances ranging from 50 to 100 individuals. This subset exhibited near-uniform diversity metrics across habitats (H′ = 2.83, D = 0.941, Pielou’s evenness J′ ≈ 1.0), a pattern driven by the prevalence of habitat generalists rather than capturing site-specific full community diversity. Two abundant pest species, Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner, 1808) (cotton bollworm, 5209 individuals, 8.3% of total) and Oryctes rhinoceros (Linnaeus, 1758) (rhinoceros beetle, 5206 individuals, 8.2% of total), both peaked in abundance in July–August; O. rhinoceros is associated with local ornamental and date palm plantings in the study area. In total, 15 major pest species were recorded. Mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) DNA barcoding confirmed two new national insect records for China: Stethoconus pyri (Mella, 1861) (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) and Pinacoplus didymogramma (Hampson, 1907) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). This study provides the first comprehensive baseline inventory of the insect fauna of Kekedala City. Descriptive ordination analyses suggest that habitat vegetation complexity may exert a stronger filtering effect on insect assemblage composition than the relatively small seasonal variation in temperature and humidity observed during the sampling period. As only a single trap was deployed within each habitat with no within-site replication, all cross-habitat community patterns reported herein are strictly descriptive and require validation via replicated field sampling in future research.

本文报道了中国4个新疆省级蝗虫新发现：长翅素木蝗Shirakiacris shirakii (Bolívar, 1914)、短额负蝗Atractomorpha sinensis Bolívar, 1905、短翅直背蝗Euthystira brachyptera (Ocskay, 1826)以及中华剑角蝗Acrida cinerea (Thunberg, 1815)，附有种类的标本照片、详细的形态学描述及生境图。

Drosicha corpulenta (Hemiptera: Monophlebidae) is a major polyphagous pest affecting street and garden trees in arid regions of northern China, causing increasing damage in newly developed cities like Cocodala, Xinjiang. This study was conducted from 2024 to 2025 to investigate this pest’s life cycle, key damage periods, and spatial distribution in seven host plants, focusing on nymph emergence, female soil entry, and overwintering egg distribution. The results show that D. corpulenta has one generation per year, which overwinters as eggs. Nymphs emerge in early March, and male pupation occurs from mid-April to early May. Females mate after the third molt in early to mid-May and enter the soil to lay eggs from late May to early June, with consistent timing over two years. The suitability of the host varied significantly: Platanus × hispanica was the most preferred, with the highest daily nymph emergence of 840.8 individuals in 2024 and 1196.0 in 2025, followed by Prunus padus and five other plant species (Populus spp., Fraxinus chinensis, Styphnolobium japonicum, Pinus spp., and Malus spectabilis). Female soil entry reached a maximum on 23 May (979.8 individuals⁻¹ day⁻¹) and gradually decreased with increasing distance from the trunk. Overwintering eggs showed no obvious azimuthal bias, but were mainly concentrated near the trunk (0–30 cm) and in shallow soil (0–10 cm; 179.8 eggs per 100 g composite soil sample per sampling point), decreasing sharply in number with distance and depth. Both Taylor’s power law and Iwao’s regression confirmed the aggregated distribution. This study identifies key phenological stages, highly susceptible hosts, and the near-trunk shallow soil layer as critical for oviposition and overwintering and provides a basis for precise monitoring and targeted control in urban green spaces.

We report the first record of the grasshopper subfamily Tropidopolinae in China, the genus Tropidopola Stål, 1873, Tropidopola turanica Uvarov, 1926 and Tropidopola turanica iliensis Bey-Bienko 1948 are discovered in Xinjiang, and provide a detailed morphological description and biological characteristics of the subspecies. And provide a key of part subfamily in Acrididae from China.