Tetramorium notomelanum sp. n. is described from the Tehuacán Valley, state of Puebla, México. Its distribution and relation with other species of the tortuosum-group is discussed. The new species of Tetramonium is described from workers, and distinguished from others of the group by several characters: i) black coloration of the body; ii) size: T. notomelanum sp. n. is smaller than T. hispidum (Wheeler), T. mexicanum Bolton and T.spinosum (Pergande), but larger than T. bicolorum Vásquez-Bolaños and T. placidum Bolton; iii) length of the hairs of the dorsal of the head are equal to the diameter of eye; iv) the length of the hairs on the scape and tibiae less than the width of the appendage where they are located. This is the second species of the tortuosum group of Tetramorium found in the State of Puebla, and the fourth recorded in Mexico.

The sugarcane aphid, Melanaphis sacchari (Zehntner) Hemiptera: Aphididae), was first detected in Mexico in 2013. Since then, it has caused significant yield losses in sorghum, Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench (Poaceae). The objective of this work was to evaluate, under laboratory conditions, the predation capability for the sugarcane aphid, measured as the consumption rate, of 2 predator species commonly used as biocontrol agents for different aphid species. We evaluated the consumption rate of larvae and adults of the convergent ladybeetle, Hippodamia convergens (Guérin-Méneville) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) when exposed to 100 aphid specimens for either 30 or 60 min. A second experiment compared the consumption rate of males and females of H. convergens exposed to different densities (4, 8, 16, 32, 64, and 128) of aphids in a 24-h period. We also tested the consumption rate of larvae of the common green lacewing, Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae), in a 24-h period at different aphid densities (8, 16, 32, and 64). Larvae of H. convergens had a statistically significant higher consumption rate for the 30-min session compared to adults. However, for the 60-min session, the consumption rate was similar for both. The consumption rate between males and females at different aphid densities did not show statistical differences, except for the 64-aphid density; females consumed 85.9% of the aphids, compared to 68.2% by the males. Finally, a positive correlation was observed between prey density and prey consumption of C. carnea larvae. The regression model showed that they could consume an average of 15 aphids per d.

Debido al escaso conocimiento que se tiene de las hormigas de las zonas áridas de México, se evaluó la biodiversidad de este taxón en el Jardín Botánico de Zapotitlán de las Salinas, Puebla. Se realizaron 2 colectas, una en época de lluvias (agosto de 2004) y otra en la temporada de secas (febrero de 2005). En ambas ocasiones se seleccionaron 2 sitios contrastantes en estructura vegetal y se colocaron 10 trampas de caída para cada sitio. La captura fue más abundante en temporada de lluvias. El sitio con menor diversidad y cobertura vegetal mostró una mayor diversidad de hormigas durante el estudio. Comparado con otras zonas áridas de México, el valle de Zapotitlán de las Salinas resultó ser una de las zonas semiáridas con mayor riqueza en especies de hormigas; con 12 nuevos registros se incrementó a 27 el número de especies, sólo una por debajo de otras localidades cercanas al valle. Los datos sugieren que con un mayor esfuerzo de muestreo y la aplicación combinada de otras técnicas de recolección, la riqueza de especies en el área podría elevarse considerablemente.

Foraging strategies can be influenced by many factors such as abundance, availability, and toxicity of the resources. In arid zones, the distribution and productivity of plants also act as additional factors that affect foraging strategies. Twenty colonies ofPogonomyrmex barbatusants were studied in an arid zone of central Mexico to evaluate the trophic niche breadth in two sites with contrasting productivities in terms of their diversity and amount of resources during two seasons. The results suggest that when the resources are abundant as in the rainy season, the trophic niche breadth is reduced in sites with high productivity and, in the same sites, the trophic niche breadth increases when the resources are limited as in the dry season. In contrast, the trophic niche breadth is similar in both conditions of resource availability (i.e., rainy and dry seasons) at sites with low productivity. During the dry season, populations ofP. barbatusshowed a similar foraging behavior in sites with high and low productivity. Thus, the particular characteristics of a site can significantly affect the foraging strategies of the ants in those environments.

Se evaluó el cambio en la diversidad, riqueza, abundancia y similitud de las comunidades de hormigas en áreas con distinto impacto humano. Para ello se eligieron tres localidades con diferente tipo de vegetación ubicadas en el noroeste del Estado de México: árboles nativos, Quercus spp. (AN); combinación, Quercus spp. y elementos de reforestación (Cupressus lindleyi) (ZC); y reforestación, bosque modificado con C. lindleyi (R). Se colocaron 288 trampas de caída en febrero y marzo de 2009 en grupos de cuatro trampas en cuadrantes aleatorios de 10 m2. La composición y la abundancia de las comunidades variaron de acuerdo a las zonas de estudio. Los valores de riqueza y diversidad de especies fueron mayores en R en comparación con AN y ZC. Los resultados sugieren un efecto del cambio en la cobertura vegetal arbórea, sobre la estructura de las comunidades de hormigas. Especies como Temnothorax sp. 1 yCrematogaster sp., serían esperadas en zonas de bosque conservado, mientras que Pheidole sp. 1, Liometopum apiculatum y Camponotus atriceps, se consideran como especies relacionadas con la recolonización y la perturbación de un sitio.

Manuel Darío Salas-Araiza, Rafael Guzmán-Mendoza, Oscar Alejandro Martínez- Jaime, Marcos Antonio González-Márquez, and Alejandra López Figueroa (2015) Species Richness of Noctuid Moths (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) from the State of Guanajuato, Mexico. Florida Entomologist: Vol. 98, No. 4, pp. 1262-1265. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1653/024.098.0444