Redescription of Eidophasia concinnella Christoph, 1888 (Lepidoptera, Plutellidae), with the designation of a lectotype.

Eidophasia concinnella Christoph, 1888 is redescribed and illustrated, and a lectotype is designated. A diagnostic summary with illustrations of the female genitalia is given for E. concinnella and its two most similar congeners, E. syenitella (Herrich-Schäffer, [1854]) and E. zukowskyi Amsel, 1938.

What Drives Caterpillar Guilds on a Tree: Enemy Pressure, Leaf or Tree Growth, Genetic Traits, or Phylogenetic Neighbourhood?

Communities of herbivorous insects on individual host trees may be driven by processes ranging from ongoing development via recent microevolution to ancient phylogeny, but the relative importance of these processes and whether they operate via trophic interactions or herbivore movement remains unknown. We determined the leaf phenology, trunk diameter, genotype, and neighbourhood of sessile oak trees (Quercus petraea), and sampled their caterpillar communities. We found that leaf development across a time period of days related to free-living caterpillars, which disappeared with leaf age. Tree growth across decades is related to increased parasitism rate and diversity of herbivores. The microevolution of oak trees across millennia is related to the abundance of leaf-mining casebearers, which is higher on more homozygous oaks. However, oak genome size was not important for any guild. In contrast to most previous studies, the phylogenetic distance of oaks from their neighbours measured in millions of years was associated with higher abundances of entire caterpillar guilds. Furthermore, on trees surrounded by only distantly related tree species, parasitism tended to be lower. Lower parasitism, in turn, was associated with higher abundances of codominant caterpillar species. Neighbourhoods and traits of trees were also related to community composition and diversity, but not to the average wingspans or specialization of species, consistent with the assembly of herbivore communities being driven by leaf traits and parasitism pressure on trees rather than by insect movement among trees. However, movement in rarer species may be responsible for concentration effects in more phylogenetically distant neighbourhoods. Overall, we suggest that the assembly of insects on a tree is mostly driven by trophic interactions controlled by a mosaic of processes playing out over very different time scales. Comparisons with the literature further suggest that, for oak trees, the consequences of growing amongst distantly related tree species may depend on factors such as geographic region and tree age.

Changing Host Plants Causes Structural Differences in the Parasitoid Complex of the Monophagous Moth Yponomeuta evonymella, but Does Not Improve Survival Rate.

Recently in Poland, cases of host expansion have frequently been observed in the typically monophagous bird-cherry ermine moth (Yponomeuta evonymella), which has moved from its native host plant, bird cherry (Prunus padus), to a new, widely distributed plant that is invasive in Europe, black cherry (P. serotina). We attempted to verify the reasons behind this host change in the context of the enemy-free space hypothesis by focusing on parasitoids attacking larval Y. evonymella on one of three host plant variants: The primary host, P. padus; initially P. padus and later P. serotina (P. padus/P. serotina); or the new host, P. serotina. This experiment investigated if changing the host plant could be beneficial to Y. evonymella in terms of escaping from harmful parasitoids and improving survival rate. We identified nine species of parasitoids that attack larval Y. evonymella, and we found that the number of parasitoid species showed a downward trend from the primary host plant to the P. padus/P. serotina combination to the new host plant alone. We observed a significant difference among variants in relation to the percentage of cocoons killed by specific parasitoids, but no effects of non-specific parasitoids or other factors. Total mortality did not significantly differ (ca. 37%) among larval rearing variants. Changing the host plant caused differences in the structure of the parasitoid complex of Y. evonymella but did not improve its survival rate. This study does not indicate that the host expansion of Y. evonymella is associated with the enemy-free space hypothesis; we therefore discuss alternative scenarios that may be more likely.

A new species of Rhigognostis (Lepidoptera, Plutellidae) from the Canary Islands.

Rhigognostis canariella sp. nov. is described from the Canary Islands on the basis of five females. The morphological micro structures of the female genitalia are figured. An illustrative diagnostic summary for three allied congeners, R. annulatella(Curtis, 1832), R. kovacsi (Gozmány, 1952) and R. schmaltzella (Zetterstedt, 1839) is provided.

Impact of cold on the immune system of burying beetle, Nicrophorus vespilloides (Coleoptera: Silphidae).

Insect overwintering is one of the most astonishing phases of the insect life cycle. Despite vast amounts of knowledge available about the physiological mechanisms of this phenomenon, the impact of stress factors on insect immune system functioning during the winter is still unknown. The aim of this study is to analyze how low temperatures influence the immune system of the beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides. The results show that the beetle's immune system is differently modulated by cold induced in laboratory settings than that which occurs in natural conditions. Among beetles cultured in conditions similar to summer, low temperatures, did not influence the number of circulating haemocytes, phenoloxidase activity, haemocytes morphology, and percentage ratio of haemocyte types. In these beetles, differences were noted only in the ability of haemocytes to perform phagocytosis. Individuals acclimated in natural conditions in autumn had a higher level of humoral response and a different percentage ratio of haemocyte types. During the winter period, the number of haemocytes in the beetles decreased, but the percentage ratio of phagocytic haemocytes increased. Furthermore, we noted an increase of phenoloxidase activity. Our study also showed mitotic divisions of haemocytes in haemolymph collected from burying beetles after cold exposure and from burying beetles collected from natural conditions during autumn and winter. Differences in response to low temperatures in laboratory conditions and the natural environment suggest that the simultaneous presence of other stress factors during winter such as desiccation and starvation have a significant influence on the activity of burying beetle's immune system.

Revised taxonomic status of Eidophasia zukowskyi Amsel, 1938 (Lepidoptera, Plutellidae) with first description of its male and female genitalia.

We revise the taxonomic status of Eidophasia zukowskyi Amsel, 1938, and we provide the first descriptions of the genitalia of both sexes. A diagnostic summary is given with illustrations for a similar congener, Eidophasia syenitella (Herrich-Schäffer, [1854]).

Rhigognostis senilella (Zetterstedt, 1839) and R. marmorosella (Wocke, 1849): two valid species distinguishable in genitalia (Lepidoptera, Plutellidae).

Rhigognostis senilella was described from Greenland over 150 years ago by Zetterstedt. Its historical range of distribution included also mountains in most of Europe. It was classified in Europe as a boreal-alpine zoogeographic element.  Analysis of the structure of the male and female genitalia over its historical range shows that two distinct species are present. The range of R. senilella (Zetterstedt, 1839) is limited to Greenland and Iceland, whereas the mountains of Europe are inhabited by R. marmorosella (Wocke, 1849). The paper includes keys to distinguish these two species, one based on external characters, another on male or female genitalia.

Redescription of Eidophasia syenitella (Herrich-Schaffer, [1854]) (Lepidoptera, Plutellidae).

The Holarctic genus Eidophasia Stephens, 1842 belongs to Plutellidae (Kyrki 1984, 1990; Dugdale et al. 1999). The genus currently includes 12 species (Sohn & Baraniak in press) which are heterogeneous in morphologies. In fact, there have been no convincing synapomorphies proposed for Eidophasia. Eidophasia syenitella (Herrich-Schäffer, [1854]) is one of the European congeners. Herrich-Schäffer (1853-1855) associated E. syenitella with E. messingiella (Fisher von Röslerstamm, 1840), based two superficial similarities, i.e. a slim body and the presence of scale tuft on the 2nd segment of the labial palpus. Friese (1966) synonymized E. concinnella Christoph, 1888 and E. zukowskyi Amsel, 1939 under E. syenitella. After examining various local populations of E. syenitella from Europe, we found Friese's synonymy unwarranted. Eidophasia syenitella has been characterized with only its external appearance. There is yet no description of the genitalia available for the species. This gives a challenge in evaluating the taxonomic status of E. syenitella and its two putative synonyms. This issue needs further attention and will be scrutinized in separate papers. Little is known about the biology of E. syenitella. The known larval host records suggest that this species is exclusively associated with a genus of Brassicaceae, Arabis or rockcress. The aim of this paper is to re-describe the species with the genitalia of both sexes for the first time.

Redescription of Eidophasia tauricella Staudinger, 1880 (Lepidoptera, Plutellidae) with first description of the female genitalia.

Eidophasia tauricella Staudinger, 1880 is redescribed with a photo of the type specimen. The female genitalia are described for the first time.

Rhigognostis erysiphaea (Meyrick, 1938) comb. nov. (Lepidoptera, Plutellidae), with description of male and female genitalia.

A new combination, Rhigognostis erysiphaea (Meyrick, 1938) is proposed. The species is re-described with a photo of the type specimen. The male and female genitalia are described and illustrated for the first time.

On the identity of Ypsolopha lonicerella Stöckl, 1922 (Lepidoptera, Ypsolophidae).

Ypsolopha lonicerella Stöckl, 1922 is shown to be a junior synonym of Y. leuconotella Snellen, 1884.

Developmental changes in cellular and humoral responses of the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides (Coleoptera, Silphidae).

Necrophagous beetles of the genus Nicrophorus have developed various defence mechanisms that reduce the negative effects of adverse environmental conditions. However, many physiological and ecological aspects, including the functioning of the immune system in burying beetles, are still unknown. In this study, we show developmental changes in cellular and humoral responses of larvae, pupae, and adults of Nicrophorus vespilloides. We assessed changes in total haemocyte count, phenoloxidase activity, and phagocytic ability of haemocytes. We found that during larval development there is a progressive increase in humoral and cellular activities, and these responses are correlated with alterations of total haemocyte counts in the haemolymph. In the pupal stage, a sharp drop in the number of phagocytic haemocytes and an increase in phenoloxidase activity were observed. In adults, cellular and humoral responses remained at a lower level. It is probable that high lytic activity of anal and oral secretions produced by parents supports a lower response of the immune system in the initial phase of larval development. In the studied stages, we also observed differences in polymerisation of F-actin cytoskeleton of haemocytes, number of haemocytes forming filopodia, and filopodia length. These results suggest that the differences in immune responses during various stages of development of N. vespilloides are associated with a dynamically changing environment and different risks of infection. For the first time a detailed analysis of stage-specific alterations in immune system activity during development of the burying beetle is presented.