Factors Affecting Thanatosis in the Braconid Parasitoid Wasp .

Thanatosis, also called death feigning, is often an antipredator behavior. In insects, it has been reported from species of various orders, but knowledge of this behavior in Hymenoptera is insufficient. This study examined the effects of sex, age (0 or 2 days old), temperature (18 or 25 °C), and background color (white, green, or brown) on thanatosis in the braconid parasitoid wasp .

Unexpected Species Identities and Interspecific Relationships in a Subterranean Beetle Lineage, the Species Group (Coleoptera, Carabidae), Revealed by Fine-Scale Field Sampling and Detailed Morphological Comparisons.

An endemic subterranean Japanese carabid beetle lineage, the species group, was recently revealed to have marked regional differentiation. Studies of such features reveal insect species diversity and provide insight into the mechanisms driving species diversity. We examined specimens of this species group collected from the southern Tohoku District of Honshu, Japan, where its diversity has not yet been fully elucidated, using fine-scale field sampling and detailed comparative morphological analysis of male genitalia.

Taxonomic and nomenclatural changes in three species of Pterostichus Bonelli (Coleoptera: Carabidae) from the Far East.

The ground beetle genus Pterostichus Bonelli has diversified in regions including the Far East, but taxonomic issues remain even at the species level. This study presents taxonomic and nomenclatural changes in three species of Pterostichus from the Far East: P. (Petrophilus) eximius Morawitz, P.

Taxonomic studies of the ground beetle subgenus Ledoux & Roux, 2005 (Coleoptera, Carabidae, ) from Honshû, Japan.

Nebria (Falcinebria) reflexa Bates (Carabidae), a Japanese endemic flightless ground beetle, is geographically polytypic and was thought to be composed of four subspecies (including nominotypical subspecies). Populations from Honshû recognized as three subspecies were taxonomically revised based primarily on the shape of the endophallus, a membranous inner sac everted from the aedeagus. Three known taxa, , Bates, and Nakane, are redefined based on endophallus morphology, and the latter two are described as distinct species rather than subspecies of .

Learning-induced host preference in male parasitoid wasps as a potential driver of ecological speciation.

Ecological speciation via a host shift plays an important role in the diversification of phytophagous and parasitic insects. However, it is not clear how separation is maintained among initial populations in which genetic separation mechanisms are not fully established. Learning-induced host preference in females can contribute to host fidelity and result in a barrier to gene flow in the initial populations.

Taxonomic notes on the ground beetles in the genus Bates, 1883 from central Honshu, Japan (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Sphodrini, Synuchina).

Bates, 1883, a Japanese endemic genus in the subtribe Synuchina (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Sphodrini), is revised taxonomically based mainly on the shape of the endophallus, a membranous inner sac everted from the aedeagus of the male genitalia. Three known species from central Honshu, Habu, 1954; Habu, 1978; and Habu, 1978, are re-defined based on this genital character, and five new species are described from the region: Sasakawa, . .

Notes on the Reproductive Ecology and Description of the Preimaginal Morphology of Elaphrus sugai Nakane, the Most Endangered Species of Elaphrus Fabricius (Coleoptera: Carabidae) Ground Beetle Worldwide.

Elucidating the basic life-history of endangered species is the first important step in the conservation of such species. This study examined the reproductive ecology and the preimaginal morphology of the endangered ground beetle Elaphrus sugai Nakane (Coleoptera: Carabidae); currently, the Watarase wetland of the central Kanto Plain, Japan is the only confirmed locality of this beetle species. Laboratory rearing of reproductive adults collected in early April revealed that females can lay more than 131 eggs.

Two new species of the ground beetle subgenus Sadonebria Ledoux & Roux, 2005 (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Nebria) from Japan and first description of larvae of the subgenus.

Sadonebria Ledoux & Roux, 2005 is one of the more diverse subgenera of the genus Nebria Latreille, 1802 in East Asia, and its taxonomy remains unrevised at the subgeneric and specific levels. In this paper, two new species of this subgenus are described from Japan. Nebria quinquelobata sp.

A novel technique for identifying the instar of field-collected insect larvae.

Many field studies of insects have focused on the adult stage alone, likely because immature stages are unknown in most insect species. Molecular species identification (e.g.

Different patterns of oviposition learning in two closely related ectoparasitoid wasps with contrasting reproductive strategies.

Many parasitoid wasps learn host-associated cues and use them in subsequent host-searching behavior. This associative learning, namely "oviposition learning," has been investigated in many studies. However, few studies have compared multiple species, and no comparative study has previously been conducted on ectoparasitoid species.

Field observations of climbing behavior and seed predation by adult ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in a lowland area of the temperate zone.

Granivory is a specialized food habit in the predominantly carnivorous beetle family Carabidae. Most studies of carabid granivory have been conducted under laboratory conditions; thus, our knowledge of the feeding ecology of granivorous carabids in the field is insufficient. I conducted field observations of climbing behavior and seed predation by adult carabids in a lowland area of eastern Japan, from early October to late November in 2008.

Sperm bundle and reproductive organs of carabid beetles tribe Pterostichini (Coleoptera: Carabidae).

The morphological characteristics of sperm and reproductive organs may offer clues as to how reproductive systems have evolved. In this paper, the morphologies of the sperm and male reproductive organs of carabid beetles in the tribe Pterostichini (Coleoptera: Carabidae) are described, and the morphological associations among characters are examined. All species form sperm bundles in which the head of the sperm was embedded in a rod-shaped structure, i.

Morphological association between spermatophores and male genitalia in carabid beetles of the tribe Pterostichini (Coleoptera: Carabidae).

A morphological association between genitalia and ejaculates could provide insight into the function and evolution of genitalia. In this study, the morphologies of the ejaculates and male genitalia of 15 species of Pterostichini and two species of Platynini (Coleoptera: Carabidae) are described. All the species examined formed a spermatophore, the morphology of which could be classified into three types based on its relative volume in the female vaginal cavity and the presence or absence of a pluglike conformation.

Phylogenetic studies of the subgenus Nialoe (s. lat.) (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Genus Pterostichus), part 2: The Asymmetricus species group.

Pterostichus (Nialoe) asymmetricus Bates and its allies are revised based on the membranous parts of their genitalia. Four new taxa, P. (N.

Phylogenetic studies of the subgenus Nialoe (s. lat.) (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Genus Pterostichus), part 1: Homology of the component parts of male genitalia and higher phylogeny.

A phylogenetic hypothesis of the subgenus Nialoe (s. lat.) of genus Pterostichus is proposed based on a cladistic analysis of seventeen morphological characters.