Species Diversity of Anastrepha Fruit Flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Environments with Different Levels of Anthropogenic Changes.

Studies on the diversity of Anastrepha species have been conducted mainly in agricultural orchards due to the economic importance of this insect group, consequently, research on fruit flies in undisturbed environments is scarce. Moreover, very few studies have investigated the diversity of fruit flies in urban areas, where fruit flies survive under native or exotic hosts. Thus, to understand the diversity of Anastrepha species in an environment with different anthropization degrees, surveys were carried out in four areas of the "Luiz de Queiroz" campus, in Piracicaba, São Paulo State (Brazil), using Multilure traps with putrescine and ammonium acetate for 12 months.

Melanoloma viatrix Hendel (Diptera, Richardiidae): New Pest of Pineapple Plantations in the North of Brazil.

This is the first record of Melanoloma viatrix Hendel as well as in its host (pineapple) in Brazil. Previously, M. viatrix had been found in pineapple plantations in Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador.

Historical Note on the Genus Trichogramma (Hymenoptera, Trichogrammatidae) in Brazil, Focusing on Taxonomy and Diversity.

The history of the taxonomy of Trichogramma parasitoid wasps can be divided into two phases. In the first phase, species identifications were based on external morphological characters; however, these identifications proved to be confusing and inaccurate. In the second phase, starting in the 1970s, taxa were identified based on charcteristics of the male genital capsule , leading to a major advance in Trichogramma taxonomy.

Establishment of Sinoxylon anale Lesne (Coleoptera, Bostrichidae) in Brazil: Identification, Host Plants, Distribution, and Damage.

Damage from Sinoxylon anale Lesne, a woodboring beetle not previously known to be established in Brazil, was observed in young jabuticaba trees (Plinia cauliflora, Myrtaceae) in a nursery in the municipality of Laranjal Paulista, state of São Paulo. We immediately advised MAPA ("Ministério da Agricultura, Pecuária e Abastecimento") and collected samples from the nursery and from different hosts in nearby areas, to identify the specimens and investigate the dynamics of the infestation in the jabuticaba trees. Sinoxylon anale was also collected in ethanol-baited and ultraviolet-light traps and in dry branches of the native species pau-jacaré (Piptadenia gonoacantha, Fabaceae) and inga (Inga vera, Fabaceae), and the exotic pau-d'água (Dracaena fragrans, Asparagaceae) in the municipality of Piracicaba, state of São Paulo.

Taxonomy and Biological Control: New Challenges in an Old Relationship.

Biological control and taxonomy are continuously developing fields with remarkable impacts on society. At least 80 years of literature have documented this relationship, which remains essentially the same in its mutualistic nature, as well as in its major challenges. From the perspective of Brazilian taxonomists, we discuss the impacts of important scientific and social developments that directly affect research in these areas, posing new challenges for this lasting relationship.

Annotated checklist and illustrated key to parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Diapriidae, Eulophidae and Pteromalidae) of fruit flies (Diptera, Tephritidae) in Brazil.

The hymenopteran parasitoids of pest species of Tephritidae in Brazil are best known by their most prominent species, members of Braconidae and Figitidae. Species in the less-studied families Diapriidae, Eulophidae and Pteromalidae, which are mostly pupal parasitoids, have been largely neglected and the literature on these groups is sparse and scattered. Therefore, their importance as natural enemies of fruit flies is likely underestimated.

Fruit flies of the genus Anastrepha (Diptera: Tephritidae) from some localities of Paraguay: new records, checklist, and illustrated key.

This study deals with fruit flies of the genus Anastrepha Schiner (Diptera: Tephritidae) collected in McPhail traps in the municipalities of Concepción, Belén, Horqueta, Loreto (state of Concepción) and Santa Rosa (state of Misiones), Paraguay. In total, 17 species were captured, 9 of which are new records for Paraguay. All morphological characters used for species identification are illustrated.