Entomologist's Monthly Magazine - Vol. 162, No. 1, 2026

Published: 1/30/2026

Article Details for this issue

Bees from the Lower Piacenzian (Upper Pliocene) Kabutoiwa Formation of central Japan (Hymenoptera: Apoidea)

By: MICHAEL S. ENGEL & TOSHIAKI TANAKA

Page: 1–13

Type: Paper

Synopsis:
While the fossil record of bees (Apoidea: Anthophila) is limited, occurrences from the Pliocene are exceptionally exiguous by their utter absence. Given this gap in occurrences it is therefore noteworthy to report two specimens from the Upper Pliocene (Lower Piacenzian, approximately 3.5 Ma Kabutoiwa Formation of the Motojuku Group in central Japan. Both are represented by fairly complete individuals with a generally fine state of preservation. Two species are represented, one each for the families Megachilidae and Apidae, and are described as Osmia kabutoiwica sp. n. (Megachilinae: Osmiini) and Apis (Apis) antejaponica sp. n. (Apinae: Apini). The present material is admittedly negligible but begins the process of piecing together insights into this comparatively recent fauna. The following new combination is established for a Miocene mason bee: Osmia basaltica (Zhang), comb. n. (transferred from Dasypoda Latreille).

Notes on the biology of Carcina quercana (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Peleopodidae) and its parasitoids (Hymenoptera) in Germany and the Netherlands

By: MARK R. SHAW

Page: 14–24

Type: Paper

Synopsis:
Some puzzles concerning the life-history of Carcina quercana and its specialised parasitoid Venanides carcinae that were raised during a previous study (2018; 2019) in the Veluwe (Netherlands) (Shaw 2020) are resolved through a further study in the Harztor region of Thuringia (Germany) in 2024. Larvae are displaced from high positions in their host trees by storms, and re-establish on low sapling, seedling and epicormic growth. Factors allowing the host population to survive in the face of successive generations of V. carcinae attacking the single host generation include a proportion of the host generation reaching the safety of pupation before the first generation of adult V. carcinae has emerged, and probably extremely high levels of parasitism of (and associated hostfeeding on) V. carcinae cocoons. Vespid or bird predation of parasitoid cocoons at the end of the season may also be significant. It is concluded that C. quercana larvae present in mid-September in the Hogue Veluwe in July 2019 were most likely a result of exceptional drought conditions earlier in that year, and not indicative of a second generation, for which no evidence could be found in the Harztor population in 2024. The parasitoids reared are enumerated and their biology briefly described.

First record of the family Periscelididae (Diptera: Opomyzoidea) from Morocco

By: KAWTAR KETTANI

Page: 25–28

Type: Paper

Synopsis:
The fly family Periscelididae is reported for the first time for Morocco, with the discovery of Periscelis (Myodris) annulata (Fallén, 1813) in the Rif Mountains.

Clarifying Irish records for the rare ants Stenamma westwoodii Westwood and S. debile (Foerster) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

By: AIDAN O’HANLON

Page: 29–36

Type: Paper

Synopsis:
The genus Stenamma Westwood contains 84 inconspicuous species of cryptic habits. Two species, S. westwoodii Westwood and S. debile (Foerster) are historically recorded from Ireland. Both species occur in Britain but most historical records of S. westwoodii there have been reassigned to S. debile. Confusion has persisted as to the identities of Irish Stenamma records, and both species are included in several recent publications covering the Irish ant fauna. This study re-evaluates all published Stenamma records from Ireland and corrects nomenclatural and distributional errors in prior literature. Examination of voucher specimens in the National Museum of Ireland (NMI) confirmed that only S. debile occurs here, and all historical S. westwoodii records can be reassigned to S. debile. While the species is still rare in Ireland, it is certainly more widely distributed than previously known, showing a southerly bias similar to the species’ British distribution. As with British and European populations, Irish records come from native woodland habitats, but also from coniferous forests, open scrub, limestone pavement, urban greens and roadside ditches. Phenological data indicate activity from January to October, with a peak in September that probably aligns with autumn nuptial flights.

Feeding and mating behaviour of adult Anthrenus (Anthrenus) pimpinellae (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Dermestidae: Megatominae)

By: LILI LAJTÁR & GRAHAM J. HOLLOWAY

Page: 37–42

Type: Paper

Synopsis:
Little is known about the feeding and mating habits of most Anthrenus Geoffroy species. In the current study, A. pimpinellae (Fabricius) were offered different flowers and were assessed for degree of interest shown to the different plant species. From the 41 species of plant offered, no interest was shown towards 18 plant species, short-term interest without mating was shown towards 10 plant species, and long-term high interest combined with mating was shown towards 13 plant species. In the wild, specimens could be found on the flowers of eight of these 13 attractive plant species: Aristolochia clematitis L., Crataegus monogyna Jacq., Erigeron annuus (L.) Pers., Euphorbia cyparissias L., Ligustrum vulgare L., Pyracantha coccinea M.Roem., Rosa canina L. and Taraxacum officinale Weber ex F.H. Wigg. Interest in the flowers of Sambucus nigra L. was limited but the beetles spent a lot of time feeding from the surface of the leaves covered with honeydew from the aphid Aphis sambuci Linnaeus, 1758. Males and females were promiscuous, mating preferentially during the morning and under sunny conditions. Mating occurred only on the flowers of preferred species. The implications of promiscuity on aedeagus evolution is discussed.

Shetland revisited, for its sawflies (Hymenoptera: Symphyta: Tenthredinidae)

By: ANDREW LISTON & PETER FORREST

Page: 43–48

Type: Paper

Synopsis:
Field work in 2024–2025 adds four species to the list of sawflies known to be established in the Shetland archipelago: Euura annulata (Gimmerthal, 1834), E. ferruginea (Förster, 1854), E. poecilonota (Zaddach, 1876) and Nematus septentrionalis (Linnaeus, 1758). The only published record of Euura melanocephalus (Hartig, 1837) from Shetland is based on a misidentification of E. ferruginea. Euura obducta (Hartig, 1837) is recorded for the first time in the northern group of islands (previously only found on Fair Isle). A total of 16 species are now known to be established. All are Tenthredinidae, and all but three are Nematinae. The species are listed in a table, with an indication of whether they are recorded in the northern archipelago and / or Fair Isle.

A new species of Morellia Robineau-Desvoidy (Diptera: Muscidae) from Kenya, with comments on identification keys to Afrotropical Morellia

By: EBERHARD ZIELKE

Type: Paper

Synopsis:
Morellia kenyana sp. n. is described and compared with other Afrotropical Morellia species. The current study of Afrotropical Morellia revealed some inconsistencies in a recent revision of the subgenus Morellia s. str. – these are highlighted.