Insects challenge our international and interstate borders continually both by natural movement and by human assisted means. Insects are highly motile with a vast array of sensory organs that enable them to disperse and find hosts, hence they cause significant problems when introductions into new areas occur. A broad range of entomological skills, including ecology, diagnostics and pest management, is required to manage the quarantine, phytosanitary and incursion issues related to insects. These provide input into the regulatory framework and form a scientific basis for decision‐making processes. Phytosanitary measures are developed with scientific input, whereas the application of them is in a regulatory and legal environment.

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Aphis clerodendri Matsumura is newly recorded from Australia and is known from the Northern Territory, on islands in Torres Strait, and in rainforest in northern Queensland and New South Wales. It induces the formation of leaf pseudogalls on native species of Clerodendrum and is commonly attended by ants, which penetrate and may polydomously nest in the galls. Previously known only from eastern Asia, A. clerodendri can now be classified as native to Australia and Australasian in natural distribution. The species is also newly recorded from Papua New Guinea and Vietnam.

Two new species of spiders from northern Australia are placed in Humutaliwu Keyserling, the first record of this genus in Australia. H. cooki sp.n. is described from both sexes from Queensland and the Northern Territory, but H. monroei sp.n. is known only from females collected in Queensland and the Torres Strait. A key to females is given. IntroductionHamataliwa Keyserling has not previously been recorded from Australia. The genus was established in 1887 for Hamataliwa grisea Keyserling from "North America" and the type specimen is now in the Keyserling collection in the British Museum (Natural History) London. The type locality is either Florida or Virginia (Bryant 1948).Hamataliwa has a confusing history. It was originally placed in the Agalenoidae by Keyserling. In 1894. 0. Pickard-Cambridge established Oxyopeidon in the Oxyopidae, describing 7 new species, but without designating a type species. One of these species, 0. facile was transferred to Hamataliwa, now within the Oxyopidae, by F.O. Pickard-Cambridge in 1902. In that same paper, he designated Oxyopeidon putum 0. Pickard-Cambridge as the type species of Oxyopeidon and synonymised Emmenophrys Simon, 1898 with Hamataliwa.The distinction between Hamataliwa and Oxyopeidon relied heavily on eye pattern, which however, often differs between males and females of the same species. Bryant (1 948) pointed out that differences in eye pattern are small and variable and stated "unless some other difference can be found, the genus Oxyopeidon must be considered as a synonym of Hamataliwa Keyserling". After examining large numbers of oxyopids from "all parts of the world Brady (1964) synonymised Oxyopeidon with Hamataliwa and redefined Hamataliwa. He stated that "the arrangement of the eyes is not a valid criterion for separating genera". He emphasised the structure of the female epigynum and the male palpi, particularly the shape of the embolus.In 1970, Brady reconsidered the genus Hamataliwa based on material from Mexico and central America, and described 3 species-groups. He transferred several species from Oxyopes to Hamataliwa. For this revision, Brady examined 22 type specimens of species previously referred to Hamataliwa, Oxyopeidon or Oxyopes. I have examined 17 of these specimens and agree with Brady's concept of the genus which is based on general body shape and colouring, and structure of the genitalia. There are, however variations of eye pattern and mouthpart proportions in the genus and these are reflected in Brady's 3 species-groups. The Australian fauna shows greatest affinity with his banksi group.The 2 new species described below are placed in Hamataliwa sensu Brady, even though they differ markedly from the type species, H. grisea, in the shape of the labium and maxillae. These structures have not previously been considered in the taxonomy of oxyopids. There is, however, a clear difference in their shape between the genera Oxyopes and Peucetia, and there is variation within Oxyopes itself.

The State of Queensland includes islands within Torres Strait. However, Quarantine legislation separates these islands from mainland Australia, and divides them into two Quarantine zones. Details of the Torres Strait and far north Queensland distribution and damage levels of Eumetopina flavipes Muir (sugarcane leafhopper) and Chilo terrenellus Pagenstecher (sugarcane stem borer) are published here for the first time. The delphacid is a known vector of the sugarcane disease, Ramu stunt, which occurs in northern Papua New Guinea (PNG) and possibly other locations. Eumetopina flavipes has been known to occur on islands within Torres Strait and the communities near the tip of Cape York Peninsula since 1983. The disease is not known to be present in this population of the bugs. The sugarcane stem borer, C. terrenellus, has been detected on a number of occasions in sugarcane on two of the three Torres Strait islands closest to PNG (Saibai and Dauan). Its 'appearance' at these two sites is intermittent and damage levels are never as high as in the nearby communities in the Western Province of PNG. The majority of sugarcane plantings on Torres Strait islands are yellow and purple varieties of chewing cane (Saccharum officinarum) which is the host for all records reported here. Recent detection of Chilo crypsimetalla (Turner) on several islands in Torres Strait is reported, although this is not thought to be a pest of sugarcane.