A survey of the floors of 3001 empty sea cargo containers in storage was undertaken to estimate the quarantine risk of importing exotic insect pests into Australia, with special reference to pests of timber. More than 7400 live and dead insects were collected from 1174 containers. No live infestations of timber‐feeding insects were recorded, but feeding damage detected in one floor indicates a low risk of importing colonies of timber pests in containers. The survey collection of dead insects demonstrates that containers are regularly exposed to economically important quarantinable insects, including timber pests (bostrichids, curculionids, cerambycids, siricids and termites), agricultural pests (including Adoretus sinicus, Adoretus sp., Carpophilus obsoletus and Philaenus spumarius), and nuisance pests (vespids and Solenopsis sp.). Stored product pests were found in more than 10% of containers. The assessment of pest risk associated with shipping containers is discussed in terms of the quantity and quality of opportunities for exotic insects to establish via this pathway.

We sampled a pest fruit fly species, the Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni, across its entire ecological range in eastern Australia, from ancestral high-density populations in tropical regions through to isolated outbreak populations in marginal arid areas. Using DNA microsatellite markers, we found that in ancestral areas, population differentiation was low and populations were genetically homogeneous over large distances. In more temperate areas, populations were far more genetically differentiated but there was no pattern of isolation-by-distance (no drift/migration equilibrium). Genetic drift appeared to be the major influence on population differentiation. The transition between these extremes was abrupt and unexpectedly far from the species border. Limited geographic structuring among the non-equilibrium populations was apparent from patterns of genetic differentiation, patterns of allelic richness and an ordination analysis. Our results also suggested that there might be recurring migration of flies into a neighbouring quarantine area.

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A review of the genus Aleurocanthus in Australia recognises 22 species, of which eleven new species are described here- A. ashleyi sp. n., A. callistemonus sp. n., A. coombsi sp. n., A. gullanae sp. n., A. laurenae sp. n., A. maculatus sp. n., A.mcneili sp. n., A. neofroggatti sp. n., A. octospinosum sp. n., A. sapindus sp. n. and A. schmidti sp. n. recorded from theAustralian mainland for the first time is A. luteus Martin, whilst the presence of A. woglumi Ashby is confirmed from anAustralian territory (Christmas Island, Indian Ocean) and from Daru Island in the Torres Strait. Distributional, biological and host data are presented for Aleurocanthus species in Australia, and a key to species is given.

A second Australian species of Parabaliothrips Priesner is described, P. newmani, forming male aggregations on the leaf buds of Moreton Bay fig, Ficus macrophylla (Moraceae). The genus, predominantly south‐east Asian, is redefined and a key provided to the five described species. Members of this genus feed on leaves across a wide range of plant families, although each species is host specific. The host plant of the previously known Australian species, P. setifer Karny, is newly recognised as Leucopogon lanceolatus (Epacridaceae), and different south‐east Asian species are associated with species of Betulaceae, Hamamelidaceae and Fagaceae.