There are many examples of cryptic species that have been identified through DNA‐barcoding or other genetic techniques. There are, however, very few confirmations of cryptic species being reproductively isolated. This study presents one of the few cases of cryptic species that has been confirmed to be reproductively isolated and therefore true species according to the biological species concept. The cryptic species are of special interest because they were discovered within biological control agent populations. Two geographically isolated populations of Eccritotarsus catarinensis (Carvalho) [Hemiptera: Miridae], a biological control agent for the invasive aquatic macrophyte, water hyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms [Pontederiaceae], in South Africa, were sampled from the native range of the species in South America. Morphological characteristics indicated that both populations were the same species according to the current taxonomy, but subsequent DNA analysis and breeding experiments revealed that the two populations are reproductively isolated. Crossbreeding experiments resulted in very few hybrid offspring when individuals were forced to interbreed with individuals of the other population, and no hybrid offspring were recorded when a choice of mate from either population was offered. The data indicate that the two populations are cryptic species that are reproductively incompatible. Subtle but reliable diagnostic characteristics were then identified to distinguish between the two species which would have been considered intraspecific variation without the data from the genetics and interbreeding experiments. These findings suggest that all consignments of biological control agents from allopatric populations should be screened for cryptic species using genetic techniques and that the importation of multiple consignments of the same species for biological control should be conducted with caution.

The grain aphid Sitobion avenae is a prolific pest of cereal crops worldwide, controlled effectively with pyrethroid insecticides. However, the classic knock down resistance (kdr) mutation, L1014F on the S. avenae sodium channel gene, has been identified as the cause of the recently observed heterozygous (kdr-SR) resistance in the SA3 grain aphid super-clone. Results indicate that the kdr-SR SA3 clone can survive pyrethroid exposure above twice the normal field rate, continuing to reproduce thereafter. Additionally, the SA3 clone was found to be capable of producing sexual oviparous morphs, able to lay eggs following pyrethroid exposure. This demonstrates that possession of the L1014F mutation does not preclude the capacity to produce sexual morphs. This makes the adoption of an effective resistance management strategy imperative, within a wider integrated pest management (IPM) approach to control grain aphid.

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Objective and subjective components of resource value in lethal fights between male entomopathogenic nematodes ABSTRACT Males sometimes engage in fights over contested resources such as access to mates; in this case, fighting behaviour may be adjusted based on the value they place on the females.Resource value RV can have two components. Males can assess the quality of females, which constitutes an objective assessment of RV. Internal state such as previous mating experience can also influence motivation to fight thus constituting a subjective assessment of RV. If mating opportunities are scarce and available females have a major impact on the lifetime reproductive success of males, then fighting can be fatal; in this situation it is uncertain whether males would adjust fighting behaviour based on RV. We found that both female quality i.e., virginity (objective component of RV) and male mating status (subjective component of RV) influence fighting intensity between males of the entomopathogenic nematode Steinernema longicaudum which engage in lethal fights. Male nematodes were more likely to engage in fighting and fought longer and more frequently in the presence of virgin (high quality) females than in the presence of mated (lower quality) females. Male mating status was also found to influence fighting behaviour; mated males were the winners in staged fights between mated and virgin males. Mated males may have superior fighting ability (enhanced resource holding potential RHP), but RV asymmetries between mated and virgin males cannot be excluded. Males were more likely to win when they were resident, but we did not find a significant interaction effect between male mating and residency status.

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