The giant garden slug Limax maximus Linnaeus, 1758 (Limacidae, Pulmonata) is considered one of the most widely spread terrestrial molluscs in the world and is a formidable pest of agricultural and horticultural crops. This slug was recently introduced to Japan, where its population is now rapidly increasing and spreading. A naturalised population of L. maximus was first discovered in Hokkaido, Japan, in 2012 in the isolated natural forest of Maruyama Forest Park in Sapporo City, and the species has become common in this area. In the present study, we investigated observations of L. maximus reported by ordinary citizens acting as "citizen scientists" to assess the recent expansion of this invasive slug. We posted an announcement in the local newspaper requesting reports of the occurrence of L. maximus via e-mail and analysed 38 observations provided by local citizens. As a result of these reports, 16 naturalised populations of L. maximus were detected in Hokkaido, several of which were quite far from the original population in Sapporo City. Moreover, a terrestrial macrophagous leech, Orobdella kawakatsuorum Richardson, 1975 (Arhynchobdellida, Orobdellidae), is reported as a potential native predator of L. maximus for the first time.

Four new species of armored scale insect, Clavaspis selvaticasp. nov., Clavaspis virolaesp. nov., Davidsonaspis tovomitaesp. nov., and Rungaspis neotropicalissp. nov., are described and illustrated from Panama. We also transfer two previously described species of Panamanian Aspidiotini to new genera, Hemiberlesia crescentiae (Ferris) comb. nov. and Rungaspis rigida (Ferris) comb. nov., and report the first record of Selenaspidopsis browni Nakahara in Panama. A key to the species of Aspidiotini occurring in Panama is provided.

Five new species of armored scale insect from Argentina are described and illustrated based upon morphological and molecular evidence from adult females: Chortinaspis jujuyensissp. nov., Clavaspis patagonensissp. nov., Hemiberlesia ozolitasp. nov., Melanaspis lilloisp. nov., and Melanaspis targionoidessp. nov. The genera Chortinaspis and Melanaspis are recorded for the first time from this country. An identification key to all recorded species from tribe Aspidiotini occurring in Argentina is provided.

To date, there are 74 described species of armoured scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Diaspididae) whose only known hosts are bamboos (Poaceae: Bambuseae) and 12 armoured scale insect genera that consist mainly or entirely of bamboo feeders. Fully 71 of the species and all 12 of the genera are native to Asia. Another region where bamboos dominate the forest understory is southern South America, which has high diversity and endemism of bamboos of the genus Chusquea Kunth. We have sampled armoured scale insects from Chusquea from eight different sites in Chile and three sites in Argentina. The most common species were Prodigiaspis riverae (Cockerell) and a morphologically similar undescribed species. We sequenced fragments of four genetic loci from both species: the D2 region of the large ribosomal subunit (28S), elongation factor‐1 alpha (EF‐1α) and two mitochondrial regions, namely, a fragment of cytochrome oxidase I (COI) and a fragment spanning the parts of cytochrome oxidase I and II (COI–II). We conducted phylogenetic analyses of these sequences, together with previously published sequences of other Neotropical genera of the same tribe (Lepidosaphidini), including an undescribed species of the genus Prodigiaspis Ferris. The results show that the Chusquea‐feeding species, including P. riverae, comprise a clade that is closely related to the genus Pseudoparlatoria Cockerell and distant from the Prodigiaspis species. Here, we place them in the new genus Chusqueaspis Amouroux gen. nov., with a total of three species, two of which are described here for the first time: Chusqueaspis riverae (Cockerell), comb. nov.; Chusqueaspis patriciae Wei, Claps, Normark & Normark, sp. nov.; and Chusqueaspis gonzalezi Amouroux, Normark & Normark, sp. nov. We also describe a Prodigiaspis species as Prodigiaspis megalobus Normark & Normark, sp. nov. on Marila (Calophyllaceae). Illustrations of the adult females of each of the four species and a key to the species of the new genus are provided.