Bionomic notes on parthenogenetic females and a record of parasitism by Forcipomyia Meigen (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) in the stick insect Cladoxerus cryphaleus (Westwood) (Phasmatodea: Phasmatidae)

ABSTRACT Stick insects (Phasmatodea) are among the least studied insect groups in Brazil. Although in recent years there has been an increase in the number of published studies on taxonomy and morphology of Brazilian stick insects, they remain very little-known concerning biological and bionomic aspects. From five females of Cladoxerus cryphaleus (Phasmatidae: Cladomorphinae) collected in the Iguaçu National Park, Paraná, Brazil, a captive colony of parthenogenetic females was started, based on which data on longevity, fertility, and viability of eggs of this species were recorded for the first time. After imaginal molting, the 21 females studied had an average longevity of 103.7 days. Each female produced on average 125.3 eggs, which had a hatching rate of 34.2%. In addition, we recorded a C. cryphaleus male nymph being parasitized by a biting midge of the subgenus Forcipomyia (Microhelea) (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae). The male, in pre-imaginal instar and already parasitized, was collected in the municipality of Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro.

Paxiximyia sulmatogrossensis, a new genus and species of Tachinidae (Diptera) reared from Urucumania borellii () (Phasmatodea: Pseudophasmatidae) collected in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

ABSTRACT A new genus and species of Tachinidae (Diptera), Paxiximyia sulmatogrossensis n. gen. and n. sp. , and its puparium are described. It was reared from the walking stick, Urucumania borellii (Giglio-Tos, 1897), collected in Aquidauana, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.

Studies on Brazilian Pseudophasmatidae (Phasmatodea) with the description of a new species of Agrostia Redtenbacher and new records for Metriophasma Uvarov and Parastratocles Redtenbacher

ABSTRACT Pseudophasmatidae currently includes 65 species recorded from Brazil. In this paper, we increase this number to 68 species by describing Agrostia flavimaculata sp. nov., based on male and female specimens from Acre and Amazonas states. Furthermore, Parastratocles multilineatus (Rehn) and Metriophasma (Metriophasma) diocles (Westwood) are recorded for the first time from Brazil based on specimens from Rondônia, Acre and Amazonas states. A key to species of Agrostia is also given.