Qing-Song Zhou

本文首次报道拟熊无垫蜂Amegilla (Glossamegilla) pseudobomboides (Meade-Waldo, 1914)在中国湖北省、江西省和重庆市新分布记录。简要描述其外部形态，并提供其雌、雄个体的整体侧面观和头部正面观，标本保存于中国科学院动物研究所国家动物标本资源库。

Honeybees require diverse nutrients for larval growth, adult development, and colony health. Pollen quality significantly impacts reproduction, productivity, and growth. Bioactive substances from honeybee glands enhance colony health, with recent studies showing that optimal citric acid intake extends lifespan, boosts pollen consumption, accelerates mandibular gland development, and improves royal jelly quality. This review examines organic acid feeding’s effects on gland development and overall health, offering insights for beekeeping and supplementary food development to support sustainable apiculture. Research gaps in organic acid supplementation, gland development, and health benefits are identified. The impact of varying organic acid concentrations on 10-HDA biosynthesis in mandibular glands and key regulatory proteins influencing 10-HDA expression is summarized. Findings highlight the benefits of organic acid supplements for worker bee gland development and health, guiding future research and practical applications in beekeeping.

Predatory insects play a crucial role in maintaining ecosystem balance. Among them, members of the subfamily Zethinae, as natural enemies of herbivorous pests, have reproductive success closely linked to nest architecture, as this limits their prey items. We set up trap nests for Discoelius wangi Yamane, 1996 in a subtropical forest in southwestern China to investigate the effects of nest architecture parameters (number of intercalary cells, nest diameter, and vestibule length) on the number of brood cells, the quantity of male and female offspring, and emergence rate via generalized linear models and hierarchical partitioning. The results showed that for the number of nest cells, only the number of intercalary cells had a significant positive effect. For the quantity of male and female offspring, nest diameter, and the number of intercalary cells had significant positive effects on female offspring, while males were only significantly positively affected by the number of intercalary cells. For emergence rates, female emergence rate was marginally significantly affected by nest diameter, male emergence rate was marginally significantly affected by the number of intercalary cells, and total emergence rate was significantly influenced by vestibular length and the number of intercalary cells. This study indicates that D. wangi can adjust its nest characteristics to achieve precise regulation of reproductive performance. The results not only enhance our understanding of how human activities affect predatory insects in forest ecosystems but also provide a scientific basis for developing effective conservation and utilization strategies.

Xylocopinae, a diverse bee subfamily comprising over 1,000 bee species, and also a major model system for studying the pollination and evolution of sociality. The lack of chromosome-level genome assembly resources for the Xylocopinae limits our research of their biology and evolution. Here, we provided the first pseudo-chromosomes genome assembly of the Xylocopa dejeanii combined PacBio CLR long reads, Illumina sequences, and Hi-C data. The final genome is 194.44 Mb located in 16 chromosomes. Our assembly includes 141 scaffolds, with a scaffold N50 length of 13.15 Mb. BUSCO analysis revealed 99.00% completeness. Genome annotation identified 28.27 Mb of repetitive elements, 10,970 protein-coding genes, and 432 ncRNAs. This high-quality X. dejeanii assembly advances our understanding of Xylocopinae genomics and provides new insights into bee evolution.

The digger wasp genus Cerceris represents an important transition from predacious hymenopterans to the bees. Here, we present a refined genome assembly of Cerceris sabulosa. A drone specimen was sequenced using the Oxford Nanopore platform and polished by Illumina paired-end reads. The assembled genome size was 372.7 Mb, including 587 contigs (N50 = 6.6 Mb), with 99.4% of BUSCO genes present in the assembly. A total of 12,425 protein-coding genes were annotated. In addition, 140.3 Mb of repeat elements and 938 noncoding RNAs were identified. Genome evolution analysis showed that many genes related to binding had experienced significant expansion. Our new genome assembly builds the foundation for in-depth research on evolutionary adaptation and lifestyle transition in Cerceris species.

Parotis Hübner, 1831 is a genus within the family Crambidae, which is recognized as one of the most diverse families of Lepidoptera. Species within the genus Parotis can be readily distinguished from other closely related genera by their distinctive green or yellow-green body coloration. However, the genus Parotis has received relatively limited research attention, and the scarcity of genome-wide molecular resources has impeded a more comprehensive understanding of its evolution, adaptation, and phylogenetic relationships. This study reports the first genome assembly for Parotis chlorochroalis (Hampson, 1912), generated through PacBio Hi-Fi and Hi-C sequencing technologies. The assembled genome has a size of 456.23 Mb, comprising 31 chromosomes. Approximately 181.82 Mb, which constitutes 39.85% of the genome, has been identified as repetitive sequences. The genome assembly includes 16,299 protein-coding genes, of which 94.82% have been functionally annotated. This chromosome-level genome assembly not only advance understanding of P. chlorochroalis but also has the potential to facilitate genomic studies of other lepidopteran species.

The type specimens of Anthophorinae described by Yan-Ru Wu in the Beijing Institute of the Zoological Museum of the Chinese National Animal Collection Resource Center are reviewed. Primary types of 47 taxa are illustrated, and detailed information on each taxon is provided. New synonymies are also established for Amegilla (Glossamegilla) himalajensis (Radoszkowski, 1882) = Amegilla (Glossamegilla) hainanensis Wu, 2000, syn. nov., Anthophora (Petalosternon) hanseni Morawitz, 1883 = Anthophora (Paramegilla) codentata Wu, 2000, syn. nov., Anthophora (Paramegilla) solskyi Fedchenko, 1875 = Anthophora (Caranthophora) amegilloides Wu, 2000, syn. nov., Anthophora (Clisodon) furcata ssp. montislinguarum Schulz, 1906 = Clisodon xinjiangensis Wu, 1985, syn. nov., Elaphropoda percarinata (Cockerell, 1930) = Elaphropoda tienmushanensis Wu, 1979, syn. nov.. Habrophorula rubigolabralis Wu, 2000 is removed from Habrophorula forming new combination Habropoda rubigolabralis (Wu, 2000), comb. nov..

Ourapteryx is widely distributed in the Palearctic and Oriental regions, with the highest species diversity found in China. As of 2024, 95 described species have been recorded globally; however, no comprehensive revision of this genus has been published. Identifying Ourapteryx species based solely on wing patterns is challenging due to their extreme similarity, often leading to frequent misidentifications and the oversight of cryptic species. In this study, we utilized 68 morphological species, along with 1050 COI sequences, to develop an integrative taxonomy for Ourapteryx . This taxonomy integrates morphological, molecular, distributional, and ecological evidences. Our findings identified nine candidate species (labeled as sp1–sp7, O. horishana and O. brachycerca ), increasing the total number of recognized species from 68 to 77. Using this updated checklist, we compared four molecular delimitation methods against the outcomes of morphological taxonomy. The analysis indicated that a 2% threshold produced the highest efficiency. Additionally, we explored the reasons behind morpho‐molecular discordance and the presence of hidden species. Our study underscores the importance and reliability of integrative taxonomy, which relies on multiple lines of evidence for accurate species identification and classification.

The choice of trap in entomological surveys affects the composition of captured insects, though previous comparative studies have been limited in the types of composition measured, and the effects of environmental context. We assessed the sampling bias of several traps commonly used in pollinator monitoring: blue, yellow, and white pan traps, and blue vane traps, towards different taxonomic and functional groups and their efficiency in measuring taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity. Analyses were performed in monoculture and mixed forests to understand the environmental context of trap efficiency. We found that blue pan traps generally outperformed other types in bee capture and exhibited a preference for Halictidae bees. Blue pan traps yielded the highest species richness and phylogenetic diversity, while blue vane traps captured the highest functional richness. Bias differences were frequently detected in mixed forests compared with monoculture forests. We also found the combination of blue vane and pan traps consistently correlated highest with a complete survey among two-method combinations. Based on our findings, we recommend a combination of blue vane and pan traps to obtain a more comprehensive bee collection in an efficient manner. Additionally, it is crucial to consider habitat type when designing bee trapping protocols to ensure an accurate representation of bee communities.