The species of Testudobrucon Quicke from eastern China are revised with four species recognized, including three new species: (Testudobracom flavus sp. n., Testudobracon guangxingtsis sp. n. and Testudobracon grandiventris sp. n.), The new species are fully described and illustrated. A key to species of this genus is also provided. The types and other specimens are deposited in the Collection of Parasitic Hymenoptera at the Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.

Leafminers are the most important insect pests of vegetables in Hangzhou area, Zhejiang province, Southeast China as well as in the rest of China, but have never been investigated for species composition, relative abundance and their associated parasitoids. A survey was conducted in four localities of Hangzhou area during 1998-2000 to determine the distribution of leafminers and their parasitoids on vegetable crops and weeds in the field. Over 20,000 leafminers were collected and reared. The leafminer species found were Liriomyza sativae, L. chinensis and Chromatomyia horticola, with C. horticola and L. sativae the most abundant in spring and autumn, respectively. About 11,000 parasitoid adults were reared from the leafminers collected. In total 14 hymenopteran species of four families (one braconid, 10 eulophids, one megaspilid and one pteromalid) were found. Eleven species were reared from C. horticola, nine from L. sativae and seven from L. chinensis. Opius caricivorae and Chrysocharis pentheus were the dominant species. Seven species were recorded from L. chinensis for the first time. Eleven parasitoid species were reared from leafminers on two weeds (Veronica undulata and Sonchus oleraceus). Parasitoids caused 48.5-68.8% parasitism on leafminers on crops and 83.7% parasitism on leafminers on weeds in the later growing season of vegetable crops. The results suggest that leafminer populations are regulated to a certain extent by their natural enemies in the field.

The effects of insect-resistant transgenic cotton on the diversity of arthropod communities in cotton fields in North China were investigated during 2000-2001. The field experiments were conducted in non-insecticide treated plots of transgenic cotton lines (SGK321, a transgenic cotton variety carrying Cry1A+CpTI genes; GK12, a transgenic cotton variety carrying the Cry1Ac gene) and their conventional parent varieties (Shiyuan 321 and Shimian 3, respectively), and in sprayed plots of the parent varieties where pyrethroid insecticides were used regularly against the cotton bollworm. All the arthropods were sucked up using a portable suction device and identified to species wherever possible. They were later sorted into guilds (pests, natural enemies and neutral arthropods) for diversity analysis using the method of Shannon's index. The diversity of arthropod communities in transgenic cotton plots was similar to that in conventional cotton fields without spraying, but Shannon's index for total arthropod community and the neutral arthropod guild in Bt cotton fields were significantly higher than those in sprayed plots in the mid and late growing stages of cotton. It is concluded that planting of Bt cotton could increase the stability of arthropod communities in cotton ecological systems and benefit the management of insect pests in cotton.

A new species of braconid wasp, Ecnomios flavus, is described. It represents the first record of the genus Ecnomios Mason as well as the subfamily Ecnomiinae in China.

A new genus, Cornutorogas gen. nov., and four new species, Cornutorogas orientalis Chen and Belokobyskij, sp. nov. (China, Vietnam), C. maetoi van Achterberg, sp. nov. (Thailand), C. javensis van Achterberg, sp. nov. (Java) and C. sumatrensis van Achterberg, sp. nov. (Sumatra), of the subfamily Rogadinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from the Oriental Region are described and illustrated. The placement of this genus in the Rogadini is discussed.