The seasonal occurrence of the ladybird beetle Chilocorus rubidus Hope in Nagai Park, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan was investigated from May 26, 2010 to May 3, 2011. We examined the number of teneral adults, post-teneral adults, pupae, larvae, and egg masses on labeled Japanese apricot trees, Armeniaca mume that were infested with the scale insect, Eulecanium kunoense (Kuwana), a prey of the beetle.

The maximum number of pupae was observed on May 26, 2010; all adults had emerged by June 6. Subsequently, all the newly emerged adults dispersed from the trees, and no adult was discovered between summer and fall. The adults reappeared on December 2, 2010. These adults preyed, mated, and laid eggs during winter. Egg masses were first observed on December 23, and they continued to increase until March 4, 2011. Newly hatched larvae were first observed on March 13, 2011 and the maximum number of larvae was observed on April 7, 2010. These results revealed that the breeding season for the Osaka population of C. rubidus was during winter.

There is an increasing concern for invasion and establishment of exotic species which can change an ecological community that consists of many native species. Recently, a Taiwanese carpenter bee, Xylocopa tranquebarorum, has accidentally been introduced into the central Japan, and is now spreading to the wider area where a related native species, Xylocopa appendiculata circumvolans, occurs. However, it is little known about effect of the invasive bee on the related native bee. Then, I observed a flower-visiting behavior of these carpenter bees to Wisteria floribunda and W. brachybotrys (fuji in Japanese) at the central Japan in 2014. I found that the number of individuals that visited the flowers was similar between the two species, and the average staying time on a flower was also similar. However, in the native bee similar number of males and females visited the flowers, while most of individuals were females in the invasive bee. Morphological measurements showed that the invasive bee had a narrower pronotum, shorter forewings and a bit longer tongue, compared to the native bee. I discussed a causal mechanism of the female-biased sex ratio in the invasive bee.

Work to restore 421 affected specimens of Lepidoptera (Hesperioidea and

Papilionoidea) by tsunami of the Great East Japan Earthquake was carried out from 2011 to 2013. They had been housed in Rikuzentakata City Museum. A database of each specimen was made in accordance with GIBF format (Darwin Core).