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Two New Species Of False Click Beetles (Coleoptera: Eucnemidae) From The Americas, Robert L. Otto

Insecta Mundi

Abstract

Identifications of recently collected Eucnemidae (Coleoptera: Elateroidea) borrowed from two collections have resulted in the discovery of two new species: Entomophthalmus abbreviatus Otto (Cuba) and Trigonopleurus cordobaalfaroi Otto (Guatemala and Louisiana, United States). Images of the two newly described species along with two New World Entomophthalmus Bonvouloir species for comparative purposes are included.

Resumen

Las identificaciones de Eucnemidae (Coleoptera: Elateroidea) recolectados recientemente tomados de dos colecciones han resultado en el descubrimiento de dos nuevas especies: Entomophthalmus abbreviatus Otto (Cuba) y Trigonopleurus cordobaalfaroi Otto (Guatemala y Louisiana, United States). Se incluyen imágenes de las dos especies recientemente descritas junto con …

Protocol And Results From The First Season Of Captive-Rearing Whooping Cranes For A Non-Migratory Release In Louisiana, Glenn H. Olsen, Jane N. Chandler

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The principal historic range of the whooping crane (Grus americana) consisted of the tall grass prairies and wetlands of southwest Louisiana, Texas, and parts of Mexico (Allen 1952). Whooping cranes migrated there from Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Dakotas, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and breeding grounds of the remnant flock in and near Wood Buffalo National Park, Canada.

Space Use, Daily Movements, And Roosting Behavior Of Male Wild Turkeys During Spring In Louisiana And Texas, John T. Gross, Andrew R. Little, Bret A. Collier, Michael J. Chamberlain

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Because wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) are an important game species and turkey hunter numbers are increasing, the need for better information on how turkeys use their environment is critical. With the recent advent of GPS technology suitable for use on wild turkeys, we are now able to collect data on a scale not previously possible. We used backpack style GPS units to detail home range and core area sizes, daily movement distances, and roosting characteristics of male Eastern (M. g. silvestris) and Rio Grande (M. g. intermedia) wild turkeys in Louisiana and Texas. Mean …

Home Ranges And Habitat Use Of Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus Occidentalis) In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, D. Tommy King, Buddy L. Goatchter, Justin W. Fischer, John Stanton, James M. Lacour, Scott C. Lemmons, Guiming Wang

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Little is known about movements and habitat use of Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) in the northern Gulf of Mexico. We attached satellite transmitters to 18 adult Brown Pelicans (nine males, nine females) that were captured on Grand Isle along the Louisiana coast during 31 August-2 September 2010. Their movements and habitat use were tracked between September 2010 and March 2012. Nine of the Brown Pelicans remained proximate to the Louisiana coast; four ranged along the coasts of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana; three moved from Louisiana to Texas; and two migrated across the Gulf of Mexico to the Yucatan Peninsula. …

Influence Of Fipronil Compounds And Rice-Cultivation Land-Use Intensity On Macroinvertebrate Communities In Streams Of Southwestern Louisiana, Usa, Scott V. Mize, Stephen D. Porter, Dennis K. Demcheck

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Laboratory tests of fipronil and its degradation products have revealed acute lethal toxicity at very low concentrations (LC₅₀) of <0.5 μg/L to selected aquatic macroinvertebrates. In streams draining basins with intensive rice cultivation in southwestern Louisiana, USA, concentrations of fipronil compounds were an order of magnitude larger than the LC₅₀. The abundance (p=-0.64; p=0.015) and taxa richness (r²=0.515, p<0.005) of macroinvertebrate communities declined significantly with increases in concentrations of fipronil compounds and rice-cultivation land-use intensity. Macroinvertebrate community tolerance scores increased linearly (r²=0.442, p < 0.005) with increases in the percentage of rice cultivation in the basins, indicating increasingly degraded stream conditions. Similarly, macroinvertebrate community-tolerance scores increased rapidly as fipronil concentrations approached about 1 μg/L. Pesticide toxicity index determinations indicated that aquatic macroinvertebrates respond to a gradient of fipronil compounds in water although stream size and habitat cannot be ruled out as contributing influences.

Effects Of Aversive Conditioning On Behavior Of Nuisance Louisiana Black Bears, Jennifer Leigh, Michael J. Chamberlain

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Complaints associated with nuisance activity by Louisiana black bears (Ursus americanus luteolus) in south Louisiana have steadily increased since 2000, demanding intervention by state and federal agencies. As a federally threatened species, Louisiana black bears that are a nuisance require nonlethal management, referred to as aversive conditioning. We used rubber buckshot and dogs to test the effectiveness of management techniques used by the state of Louisiana to deter nuisance bear activity. We captured 11 bears in residential and industrial areas where nuisance bear activity was reported. We fitted bears with radio-transmitting collars and released them within 2 km …

Historical Notes On Whooping Cranes At White Lake, Louisiana: The John J. Lynch Interviews, 1947-1948, Gay M. Gomez, Roderick C. Drewien, Mary Lynch Courville

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

In May 1939 biologist John J. Lynch of the U.S. Bureau of Biological Survey conducted an aerial survey that documented the existence of a non-migratory population of whooping cranes (Grus americana) near White Lake in southwest Louisiana. Lynch found 13 cranes, including 2 pre-fledged young, confirming breeding. Lynch’s survey occurred, in part, because fur trappers and alligator hunters working in the White Lake marshes had informed the biologist of the cranes’ presence and habits. Lynch continued his contacts with these knowledgeable marsh users, and in 1947 and 1948 interviewed at least 7 individuals. In 2001, M. L. Courville, …

A Floristic Quality Assessment System For The Coastal Prairie Of Louisiana, Larry Allain, Latimore Smith, Charles Allen, Malcolm F. Vidrine, James B. Grace

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Evaluation systems to assess the biotic integrity of plant communities exist for some ecosystems, but not the increasingly rare coastal prairies of Louisiana. A list of plant species occurring in Louisiana's coastal prairie was created and coefficients of conservatism (C) were assigned for each species. A Floristic Quality Index (FQI), which is calculated using the C values provided by a panel of experts, can be used to evaluate prairie remnants and restorations. We assigned C values from 0-10 based on their estimated degree of association with prairies of various levels of natural quality and their tolerance of disturbance. Those species …

Genetic Variation In Black Bears In Arkansas And Louisiana Using Microsatellite Dna Markers, Ildiki Csiki, Cynthia Lam, Audie Key, Erica Coulter, Joseph D. Clark, Richard M. Pace Iii, Kimberley G. Smith, Douglas D. Rhoads

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

In the 1950s and 1960s, translocation projects reintroduced black bears (Ursus americanus) from Minnesota and Manitoba to Arkansas and Louisiana. Today, several geographically disconnected populations exist in Arkansas and Louisiana, but their origins are unclear. Some populations may represent a separate subspecies, U. a. luteolus, which is federally protected. We characterized 5 microsatellite loci in 5 isolated populations in Arkansas and Louisiana and compared them with genotypes from Minnesota. Our data indicate that bears of the Ozark and Ouachita mountains of Arkansas, an inland area of Louisiana, and those of Minnesota are similar in overall genetic diversity …

Distribution, Abundance And Habitat Use Of American White Pelicans In The Delta Region Of Mississippi And Along The Western Gulf Of Mexico Coast, D. Tommy King, Thomas C. Michot

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Aerial surveys of American White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) were conducted over coastal Louisiana and the delta region of Mississippi on 1-2 days during December, February, and April each year from 1997 to 1999. Additional surveys were conducted in coastal Texas and Mexico during January 1998 and 1999. The numbers, location, and habitat of all pelicans observed were recorded. The coastal zone of Louisiana consistently had higher numbers of pelicans (18,000 to 35,000 birds) than other areas surveyed (3,000 to 8,000 birds), indicating that Louisiana may be the most important wintering area for American White Pelicans east of the …

Daily Activity Budgets And Population Size Of American White Pelicans Wintering In South Louisiana And The Delta Region Of Mississippi, D. Tommy King, Scott J. Werner

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Twenty-one American White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) were captured and fitted with radio-transmitters in South Louisiana and the delta region o f Mississippi during the winter and early spring of 1994-1997. The pelicans were monitored to determine their daily activity budgets while using different habitats such as catfish ponds, crawfish ponds, rivers, lakes, and bayous. Pelicans foraging at catfish ponds spent about 4% of their day foraging and 96% loafing, while pelicans foraging in other habitats spent about 28% of their day foraging and 72% loafing. For an individual bird, the mean number of foraging sessions per day was …

Whooping Cranes Breeding At White Lake, Louisiana, 1939: Observations By John J. Lynch, U. S. Bureau Of Biological Survey, Roderick C. Drewien, John Tautin, Mary Lynch Courville, Gay M. Gomez

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

On 15 May 1939, Jo1m J. Lynch of the U.S. Bureau of Biological Survey located l3 whooping cranes (Grus americana), including 2 prefledged young, during an aerial survey near White Lake in southwestern Louisiana. His observation was the last historic record of whooping cranes breeding in the wild in the United States, and it confinned the presence of a nonmigratory breeding population along the Gulf Coast. While reviewing old U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service files at the National Archives in 1999, we located Lynch's original 1939 field note, 2 letters, 5 photographs, and a draft manuscript describing the …

Whooping Cranes In Southwest Louisiana: History And Human Attitudes, Gay M. Gomez

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

When whooping cranes (Grus americana) inhabited southwest Louisiana's coastal marshes, residents viewed them as a food source and a crop pest, and shooting was commonplace. Local attitudes have changed as a result of education, stricter law enforcement, and decreased dependence on wildlife for subsistence, but hunting remains widespread. A 1977 proposal to reintroduce whooping cranes to southwest Louisiana generated strong opposition from the Louisiana Wild Life and Fisheries Commission (now Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries), based on concerns about critical habitat and its likely impact on waterfowl hunting and other traditional marsh uses. These concerns remain, though …

Survey And Reconnaissance Of Sea Turtles In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Larry Ogren

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

This is a report on the results of an aerial survey of nesting beaches conducted during the period from May 16, 1977 to August 11, 1977. The area covered included the barrier beaches and offshore islands from the Florida-Alabama state line to the Rio Grande, Texas. Additional historical information is provided in order to compare current nesting activity with previous years as well as anecdotal observations on the occurrence of sea turtles in this region.