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First Records Of The Fulgoroid Planthoppers Cixidia Fusca And Synecdoche Impunctata (Hemiptera: Achilidae) From Missouri, Lawrence Barringer, Claire Ciafre

Insecta Mundi

Cixidia fusca and Synecdoche impunctata (Hemiptera: Achilidae) are reported from Missouri for the first time, new state records. Ecological and trapping information is also provided.

Nueva Especie De Conognatha Eschscholtz (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) De Brasil, Cristian Pineda, Rafael Barros

Insecta Mundi

Se describe e ilustra Conognatha (Pithiscus) caparaoensis Pineda y Barros n. sp. (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), proveniente del sudeste de Brasil.

Conognatha (Pithiscus) caparaoensis Pineda and Barros n. sp. (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), from southeast Brazil is described and illustrated.

First Record Of Myrmarachne Formicaria (De Geer) (Araneae: Salticidae) In Pennsylvania, Lawrence Barringer

Insecta Mundi

Myrmarachne formicaria (De Geer) (Araneae: Salticidae) is reported from Pennsylvania for the first time, new state record. Seventeen specimens were collected in Lindgren funnel and bucket traps during 2016. This connects the two reported ranges of this species in Ohio and New York.

A New Neotropical Genus In The Laemophloeidae, With Notes On Phloeolaemus Casey (Coleoptera: Cucujoidea), Michael C. Thomas

Insecta Mundi

The genus Paraphloeolaemus Thomas (Coleoptera: Cucujoidea: Laemophloeidae) is described for two new Neotropical species, P. vorticosus Thomas, new species, and P. pterosiagon Thomas, new species. Diagnoses and illustrations are provided.

The following 16 species are transferred from Laemophloeus Dejean (s. l.) to Phloeolaemus Casey: Phloeolaemus anticus (Sharp, 1899: 518) [= Laemophloeus anticus Sharp, 1899], new combination; Phloeolaemus boops (Sharp, 1899: 517) [= Laemophloeus boops Sharp, 1899], new combination; Phloeolaemus castaneipennis (Grouvelle, 1876: 494) [= Laemophloeus castaneipennis Grouvelle, 1876: 494], new combination; Phloeolaemus championi (Sharp, 1899: 516) [= Laemophloeus championi Sharp, 1899], new combination; Phloeolaemus curtus …

Bruchidae Of Chile (Insecta: Coleoptera), John M. Kingsolver, Juan E. Barriga Tuñón, Jesús Romero Nápoles, Michael C. Thomas

Insecta Mundi

Species descriptions, keys to genera and species, and geographical distributions are presented for 43 species of the family Bruchidae (Coleoptera: Chrysomeloidea) for Chile. Of these species, seven are described as new: Acanthoscelides aricae sp. nov., Lithraeus chillan sp. nov., L. comptus sp. nov., L. elguetai sp. nov., L. limari sp. nov., L. lonquimay sp. nov., and L. penai sp. nov. Eight species are endemic to Chile. A list of true host plants and floral records for those with known host associations is presented. Habitus photographs and drawings of pertinent body parts, including male genitalia, are provided. References pertaining to the …

The Butterflies (Lepidoptera, Papilionoidea) Of Tobago, West Indies: An Updated And Annotated Checklist, Matthew J.W. Cock

Insecta Mundi

Six annotated lists are presented: A, a checklist of the butterf ies (Lepidoptera, Papilionoidea) of Tobago (150 species); B, species for which there are no records in the last 80 years (49 species); C, species needing confirmation from Tobago (5 species); D, species not accepted from Tobago (12 species); E, species which are likely to occur in Tobago, but have not been recorded (6 species); and F, species and subspecies recorded from Tobago, but not from Trinidad (2 species and 2 subspecies). Remarkably, 33% of the 150 recorded species have not been reported in the last 80 years. While it …

Description Of The Female Of Callichroma Magnificum Napp And Martins, 2009 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae: Callichromatini), Carlos Taboada-Verona, Juan Pablo Botero, Antonio Santos-Silva

Insecta Mundi

The female of Callichroma magnificum Napp and Martins, 2009 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae: Callichromatini) is described and illustrated for the fi rst time. The geographical distribution of the species is expanded to the Colombian Caribbean and information on the collection site is provided.

The Genus Tomarus Erichson (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae: Pentodontini) In Argentina, Chile, And Uruguay, Jhon César Neita-Moreno, Brett C. Ratcliffe

Insecta Mundi

The eight species in the genus Tomarus Erichson (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay are reviewed. Tomarus roigjunenti new species and Tomarus spinipenis new species are described from Argentina. We include a key to species, representative habitus illustrations for all species, character illustrations, and distribution maps for each, as well as commentary about the natural history and distributions for each species. Diagnostic characters are discussed for each species, and species relationships are hypothesized based on the analysis of internal and external morphological characters. The male of T. bidentulus (Fairmaire) is described for fi rst time. The following taxonomic changes …

Evolution: A Divine Interaction Between God And Creation, Hanna V. Larracas

Selected Honors Theses

The purpose of this paper is to provide a framework through relational theology for understanding the randomness evident in genetic variation which is an element within evolution. I propose that evolution can be incorporated into a theology of creation by placing evolution in context of the interaction of love between God and creation when interpreted through a framework of relational theology. Relational theology, as engaging God as primarily self-giving and holistically hospitable (towards God’s self in the Trinity and towards creation), provides space for a theological understanding of randomness genetic variation and mutation within the evolutionary process. Chapter 1 discusses …

Salting Our Freshwater Lakes, Hilary A. Dugan, Sarah L. Bartlett, Samantha M. Burke, Jonathan P. Doubek, Flora Krivak-Tetley

Dartmouth Scholarship

The highest densities of lakes on Earth are in north temperate ecosystems, where increasing urbanization and associated chloride runoff can salinize freshwaters and threaten lake water quality and the many ecosystem services lakes provide. However, the extent to which lake salinity may be changing at broad spatial scales remains unknown, leading us to first identify spatial patterns and then investigate the drivers of these patterns. Significant decadal trends in lake salinization were identified using a dataset of long-term chloride concentrations from 371 North American lakes. Landscape and climate metrics calculated for each site demonstrated that impervious land cover was a …

Psychobiology Of Ingestive Behavior Of Herbivores, Juan J. Villalba

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

This article describes the process of food selection and consumption in herbivores based on smell, taste, and touch.

Disease Introduction By Aboriginal Humans In North America And The Pleistocene Extinction, Zachary D. Nickell, Matthew D. Moran

Journal of Ecological Anthropology

While overhunting and climate change have been the major hypotheses to explain the late-Pleistocene New World megafaunal extinctions, the role of introduced disease has only received brief attention. Here, we review pre-Columbian diseases endemic to aboriginal Americans and evaluate their potential to cause large-scale mortality in Pleistocene mammals. Of the probable communicable diseases present in pre-Columbian times, we regard anthrax and tuberculosis as viable candidates. These two diseases demonstrate characteristics that could have made them deadly to immunologically naïve populations. Introduced disease, as a primary cause or interacting with overhunting and climate change, could have contributed to the decline and …

Gregariousness Does Not Vary With Geography, Developmental Stage, Or Group Relatedness In Feeding Redheaded Pine Sawfly Larvae, John W. Terbot Ii, Ryan L. Gaynor, Catherine R. Linnen

Biology Faculty Publications

Aggregations are widespread across the animal kingdom, yet the underlying proximate and ultimate causes are still largely unknown. An ideal system to investigate this simple, social behavior is the pine sawfly genus Neodiprion, which is experimentally tractable and exhibits interspecific variation in larval gregariousness. To assess intraspecific variation in this trait, we characterized aggregative tendency within a single widespread species, the redheaded pine sawfly (N. lecontei). To do so, we developed a quantitative assay in which we measured interindividual distances over a 90-min video. This assay revealed minimal behavioral differences: (1) between early-feeding and late-feeding larval instars, …

Pattern And Process In The Radiation Of Ground-Dwelling Squirrels, Bryan Stephen Mclean

Biology ETDs

What causes biological diversity to be unevenly apportioned across the Tree of Life? The pattern is widespread and well-characterized; but our understanding of processes underlying the taxonomic, phenotypic, and ecological disparities of clades remains incomplete. At least some of this disparity is due to clade-specific differences in the ability to respond to ecological opportunity, whereby access to, and exploitation of, different resources in ecological time drives evolutionary divergence and adaptive radiation. However, not all clades respond equivalently to ecological opportunity, and considerable heterogeneity therefore exists in diversification patterns across radiations.

This dissertation focuses on patterns and processes of diversification in …

Time Lags Associated With Effects Of Oceanic Conditions On Seabird Breeding In The Salish Sea Region Of The Northern California Current System, Rashida S. Smith, Lynelle M. Weldon, James L. Hayward, Shandelle M. Henson

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Parasitism Of Free-Ranging Neotropical Primates: Examining Parasite-Host And Parasite-Parasite Relationships, Gideon A. Erkenswick

Dissertations

Parasites are infectious agents that require resources from host organisms to complete all or part of their lifecycles. It is customary for wild animals to acquire and maintain multiple parasitic infections during their lifetime. The effects of parasites on hosts vary across demographic and environmental variables, and in relation to each other. Moreover, the propensity for a host animal to acquire an infection can be influenced by other host species in the area that are susceptible to the same parasites. This dissertation describes and explores the natural parasite assemblage of a free-ranging community of nonhuman primates in the Peruvian Amazon …

The Epistemic Status Of Moral Conceptual Truths, Kara D. Boschert

Theses

Evolutionary debunking arguments assume that morality could, conceptually speaking, be about anything. A response to this contention is that there are some moral conceptual truths which counter assertions that we could be in error about basic moral truths. According to proponents of moral conceptual truths, some things, by definition, cannot count as moral. Putative moral conceptual truths, such as “stealing is wrong,” are thought to enjoy a privileged epistemic status because anyone who denies them forfeits their ability to engage in competent moral reasoning. This paper explores whether moral conceptual truths can offer a satisfactory response to the debunkers’ premise …

Five New Species Of Chrysina Kirby (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae), David C. Hawks

Insecta Mundi

Five new species of Chrysina Kirby (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae) are described from Costa Rica, Panama, and Mexico: Chrysina falcifera Hawks, C. galbina Hawks, C. juxtaprasina Hawks, C. paulseni Hawks, and C. sagacita Hawks.

Development Of Site Fidelity In The Nocturnal Amblypygid, Phrynus Marginemaculatus, Jacob M. Graving, Verner P. Bingman, Eileen Hebets, Daniel D. Wiegmann

Eileen Hebets Publications

Amblypygids are capable of navigation in the complex terrain of rainforests in near complete darkness. Path integration is unnecessary for successful homing, and the alternative mechanisms by which they navigate have yet to be elucidated. Here, our aims were to determine whether the amblypygid Phrynus marginemaculatus could be trained to reliably return to a target shelter in a laboratory arena—indicating goal recognition—and to document changes in behavior associated with the development of fidelity. We recorded nocturnal movements and space use by individuals over five nights in an arena in which subjects were provided with two shelters that differed in quality. …

Four New Species Of Chrysina Kirby (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae) From Guatemala And Honduras, José Monzón Sierra

Insecta Mundi

Four new species of the genus Chrysina Kirby (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae) are described from cloud forests of Guatemala and Honduras. The Guatemalan species are C. alexae n. sp. from Purulhá, Baja Verapáz in the central mountains and C. woodruffi n. sp. from Bulej, Huehuetenango in Los Cuchumatanes Mountains at elevations from 1500 to 2000 meters. The species from Honduras are C. antonkozlovi n. sp. from Celaque, Lempira and C. maishei n. sp. from El Güisayote, Ocotepeque, at elevations between 2000 and 2600 meters above sea level.

Se describen cuatro especies nuevas del género Chrysina Kirby (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae) de …

Nutritional Plasticity In Gray Treefrogs: Interactions Between Competition And Predation Threat, Troy C. Neptune, Sarah S. Bouchard

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

Anurans utilize digestive tradeoffs to best survive in their environment, often in response to competition and predation pressure. In some larval anurans, intraspecific competition induces longer guts, providing a digestive advantage under limiting resources. However, predation threat can induce deeper tails and associated shorter guts in larvae. The purpose of this study was to describe nutritionally plastic responses of larval eastern gray treefrogs, Hyla versicolor, reared with simultaneous environmental stressors: predation and competition. Specifically, we asked if larval guts lengthen to increase digestive efficiency or will tail morphology change to better evade predators? H. versicolor larvae were reared in …

Mating Patterns And Post-Mating Isolation In Three Cryptic Species Of The Engystomops Petersi Species Complex, Paula A. Trillo, Andrea E. Narvaez, Santiago R. Ron, Kim L. Hoke

Biology Faculty Publications

Determining the extent of reproductive isolation in cryptic species with dynamic geographic ranges can yield important insights into the processes that generate and maintain genetic divergence in the absence of severe geographic barriers. We studied mating patterns, propensity to hybridize in nature and subsequent fertilization rates, as well as survival and development of hybrid F₁ offspring for three nominal species of the Engystomops petersi species complex in Yasuní National Park, Ecuador. We found at least two species in four out of six locations sampled, and 14.3% of the wild pairs genotyped were mixed-species (heterospecific) crosses. We also found reduced …

Phylogenetic And Ecological Analysis Of Two Populations Of The Kitsatchie Painted Crayfish, Orconectes Maletae (Decapoda: Cambaridae), Larrimy Beth Brown

Biology Theses

The primary aim of this study was to assess the conservation status of the East Texas population of the Kistachie Painted Crayfish, Orconectes maletae. Orconectes maletae has been given a Global Heritage Ranking of G2, or imperiled, because of population declines in the Kisatchie Bayou drainage in Louisiana; however, similar data for Texas is lacking. For the current study, surveys of 25 historical sites in Texas were conducted in the Cypress Creek and Caddo Lake drainage from June to August 2014 and revealed that O. maletae was either absent or in low enough abundance to evade detection at close …

Determination Of Metal Concentrations In Sediments Of Big Walnut Creek, Hayley Quinn, Joan M. Esson, Kierra M. Lathrop, Michael A. Hoggarth, Kevin Svitana, Nathan Hess

Undergraduate Distinction Papers

The freshwater mussel populations in the lower stretch of Big Walnut Creek in central Ohio have been found to vary along the run of the creek with the lowest population of mussels in the middle stretch. One possible cause for the decline is the presence of contaminants in the sediments of the creek. In this study, nine Sites along the creek were examined. At each Site, sediment samples from a pool region and two quadrants from where mussels were also studied (the area of interest) were collected, along with pseudo feces, which is the waste mussels produce as they filter …

Does High Relatedness Promote Cheater-Free Multicellularity In Synthetic Lifecycles?, R F. Inglis, E Ryu, O Asikhia, Joan E. Strassmann, David C. Queller

Biology Faculty Research

The evolution of multicellularity is one of the key transitions in evolution and requires extreme levels of cooperation between cells. However, even when cells are genetically identical, noncooperative cheating mutants can arise that cause a breakdown in cooperation. How then, do multicellular organisms maintain cooperation between cells? A number of mechanisms that increase relatedness amongst cooperative cells have been implicated in the maintenance of cooperative multicellularity including single-cell bottlenecks and kin recognition. In this study, we explore how relatively simple biological processes such as growth and dispersal can act to increase relatedness and promote multicellular cooperation. Using experimental populations of …

Scorpions Of The Horn Of Africa (Arachnida: Scorpiones). Part Xi. Pandinurus Kmoniceki Sp. N. Somaliland., František Kovařík, Graeme Lowe, Tomáš Mazuch, Jana Plíškova, František Šťáhlavský

Euscorpius

Pandinurus kmoniceki sp. n. from Somaliland is described and fully complemented with color photos of live and preserved specimens, as well as its habitat. Hemispermatophore of P. kmoniceki sp. n. is illustrated and described. In addition to the analyses of external morphology and hemispermatophores, we also describe the karyotypes of P. kmoniceki sp. n. (2n=120).

A Simulation Of Anthropogenic Mammoth Extinction, Matthew Klapman

Undergraduate Honors Papers

There are multiple hypotheses as to why the Columbian Mammoth (Mammuthus columbi) and other megafauna in North America went extinct relatively recently and relatively quickly. The most popular of which are disease, climate change, meteorite strikes, and over hunting by humans [2, 9]. There is evidence to show that a combination of factors contributed to the megafaunal extinction, but ”overkill” explores the idea that early humans migrated onto the continent and then hunted the mammoths and other megafauna to extinction. The overkill hypothesis was first proposed by anthropologist Paul Martin in 1973 [8]. Evidence from radiocarbon dating shows that the …

Trap-Neuter-Return Programs And The Importance Of Associated Public Awareness, Nicolette Sliwa

Biology: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

The focus of this paper is to describe a typical Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program and highlight the major pros and cons surrounding this somewhat controversial method of managing the overwhelming free-roaming cat population. The effects of the species’ overabundance on the environment and human health are also discussed. Citing studies completed on TNR programs around the globe as well as mathematical models, the effectiveness of this method is compared to other, currently used alternatives. Finally, it has been suggested that the general awareness level a neighborhood possesses about the true goals of TNR programs has a potentially significant impact on the …

Dna Barcoding Reveals A New Morphotype Of The Sugar Kelp, Saccharina Latissima, Dallin Brimley, Zakery Ford, Travis Gould, Brandon Guerra, Emily Haggett, Ian Jones, Elyse Johnson, Ken Peterson, Matthew Prout

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

Phytoplankton blooms follow predictable annual cycles in the Gulf of Maine, characterized by a large spring bloom and a smaller bloom in the fall. Marine phytoplankton form the foundation of primary production in Gulf of Maine waters, and thus community changes in composition, and abundance could have cascading effects on our coastal ecosystems.

We set out to monitor the community composition, diversity, and abundance of the spring micro-phytoplankton bloom, at a Friends of Casco Bay water quality monitoring site, in South Portland, Maine. The Gulf of Maine is experiencing accelerated warming rates, and this type of monitoring can aid in …

Body Shape Diversification Of Pecos Pupfish (Cyprinodon Pecosensis) On Varying Habitats As Evaluated By Geometric Morphometrics, Qianna Xu

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

During the 19th and 20th centuries, alterations to the Pecos River in New Mexico and Texas, USA due to anthropogenic activities, including damning and river channelization, vast water extraction for irrigation, as well as pollution of associated habitats, have greatly impacted the fish fauna within the drainage. One of the endemic fish species, the Pecos pupfish (Cyprinodon pecosensis), might be the most affected. Historically abundant and widespread large populations have been disrupted and became a series of small isolated subpopulations that persist at a few highly fragmented habitats restricted to a small area in southern New Mexico. The connectivity among …