Life Sciences Commons^™

Coming Soon To A Cellar Near You: Novel Range Expansion Of A Short-Bodied Cellar Spider, Physocyclus Enaulus (Araneae: Pholcidae), In A Building In Central Illinois, Usa, Ricky Gieser, Mark Davis

The Great Lakes Entomologist

A reproductive population of Physocyclus enaulus Crosby, 1926 (Pholcidae: Araneae), a short-bodied cellar spider native to the American southwest and Mexico, is documented for the first time in a single building in Illinois, far outside of their known native range. The means of introduction is unknown but is likely influenced by either accidental hitchhiking spiders or a deliberate introduction to control brown recluse populations. Cellar spiders were purchased and released in the same building to predate on brown recluse spiders, but the first P. enaulus individual was found a year prior to the release. These cellar spiders have a wide-ranging …

New Wisconsin State Records For Predatory Fungus Gnats (Diptera: Bibionomorpha: Keroplatidae), Daniel K. Young

The Great Lakes Entomologist

In Wisconsin, no published literature species records for the keroplatid genera Keroplatus and Proceroplatus exist (Diptera: Bibionomorpha: Keroplatidae). New state records are presented for Keroplatus carbonarius Bosc, Keroplatus clausus Coquillett, Keroplatus militaris Johannsen and Proceroplatus elegans (Coquillett). The new records are associated largely with Malaise trap samples from Hemlock Draw (The Nature Conservancy), in the Baraboo Hills of Sauk County, and a Malaise trap at Kemp Natural Resources Station, in Oneida County, Wisconsin. Two specimens of K. clausus and a single specimen of K. militaris discovered within the research collection at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are also reported. The specimens …

First Records Of The Rare Nearctic Water Boatman Palmacorixa Janeae (Hemiptera: Corixidae) In The United States, Kurt L. Schmude, Gerald Shepard, Adam Frankiewicz

The Great Lakes Entomologist

We report the first record of the rare water boatman, Palmacorixa janeae Brooks (Hemiptera: Corixidae), from the United States. Two hundred and forty specimens were collected in Wisconsin from Chequamegon Bay in Lake Superior. Palmacorixa gillettei Abbott, a similar species known from the area, was also identified among the samples. Most specimens, all of which were adults, were collected at night using a neuston net towed along the surface for approximately 5 minutes. The adults were found in areas that were 34 meters to 4.2 kilometers from the shore that had depths ranging from 1.0 to 5.5 meters. All representatives …

Seasonal Emergence, Egg Gallery Characteristics, And Natural Enemies Of The Eastern Ash Bark Beetle, Hylesinus Aculeatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), In Michigan, Robert A. Haack

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Hylesinus aculeatus Say (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) commonly infests the trunks and limbs of recently dead, dying, or cut ash (Fraxinus spp.) trees in eastern North America. In the Great Lakes region, H. aculeatus is univoltine, overwinters as adults, breeds in late spring and early summer, and constructs transverse biramous egg galleries. I sampled trunk and branch sections from three small-diameter white ash (F. americana L.) trees that were cut in April 1986 in Ingham County, Michigan, and then naturally infested by H. aculeatus and associates. Bolts cut from these trees and placed in an outdoor rearing cage in …

Phenology Of Ground-Dwelling Beetle Assemblages (Coleoptera: Carabidae, Staphylinidae) From Three Fir Stands Of Southern Québec (Canada), With Comparison Among Selected Species Between 1985 And 2006-2010, Claire Levesque, Gilles-Yvon Levesque

The Great Lakes Entomologist

A total of 5,303 adult epigaeic beetles (Coleoptera) were collected using pitfall traps across three balsam fir (Abies balsamea (Linnaeus) Miller) stands in southern Québec (Canada). Sampling occurred during May–September 1985 in sites representing three distinct understory vegetation types. Three dominant families (Carabidae, Leiodidae and Staphylinidae) together represented at least 93% of catches at each site. Staphylinidae were less abundant than Carabidae at two sites, whereas Carabidae and Staphylinidae were collected in similar numbers at a third stand. Associated with increased abundance and heterogeneity of the understory vegetation, we observed 1) the decrease of specialist forest carabids, often active …

Caddisfly (Trichoptera) Assemblages From The Southern Laurentian Highlands, Québec (Canada), David C. Houghton

The Great Lakes Entomologist

The caddisflies (Trichoptera) represent an important taxon for the natural functioning of aquatic ecosystems and as biological monitoring organisms; however, basic information on their assemblages is still lacking in Canada. In this study, adult caddisflies from 30 lakes and streams in the southern Laurentian Highlands of Québec were sampled during 2023–2025. A total of 186 caddisfly species were determined, including 22 species not previously reported from Québec and eight not previously reported from anywhere in Canada. Two species of Cernotina also represented the first collection of that genus within the province. Using Indicator Species Analysis, six species indicated small rivers, …

Paper Wasp Species Polistes Fuscatus (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) Tracks Urban Lead (Pb) Levels More Than Polistes Dominula, Lindsey R. Kemmerling, Anna L. Lovat, Allison A. Hanka, Emilie C. Snell-Rood

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Lead (Pb) is a persistent, toxic pollutant with widespread but inequitably distributed impacts, especially for humans in urban areas. The impacts of lead pollution on other organisms is largely unknown, even as they commonly experience exposure to lead alongside humans. We tested hypotheses regarding the lead concentrations of paper wasps across a gradient of pollution relative to soil and human lead levels, and correlations with wasp body condition. We collected two species of paper wasp across an urban gradient of lead pollution: Polistes fuscatus (Fabricius) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae), native to our study location, and Polistes dominula (Christ), nonnative to our study …

Long-Term Monitoring And Response Of Papaipema Sciata Bird (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) To Prescribed Fire In Michigan (Usa), Gregory J. Norwood, Logan M. Rowe, Brett A. Degregorio, David L. Cuthrell, Aaron D. Meredith, Steven M. Gray

The Great Lakes Entomologist

The Culver’s root borer moth (Papaipema sciata) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a rare Noctuid that requires Culver’s root (Veronicastrum virginicum) to complete its lifecycle within remnant native grasslands and open woodlands in the midwest and northeast United States. We report on 26 years of monitoring this species’ colonization of Culver’s root stems at Algonac State Park (ASP) in Michigan, where prairies have been maintained by prescribed fire since 1990. P. sciata is considered fire sensitive because eggs spend the dormant season in the combustible prairie litter and duff near host plants. The objectives were to determine the …

Could The European Thanasimus Formicarius Outcompete The North American Thanasimus Dubius (Coleoptera: Cleridae) If Introduced To North America?, Robert A. Haack, Robert K. Lawrence

The Great Lakes Entomologist

A federal quarantine was enacted in the United States (US) in the fall of 1992 in response to discovery of the Eurasian pine shoot beetle, Tomicus piniperda (L.) (Coleoptera: Scolytinae), in July 1992 in Ohio. The quarantine regulated movement of pine products (e.g., Christmas trees, nursery stock, and logs) at the county level from infested to uninfested US states. A classical biological program was considered for T. piniperda starting in 1995, focusing on the Eurasian clerid beetle Thanasimus formicarius (L.), an important predator of T. piniperda. Concerns were raised in 1996 that if T. formicarius were released in the …

Fecundity Of Thanasimus Dubius (Coleoptera: Cleridae) Rebounds After A Period Of Prey Scarcity, Robert A. Haack, Robert K. Lawrence

The Great Lakes Entomologist

We field-collected Thanasimus dubius (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Cleridae) adults during spring, maintained them separately in the laboratory, and initially gave them four bark beetle adults [Ips grandicollis (Eichhoff) or Tomicus piniperda (L.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae)] daily as prey. Using a subset of the female clerids (N = 41), we assigned them to one of four feeding groups that varied in the number of prey provided daily. For the first four weeks of a 12–week study, the four diets were: four prey daily, two prey daily, one prey daily, and one prey every 2 days. After four weeks, all females were …

Distribution And Status Of Silphium Herb Gall Wasps (Cynipoidea: Aulacideini: Antistrophus) And Their Associated Endophytic Communities In Wisconsin, Richard A. Henderson, Louis F. Nastasi, Jay Watson, Scott Sauer

The Great Lakes Entomologist

At least six described species of the herb gall wasp genus Antistrophus Walsh (Hymenoptera: Cynipoidea: Aulacideini) are dependent on the plant genus Silphium L., a plant group emblematic of now-endangered Midwestern tallgrass prairies. The distribution and conservation status of Antistrophus gall wasps is mostly a mystery, and these insects have only recently been recorded from Wisconsin. We surveyed the state for Antistrophus gall wasps on four Silphium species, whole-leaf rosinweed (S. integrifolium Michx.), compass plant (S. laciniatum L.), cup plant (S. perfoliatum L.), and prairie dock (S. terebinthinaceum Jacq.) to determine their distribution and abundance in Wisconsin. We report new …

Cover Art For Tgle Vol. 59 Nos. 1 & 2

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Cover Art for TGLE Vol. 59 Nos. 1 & 2

Cover Pages For Tgle Vol. 59 Nos. 1 & 2

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Cover Pages for TGLE Vol. 59 Nos. 1 & 2

Full Issue For Tgle Vol. 59 Nos. 1 & 2

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Full issue for TGLE Vol. 59 Nos. 1 & 2

Michigan Tech’S Insect Collection: An Important Historical Resource In The Upper Peninsula, Thomas E. Panella, Tara L. Bal

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Regional insect collections can be valuable resources when covering under-represented areas, unique time periods, or unique collectors. Houghton and Baraga County Michigan are two predominantly forested counties in the Upper Peninsula (UP) of Michigan. The main campus for Michigan Technological University is based in Houghton, MI with a forestry field campus in Baraga County that was acquired in 1954. The university has had forest entomology research in some capacity at least since the 1930’s with faculty, students, and members of the community preserving and submitting various specimens in the decades since then, making it a unique collection demographically. The collection …

Dawn To Dusk Division Of Monarda Fistulosa Foraging Time By Bumble Bee Species (Bombus Spp.) And Likelihood To Return The Next Day, Elise Bernstein, Clara Costello, Mary Yang, Rosa Weinand, Noah Sullivan, Maya Cintorino, Charlie Vang, Miller Johnson, Ahmed Hussein, Gaochong Vang, Rashad Bowen, Kristen Gresl, Elaine Evans

The Great Lakes Entomologist

There is a growing public interest in increasing pollinator habitat in urban areas. Monarda fistulosa is a commonly planted perennial species chosen for pollinator habitats of various sizes, from residential gardens to large-scale prairie restoration projects. Previous research has confirmed a preference for M. fistulosa among various bee species. We monitored and marked bumble bees visiting M. fistulosa over a 14-hour period, seeking to understand the daily pattern of bee visitation. We also observed bumble bees on the following day to determine the probability of marked individual bumble bees continuing to forage on M. fistulosa or to switch to a …

New Records Of The American Bumble Bee, Bombus Pensylvanicus, In Michigan, Sharron Z. Miller, Logan M. Rowe, Lillyanna Widdicombe, Robert P. Jean, Rufus Isaacs

The Great Lakes Entomologist

We report recent detections of the American bumble bee, Bombus pensylvanicus (De Geer) (Hymenoptera: Apidae), in 16 counties of Michigan, USA. This bee species is currently listed as state endangered in Michigan. The current report provides an update on the distribution of B. pensylvanicus in Michigan from collections made between 2020 and 2024, including detections from at least 21 locations in the Lower Peninsula, expanding the known distribution in this state. These samples were from four pollinator survey projects with records from photographs and collections and two online participatory science programs where users uploaded photographs of this species while verified …

Assessing The Performance Of A 3d Printed Pennsylvania-Style Black Light Moth Trap, Christopher B. Brown, Eva S. Conley, Peter White

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Passive light traps have long been a popular method used for trapping moths and other night-flying insects. Recent changes in the availability of equipment necessitate the development of accessible and effective alternatives for insect monitoring. This study assesses the performance of a 3D-printed Pennsylvania-style black light moth trap compared to the formerly available commercial BioQuip trap and investigates the impact of funnel size on catch rates. Our 3D-printed trap was compared to the BioQuip trap over ten trap-nights in Central Michigan. Results indicate that commercial BioQuip traps consistently captured significantly more moths than the 3D-printed prototype. An additional experiment evaluating …

Initial Changes In Ground Beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) Species Assemblages Near Seasonal Ponds Surrounded By Forests Under Different Harvesting Practices, Robert A. Haack, Toby Petrice, Robert E. Acciavatti, Robert L. Davidson, Brian J. Palik

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Seasonal ponds often form after spring snowmelt in forests of the Great Lakes region. Although such seasonal ponds are common, few US states set buffer-width guidelines to protect them when harvesting the adjacent upland forest. The objectives of this study were to determine if the carabid beetle assemblages near seasonal ponds differed from those in the adjacent upland forests prior to any logging, and then if these assemblages changed in response to various levels of tree harvesting within and adjacent to the 15-m-wide buffers that surrounded the seasonal ponds. The traps were placed within the buffers at about 7.6 m …

Geography Of Periodical Cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) In Portions Of Northeast Illinois And Northwest Indiana, Carl A. Strang

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Brood XIII periodical cicadas (Magicicada Davis) in DuPage County, Illinois, emerged in 2024 in an area that extended as much as 10.6 km beyond the edge of the previous main emergence in 2007. The implied dispersal of gravid females is greater than has been reported elsewhere and may reflect adaptation to a historical landscape of scattered wooded islands within a matrix of prairie. A series of four-year-early emergences in northeast Illinois, first described in print in 1969 and subsequently occurring prior to each succeeding main emergence, was quantified for the first time in 2020. The largest densities of singing …

Biology, Phenology, And Host Range Of A Seed-Feeding Weevil, Ceutorhynchus Constrictus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), A Biological Control Agent For Garlic Mustard, Alliaria Petiolata, In North America, Ghislaine Cortat, Hariet L. Hinz, Esther Gerber, Elizabeth J. Katovich, Mary E. Marek-Spartz, Roger L. Becker, Robert S. Bourchier, Danielle Fife

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Ceutorhynchus constrictus Marsham is a seed-feeding weevil and potential biocontrol agent of the invasive plant garlic mustard, Alliaria petiolata (Bieb.) Cavara & Grande (Brassicaceae), in North America. Ceutorhynchus constrictus is native to Europe, has a single generation per year and eggs are laid into developing seeds within the seedpods of bolting garlic mustard plants. Females use their prolonged rostrum to bore holes through seedpods into the developing seed, deposit a single egg and then cover the opening with secretion. Larvae feed on ripening seeds and progress through three instars before exiting seedpods in late June, to pupate and overwinter in …

Cover Art For Tgle Vol. 58 Nos. 3 & 4

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Cover Art for TGLE Vol. 58 Nos. 3 & 4

Cover Pages For Tgle Vol. 58 Nos. 3 & 4

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Cover pages for TGLE Vol. 58 Nos. 3 & 4

Full Issue For Tgle Vol. 58 Nos. 3 & 4

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Full issue for TGLE Vol. 58 Nos. 3 & 4

New Wisconsin State Records For Two Species Of Eusphalerum Kraatz (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Omaliinae), Daniel K. Young, Jordan Marché Ii

The Great Lakes Entomologist

ABSTRACT: In Wisconsin, only one published species record exists for the omaliine rove beetle genus Eusphalerum. Two card-mounted specimens of Eusphalerum pothos were located in the research collection at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The collection event label provided no date but the Bayfield, Wisconsin location is consistent with an 1895 species list provided by Wickham.

New state records are confirmed for two species: Eusphalerum carolinensis and Eusphalerum convexum. A single specimen of E. carolinensis was collected on Rubus sp. in Dane County on 27 May 2017, while a series of 10 E. convexum came from Prunus spp. in Monroe County …

A Bumble Bee In A Haystack: Chance Observation Of An Overwintering Rusty Patched Bumble Bee, Bombus Affinis (Hymenoptera:Apidae) Gyne, Bradley M. Herrick, Susan G. Carpenter

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Bombus affinis (rusty-patched bumble bee) Cresson is listed as a federally endangered species in the United States and Canada. It is globally “imperiled” (G2) and listed as “critically endangered” on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. While the causes of the species’ precipitous decline are relatively unknown, researchers suspect introduced pathogens, habitat loss and degradation, competition with non-native bees, and climate change. Conservation strategies should encompass all aspects of the species’ life cycle. However, habitat selection of new overwintering gynes (gynes become queens when they establish nests in the spring) is the …

Injury To Soybean Seedlings From Alfalfa Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Larvae, Robert L. Koch, M. Lourdes Chamorro

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Alfalfa weevil, Hypera postica (Gyllenhal) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is primarily a pest of alfalfa, but it has been reported feeding on other plants, including soybean. The relatively limited literature on H. postica in soybean indicates that adults and larvae can feed on soybean, but it is not suitable for larval development and survival. There have been instances of H. postica adults moving from alfalfa to nearby soybean fields where they have inflicted significant injury to the soybean plants. Here we report an instance of H. postica larvae causing severe feeding injury to soybean. This infestation of soybean was the result of …

Variability In Arthropod Community Surveys: Observations Of Ground-Dwelling Arthropods Are Dependent On Methodological Choices, Katherine Mcnamara Manning, Kayla I. Perry, Christie A. Bahlai

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Sampling approaches are commonly adapted to reflect the study objectives in biodiversity monitoring projects. This approach optimizes findings to be locally relevant but comes at the cost of generalizability of findings. Here, we detail a comparison study directly examining how researchers’ choice of arthropod trap and level of specimen identification affects observations made in small-scale arthropod biodiversity studies. Four arthropod traps (pitfall traps, yellow ramp traps, yellow sticky cards, and novel jar ramp traps) were compared with respect to an array of biodiversity metrics calculated at two levels of identification. The arthropod community captured varied by trap type. Pitfalls and …

Pollen Loads Of Insects Caught In Cultivated Fields Of Oilseed Pennycress, Frank Forcella, Ellinor Sheik, Michael Zavada, Mark Bernards

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Although many insects are known to be associated with the floral canopies of oilseed pennycress (Thlaspi arvense), those that carry the crop’s pollen are unknown. During early spring of 2024 insects associated with pennycress flowers in Illinois and Minnesota were captured in sweep nets, frozen, sorted by species, and sonicated to remove pollen. Pollen grains were counted, and pollen loads per individual insect were calculated. Members of the orders Diptera, Hemiptera, and Hymenoptera accounted for 66%, 16%, and 14% of the 850 insects examined, but these same orders were responsible, respectively, for 18%, 3%, and 78% of the …

Nest Pollen Provisions From An Urban Population Of Megachile Campanulae (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) In Minnesota Are Consistent With Oligolectic Classification., Lam D. Le, Thea A. Evans, Colleen Satyshur

The Great Lakes Entomologist

The conservation of bees is crucial for maintaining the essential ecological services they provide. Understanding bee species' risk of extinction is a key part of conservation efforts, and can include assessment of dietary specialization, which has been linked to higher extinction risk. Dietary specialization in bees, called oligolecty, occurs when females select pollen only from closely related plants to feed their larvae. While the solitary bee, Megachile (Chelostomoides) campanulae (Robertson 1903), has been associated with flowers in the genus Campanula L. (Campanulaceae: Asterales), evidence from pollen analysis is limited, and dietary classification is reported inconsistently. This study examined dietary specialization …