Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Range-Wide Declines Of Northern Spotted Owl Populations In The Pacific Northwest: A Meta-Analysis, Alan B. Franklin, Katie M. Dugger, Damon B. Lesmeister, Raymond J. Davis, J. David Wiens, Gary C. White, James D. Nichols, James E. Hines, Charles B. Yackulic, Carl J. Schwarz, Steven H. Ackers, L. Steven Andrews, Larissa L. Bailey, Robin Bown, Jesse Burgher, Kenneth P. Burnham, Peter C. Carlson, Tara Chestnut, Mary M. Conner, Krista E. Dilione, Eric D. Forsman, Elizabeth M. Glenn, Scott A. Gremel, Keith A. Hamm, Dale R. Herter, J. Mark Higley, Rob B. Horn, Julianna M. Jenkins, William L. Kendall, David W. Lamphear, Christopher Mccafferty, Trent L. Mcdonald, Janice A. Reid, Jeremy T. Rockweit, David C. Simon, Stan G. Sovern, James K. Swingle, Heather Wise

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) inhabits older coniferous forests in the Pacific Northwest and has been at the center of forest management issues in this region. The immediate threats to this federally listed species include habitat loss and competition with barred owls (Strix varia), which invaded from eastern North America. We conducted a prospective meta-analysis to assess population trends and factors affecting those trends in northern spotted owls using 26 years of survey and capture-recapture data from 11 study areas across the owls' geographic range to analyze demographic traits, rates of population change, and occupancy parameters for spotted …

Testing A Bite-Shortened Hook To Minimize Fish Handling In A Recreational Fishery, Holden E. Harris, Brian K. Whalen, Andrew G. Gude, Michael S. Allen

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Discard mortality can make fishing unsustainable, even in catch-and-release or highly regulated fisheries. However, fishing practices and gears that minimize hook injury, handling, and air exposure can considerably improve fitness and survival in released fish. This study tested whether modified hooks could allow anglers to successfully land and then release fish in the water and without handling. Standard, barbless, and bite-shortened hooks were used to catch Spotted Seatrout Cynoscion nebulosus (n > 75 per hook type), and logistic models were used to assess the differences in landing success and hook self-release success by hook type and categorical fish size. Average landing …

Checklist Of Dermestidae (Insecta: Coleoptera: Bostrichoidea) Of The United States, Jiří Háva, Andreas Herrmann

Insecta Mundi

A checklist of Dermestidae (Coleoptera: Bostrichoidea) of the United States of America is provided. It comprises 171 valid species belonging to 25 different genera, also 6 fossil species and 41 new state records.

Dermestidae is a family of Coleoptera which is commonly referred to as skin beetles. Other common names include larder beetle, hide or leather beetles, carpet beetles, and khapra beetles. There are approximately 1705 species worldwide (Háva 2015a, 2020). The last checklist of the dermestid species occurring in the Nearctic region (Canada and U.S.A.) was published by Beal (2003), with exception of the Hawaiian Islands. However, he had …

Una Nueva Especie De Mosca De Ojos Pedunculados Del Género Richardia Robineau-Desvoidy Y Un Nuevo Reporte De Plagiocephalus Latifrons Wiedemann Para La Costa Pacífica De Colombia (Diptera: Tephritoidea: Richardiidae Y Ulidiidae), Luis Miguel Constantino

Insecta Mundi

En este trabajo se describe una nueva especie de Richardia Robineau-Desvoidy (Diptera: Tephritoidea: Richardiidae), R. chocoensis Constantino, con proyecciones a los lados de la cabeza de forma tubular donde se sitúan los ojos compuestos al final de éstos y con una banda macular característica en las alas que la diferencia de otras especies similares. Adicionalmente se reporta por primera vez a Plagiocephalus latifrons Wiedemann (Diptera: Tephritoidea: Ulidiidae) para el occidente de Colombia. Ambas especies fueron colectadas en las selvas lluviosas de la región biogeográfica del Chocó, en la Costa Pacífica de Colombia.

In this work a new species of Richardia …

Emarginoptyx Ballantyne (Coleoptera: Lampyridae: Luciolinae), A Replacement Name For The Firefly Genus Emarginata Ballantyne, 2019, Lesley Ballantyne, Oliver Keller

Insecta Mundi

Emarginata Ballantyne, 2019 (Coleoptera: Lampyridae: Luciolinae), is found to be a junior homonym of the bird genus Emarginata Shelley, 1896 (Avis: Passeriformes: Muscicapidae). The new replacement name Emarginoptyx Ballantyne is provided for the SE Asian genus Emarginata Ballantyne, leading to one new combination, Emarginoptyx trilucida (Jeng, Yang and Lai, 2003).

It has come to our attention that the name Emarginata Ballantyne in Ballantyne et al. (2019) for Emarginata trilucida (Jeng, Yang and Lai, 2003), is preoccupied by Emarginata Shelley, a genus of birds from southern Africa (Shelley 1896).

Naviauxella Horii, A New Tiger Beetle Species From Myanmar (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae), Jürgen Wiesner, Moe Hnin Phyu

Insecta Mundi

Naviauxella horii Wiesner and Phyu, new species (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae), is described. It is distinguished from the other members of the genus by shape of the aedeagus and shape of the elytral maculation.

Due to the kindness of Michio Hori, we were able to study specimens of a tiger beetle species he recently collected in Myanmar. It proved to be new to science and is described herein. It is a member of the genus Naviauxella Cassola, 1988, which raises the number of species in this genus to 22 (Wiesner 2020: 264).

How To Distinguish The Xestotrachelus Bruner, 1913 (Orthoptera: Romaleidae: Romaleini) From Other Romaleini In South America, With A Report Of The First Record In Minas Gerais, Brazil, Daniela Santos Martins Silva, Marcelo Ribeiro Pereira, Raysa Martins Lima

Insecta Mundi

The present study provides an important contribution to the knowledge of the geographic distribution of Xestotrachelus Bruner, 1913 (Orthoptera: Romaleidae: Romaleini), a monotypic genus comprised of Xestotrachelus robustus (Bruner, 1911) that has a wide geographic distribution in Brazil. Specimens were collected at the Panga Ecological Reserve, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, in the Brazilian Cerrado. We provide a key to distinguish Xestotrachelus from other genera found in South America.

Luciola Lambkinae Keller And Ballantyne, New Replacement Name For Luciola Roseicollis Pic, 1935 (Coleoptera: Lampyridae), Oliver Keller, Lesley Ballantyne

Insecta Mundi

Two different species descriptions for Luciola roseicollis by Pic (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) are compared, and a replacement name, Luciola lambkinae Keller and Ballantyne nomen novum, for Luciola roseicollis Pic, 1935 is proposed.

In McDermott’s (1966) catalog of the family Lampyridae two citations are listed under the heading Luciola roseicollis Pic, 1933. Both articles include descriptions of L. roseicollis and also the statement that they are new species (Pic 1933, 1935). After comparing both descriptions OK contacted LB with the suspicion that the descriptions are about two different species.

Contemporary Challenges And Opportunities For The Management Of Bird Damage At Field Crop Establishment, Christophe Sausse, Alice Baux, Michel Bertrand, Elsa Bonnaud, Sonia Canavelli, Alexandra Destrez, Page E. Klug, Lourdes Olivera, Ethel Rodriguez, Guilllermo Tellechea, Sebastian Zuil

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Bird damage, from sowing to crop establishment, is an important issue for farmers in many parts of the world. However, reliable and cost-effective solutions remain elusive because management tools and research on the subject are limited. The spatial variability of damage across landscapes and the adaptative behaviour of birds create further challenges. Additionally, the issue must be tackled at the landscape scale and involve a variety of stakeholders with conflicting interests and objectives. We summarize some of the challenges and opportunities identified to face these difficulties and address four major research directions for operational solutions including 1) crop damage assessment, …

Review Of Montana Euphilotes Mattoni, [1978], With Descriptions Of New Taxa (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae: Polyommatinae), Steve Kohler, Andrew D. Warren

The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey

The genus Euphilotes at the northern end of its distribution is reviewed, with special emphasis on populations in Montana. Also discussed are some Euphilotes populations in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and southwestern Canada that have affinities with Montana. This region has until recently been essentially neglected in studies of the genus. We characterize and discuss six species (two newly described) and twenty-five subspecies (six newly described) of Euphilotes, including a number of yet undescribed populations. New species include E. heracleoides Kohler & A. Warren (type locality in Sanders County, Montana) and E. oakleyi Kohler (type locality in Missoula County, Montana). …

Longitudinal Study Of Pogonomyrmex Occidentalis (Hymenoptera: Formicideae), Western Harvester Ant, Colony Survival In Western Nebraska, Kathleen H. Keeler

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

I observed individual western harvester ant (Pogonomyrmex occidentalis) colonies, marked between 1977 and 1994, to live a mean of 15.65 years (n = 112). The longest-lived colony lived 42 years.

Remembering Elaine Bachel 1946-2021, Ruthie Stearns

Nebraska Bird Review

Elaine Bachel was born June 6, 1946, in Itasca County, Minnesota, and passed away May 22, 2021, in Lincoln. She lived in Minnesota until she was ten, and it was there that she developed her love of the outdoors, especially birds. When her father passed away, Elaine, her sister and her mother moved to Omaha to live with her grandmother. She graduated from Omaha South High School and then attended college in Omaha, graduating as a registered nurse in 1968. She worked for many years for Lincoln ENT physician Dr. Charles Barton. It was in working for him and traveling …

Paul A. Johnsgard 1931-2021, Paul Johnsgard

Nebraska Bird Review

Dr Johnsgard's self-penned obituary & a photo

Spring Field Report, March - May 2021, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

A total of 163 observers contributed to this report. This spring several observers were quite active statewide, resulting in interesting discoveries among waterfowl hybrids, subspecies distributions, breeding and spatial range expansions, and more than usual early and late dates and high counts, not to mention a couple of extreme rarities. Speaking of BONO, readers will note a new section under “Species Accounts” that deals with hybrids reported in Nebraska. A surprising 47 are listed, 26 of these waterfowl. If you like waterfowl hybrids, read on! This report deals with 14 such hybrids, four newly documented for the state. Several non-waterfowl …

Dynamic Observers For Unknown Populations, Chris Guiver, Nathan Poppelreiter, Richard Rebarber, Brigitte Tenhumberg, Stuart Townley

Brigitte Tenhumberg Papers

Dynamic observers are considered in the context of structuredpopulation modeling and management. Roughly, observers combine a known measured variable of some process with a model of that process to asymptotically reconstruct the unknown state variable of the model. We investigate the potential use of observers for reconstructing population distributions described by density-independent (linear) models and a class of density-dependent (nonlinear) models. In both the density-dependent and -independent cases, we show, in several ecologically reasonable circumstances, that there is a natural, optimal construction of these observers. Further, we describe the robustness these observers exhibit with respect to disturbances and uncertainty in …

An Evaluation Of Body-Grip Trap Trigger Configurations For Reducing River Otter Take Incidental To Beaver Trapping, Alec J. Sundelius, Nicholas Forman, Nathan M. Roberts, Shawn T. Rossler, David B. Ruid, Robert C. Willging

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

River otter (Lontra canadensis) populations in North America have been the focus of significant restoration efforts. Wildlife management agencies, concerned about the unintentional take of river otters incidental to beaver (Castor canadensis) trapping, may recommend techniques to avoid capturing river otters. River otter avoidance techniques that are ineffective or diminish trap performance for beavers are undesirable. We conducted a field evaluation in 2015 and 2016 in Wisconsin to assess how two trigger configurations (offset and center) on body-grip traps would affect the incidental capture rate of river otters during beaver trapping. We also evaluated effects of …

James Davidson Fawcett (1933–2020): Imbibing With The Kiwi, Louis A. Somma

Papers in Herpetology

An obituary and summary of the life of James D. Fawcett (1933-2020), herpetologist and instructor and professor of Biology at University of Nebraska at Omaha, 1972-2015. Includes bibliography of his works, list of master's theses chaired, and recollections of former students.

Paul Austin Johnsgard: Memories Of An Exceptional Naturalist, Allison E. Johnson, Charles R. Brown

Nebraska Bird Review

On May 28, 2021 the world lost one of its most dogged advocates, and we lost an amazing teacher, naturalist, and friend. Paul has told you in his own words in the previous pages where he was from, where he was educated, about the immense number of scholarly articles and books he published, and about his beautiful art that brought the wild to all of us (https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/zeabook/30/), but we wanted to share the person we knew Paul to be, and to relive some of our memories of him. While Paul’s body of work will continue to impact the ornithological and …

The Nebraska Bird Review, Volume 89 June 2021 Number 2

Nebraska Bird Review

Spring Field Report, March - May 2021, by W. Ross Silcock … 50

Incorrectly Aged, Identified and Classified: Revisiting Nebraska’s 1968 ‘Barnacle Goose’ Record, by Joel G. Jorgensen, Stephen J. Brenner, and W. Ross Silcock …80

Paul A. Johnsgard by Paul A. Johnsgard … 92

Paul Austin Johnsgard: Memories of an Exceptional Naturalist by Allison E. Johnson and Charles R. Brown …94

Breeding Status of Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla) in the Niobrara River Valley, North-central Nebraska by W. Ross Silcock … 97

Remembering Elaine Bachel 1946-2021, by Ruthie Stearns …101

Subscription and Organization Information …103

Incorrectly Aged, Identified And Classified: Revisiting Nebraska’S 1968 ‘Barnacle Goose’ Record, Joel G. Jorgensen, Stephen J. Brenner, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

On 2 November 1968 in northeastern Otoe County, Nebraska, Milton Muncie harvested a bird (herein referred to as the 1968 specimen), subsequently identified as an immature Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis), from a flock of about 40 Cackling Geese (Branta hutchinsii; Cortelyou 1969). The occurrence was reported not only as the first record of a Barnacle Goose for Nebraska, but also the first record for the North American Interior and West (Cortelyou 1969). Cortelyou’s (1969) brief article also included a photograph of the mounted specimen. At the time and when subsequently reviewed by various authors, the identity of the 1968 specimen …

Alfaxalone Successfully Immobilizes Small Indian Mongooses (Urva Auropunctata): A Field Report, Caroline C. Sauvé, Yves Rondenay, Are R. Berentsen, Mel J. Rivera-Rodriguez, Patrick A. Leighton

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

We investigated intramuscular administration of alfaxalone (5.3–10.0 mg/kg) as an immobilizing agent in free-ranging small Indian mongooses (Urva auropunctata) on the island of St. Kitts, West Indies. From 5–11 January 2020, we successfully immobilized 10 of 11 mongooses. Alfaxalone provided rapid onset (median = 3 min) of immobilization. Mean duration of immobilization was 16.8 ± 3 min. Mean recovery time was 5.6 ± 1 min. There was no effect of dose administered on induction, anesthesia, or recovery times at the dose range used. We concluded that alfaxalone represents an effective alternative to dissociative agents for the immobilization of free-ranging mongooses. …

Comparing Management Programs To Reduce Red–Tailed Hawk Collisions With Aircraft, Brian Washburn, Craig K. Pullins, Travis L. Guerrant, Gregory J. Martinelli, Scott F. Beckerman

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wildlife-aircraft collisions (wildlife strikes) pose a serious safety risk to aircraft. Raptors (i.e., hawks and owls) are one of the most frequently struck guilds of birds within North America. Although raptors (most notably red-tailed hawks [Buteo jamaicensis]) are commonly managed at most airports and military bases, there is no scientific information available regarding comparisons of the efficacy of raptor management programs for reducing raptor-aircraft collisions. Therefore, we conducted a study to examine the efficacy of 2 raptor hazard management programs implemented at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD). The first raptor management program (Phase I) occurred during January 2010–June 2013 and …

Strategic Testing Approaches For Targeted Disease Monitoring Can Be Used To Inform Pandemic Decision-Making, James D. Nichols, Tiffany L. Bogich, Emily Howerton, Ottar N. Bjørnstad, Rebecca K. Borchering, Matthew Ferrari, Murali Haran, Christopher Jewell, Kim M. Pepin, William J.M. Probert, Juliet R.C. Pulliam, Michael C. Runge, Michael Tildesley, Cecile Viboud, Katriona Shea

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

More than 1.6 million Servere Acute Respiratory Syndrome Cronovirus 2(SARS-COV-2)tests were administered daily in the United States at the peak of the epidemic, with a significant focus on individual treatment. Here, we show that objective-driven, strategic sampling designs and analyses can maximize information gain at the population level, which is necessary to increase situational awareness and predict, prepare for, and respond to a pandemic, while also continuing to inform individual treatment. By focusing on specific objectives such as individual treatment or disease prediction and control (e.g., via the collection of population- level statistics to inform lockdown measures or vaccine rollout) …

Brown Treesnake Mortality After Aerial Application Of Toxic Baits, Scott M. Goetz, Eric T. Hileman, Melia G. Nafus, Amy A. Yackel Adams, Amanda R. Bryant, Robert N. Reed, Shane R. Siers

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Quantitative evaluation of control tools for managing invasive species is necessary to assess overall effectiveness and individual variation in treatment susceptibility. Invasive brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis) on Guam have caused severe ecological and economic effects, pose a risk of accidental introduction to other islands, and are the greatest impediment to the reestablishment of extirpated native fauna. An aerial delivery system for rodent‐based toxic baits can reduce brown treesnake abundance and heterogeneity among individuals may influence bait attraction or toxicant susceptibility. Previous baiting trials have either been simulated aerial treatments or relied on slightly different bait capsule compositions and the results …

Genomics-Guided Refinement Of Butterfly Taxonomy, Jing Zhang, Qian Cong, Jinhui Shen, Paul A. Opler, Nick V. Grishin

The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey

Continuing with comparative genomic exploration of worldwide butterfly fauna, we use all proteincoding genes as they are retrieved from the whole genome shotgun sequences for phylogeny construction. Analysis of these genome-scale phylogenies projected onto the taxonomic classification and the knowledge about butterfly phenotypes suggests further refinements of butterfly taxonomy that are presented here. As a general rule, we assign most prominent clades of similar genetic differentiation to the same taxonomic rank, and use criteria based on relative population diversification and the extent of gene exchange for species delimitation. As a result, 7 tribes, 4 subtribes, 14 genera, and 9 subgenera …

Chlamydastis Meyrick Of Costa Rica: Barcodes, Biology, And Descriptions Of 36 New Species (Lepidoptera: Depressariidae), Eugenie Phillips-Rodríguez, John W. Brown, Winnie Hallwachs, Daniel H. Janzen

Insecta Mundi

We recognize and review 40 species of Chlamydastis Meyrick, 1916 (Lepidoptera: Depressari­idae) from Costa Rica, including four previously described (i.e., C. vividella (Busck, 1914), revived status; C. phytoptera (Busck, 1914); C. orion Busck, 1920; and C. ungulifera (Meyrick, 1929)) and 36 new species: C. abelulatei Phillips and Brown, new species; C. carolinagodoyae Phillips and Brown, new species; C. angelsolisi Phillips and Brown, new species; C. lindapitkinae Phillips and Brown, new species; C. iangauldi Phillips and Brown, new species; C. anniapicadoae Phillips and Brown, new species; C. antonioazofeifai Phillips and Brown, new species; …

New Adult Host Records For Three Buprestidae (Coleoptera) Rarely Encountered In The United States And Significant Extension Of The Known Geographic Range Of Agrilus Pilosicollis Fisher, Jason A. Hansen, Christine A. Nalepa

Insecta Mundi

New adult host records of Agrilus langei Obenberger, A. pilosicollis Fisher, and Dicerca mutica LeConte (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) are reported. The known geographic range of A. pilosicollis is expanded from the type location in Kansas south to Texas and east to North Carolina. Images with key characters of each of the three species are included.

Among the nearly 800 species of buprestids in North America (north of Mexico) are those known from very few specimens. Distribution and plant host information for such species is understandably limited and, in many cases, completely unknown (Nelson et al. 2008). A knowledge of …

Survivorship Of Soybean Aphid Biotypes (Hemiptera: Aphididae) On Winter Hosts, Common And Glossy Buckthorn, Doris M. Lagos-Kutz, Glen L. Hartman

Insecta Mundi

The soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is a major pest of soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr., both in Asia where it is native, and in the USA where it is adventive. The rapid spread and establishment of the soybean aphid in the USA since its discovery in 2000 was successful because of extensive soybean production in the Midwest and the wide distribution of common buckthorn, Rhamnus cathartica (L.), its preferred primary winter host. The survivorship of four soybean aphid biotypes on com­mon and glossy buckthorn, Frangula alnus Mill., were compared. Our study showed that nymph oviparae of soybean …

Landscape Genetics Of American Beaver In Coastal Oregon, Clinton W. Epps, Vanessa M. Petro, Tyler G. Creech, Rachel S. Crowhurst, Matthew J. Weldy, Jimmy D. Taylor

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

American beaver (Castor canadensis) have been translocated for population restoration, reduction of human‐wildlife conflict, and enhancement of ecosystem function. Yet few studies have assessed dispersal of beaver, making it difficult to determine at what scale translocations are appropriate. Genetic studies can provide inferences about gene flow, and thus dispersal. We used a landscape genetic approach to evaluate whether landscape features influenced gene flow among beaver in the Coast Range of western Oregon, USA, using samples collected April–September 2014. We collected genetic samples from live‐captured (n=232), road‐killed (n=2) and trapper‐provided (n=58) tissue samples and genotyped them at 10 microsatellite loci. We …

Short Term Safety, Immunogenicity, And Reproductive Effects Of Combined Vaccination With Anti-Gnrh (Gonacon) And Rabies Vaccines In Female Feral Cats, Shiri Novak, Boris Yakobson, Shir Sorek, Liat Morgan, Smadar Tal, Ran Nivy, Roni King, Lauren Jaebker, Douglas C. Eckery, Tal Raz

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Overpopulation of free-roaming cats is a major problem leading to negative impacts on animal health and welfare, public nuisance, transmission of zoonotic diseases, and well-documented harm to wildlife. Surgical sterilization had failed to provide a practical solution to free-roaming cats' overpopulation under field conditions; therefore, efficient and safe non-surgical immunocontraception methods are aspired. Rabies is a deadly virus that may infect people and animals. However, the safety and efficacy of combined vaccination with anti-GnRH and rabies vaccines in feral cats, which often suffer from disrupted health conditions and experienced high stress level, has never been studied. Therefore, our objective was …