Entomology Commons^™

New Distribution Records For Minnesota Odonata, Wayne P. Steffens, William A. Smith

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Several Minnesota state record Odonata, Aeshna subarctica, Ophiogomphus anomalus, Stylogomphus albistylus, Stylurus scudderi, and Coenagrion interrogatum are reported, along with notes on the distribution and habitat of Aeshna sitchensis. New county records for Minnesota Odonata are also reported.

Sex Ratio And Sexual Dimorphism In Formica Exsectoides, The Allegheny Mound Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), H. C. Rowe, C. M. Bristow

The Great Lakes Entomologist

We excavated 66 mounds from 6 populations of Formica exsectoides in Michigan jack pine, collecting sexual caste pupae for sex ratio estimates and measurement of dimorphism. Reproductive caste brood was present in only 37 ofthe 66 mounds, and presence of reproductive caste brood was associated with larger mound surface area. Females were heavier than males, but did not differ from males in energy density. Sexes did not differ in timing or rate of development. Sex ratio estimates based on individual mounds ranged from 1.0 (all male) to 0.08 (female·biased). Four of the six study populations were strongly male·biased, while sex …

Williamsonia Lintneri (Odonata: Corduliidae) - A First Michigan Record With Additional Notes On W. Fletcheri, Stephen Ross, Mark F. O'Brien

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Williamsonia lintneri is newly recorded for Michigan, and additional Michigan sites are given for W. fletcheri. Both species appear to be bog/fen- obligate inhabitants, and adults may appear as early as late April in Michi- gan. In addition, the North American distributions of both species are sum- marized.

Pitch Mass Borer, A New Clearwing Moth Record For Ohio (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae), Foster Forbes Purrington, David J. Horn

The Great Lakes Entomologist

We report the Pitch Mass Borer clearwing moth, Synanthedon pini, from Vinton Furnace Experimental Forest, Dundas, Vinton County, Ohio, the first record for this state. A mature larva and two pupae were excised from resin masses of Scrub Pine, Pinus virginiana, a new host record, in early May 1999.

Two New Species Of Cochylini (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae: Tortricinae) From The Eastern United States, Eric H. Metzler

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Intensive collecting in prairie and oak barrens habitats in Ohio and Indiana revealed two undescribed species of Cochylini (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae): Aethes patricia new species and Cochylis ringsi new species. Illustrations of adults, male and female genitalia, and distribution maps are provided. Aethes patricia may be prairie remnant dependent in Ohio and Indiana.

Distribution Of An Exotic Pest, Agromyza Frontella (Diptera: Agromyzidae), In Manitoba, Canada., J. G. Lundgren, R. C. Venette, J. Gavloski, W. D. Hutchison, G. E. Heimpel

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Agromyza frontella is an exotic alfalfa pest from Europe that was first detected in North America in 1968 and has since spread westward into Ontario and the north central United States. Informal surveys had detected A. frontella in Manitoba, but its distribution throughout this province was unknown. In 1998 we collected alfalfa stems to detect plant damage and sweep samples to detect adult A. frontella and the parasitoid Dacnusa dryas throughout the alfalfa growing region of Manitoba. In south central Manitoba, 100% of stems were damaged by A. frontella, and> 100 adults/10 sweeps were recorded at several sites. In …

First Records Of Cecidomyia Candidipes (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) In Wisconsin, Steven J. Krauth

The Great Lakes Entomologist

First report of Cecidomyia candidipes from five Wisconsin counties.

The Aphids (Homoptera: Aphididae) Associated With Bell Peppers And Surrounding Vegetation In Southern Illinois, Godfrey H. Kagezi, David J. Voegtlin, Richard A. Weinzierl

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Outbreaks of cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) disease, caused by an aphid- transmitted pathogen, greatly reduced yields of bell pepper in southern Illinois in the mid-1990s. To provide the basis for further studies of the roles of individual apbid species in virus transmission, we surveyed aphid flights in and around pepper fields in 1996 and 1997 by using suction traps, interception nets, landing traps, sweep nets, and hand-picking. We collected 78 species of aphids, 15 of which have been reported to transmit CMV to peppers. The most abundant species taken from suction traps and interception nets in combination were Lipaphis erysimi, …

Survey Of The Reduviidae (Heteroptera) Of Southern Illinois, Excluding The Phymatinae, With Notes On Biology, A. M. Hagerty, J. E. Mcpherson

The Great Lakes Entomologist

A survey of the nonphymatine reduviids of southern Illinois was con­ducted from April 1996 to November 1998. In addition to county distributions, information was collected on times of occurrence of adults and nymphs and associated habitats. These data were supplemented with label information associated with southern Illinois specimens housed in the Southern Illinois University Entomology Collection (SIUEC).

Twenty-five species were collected during this survey. An additional six species housed in the SIUEC were collected previously in southern Illinois but not during the survey. Of the 31 species, nine are state records: Ploiaria hirticornis, Rocconota annulicornis, Sinea complexa, Microtornus purcis, Rasahus …

Summer Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, And Trichoptera (Ept) Species Richness And Community Structure In The Lower Illinois River Basin Of Illinois, R. Edward Dewalt, Donald W. Webb, Mitchell A. Harris

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT) species richness is useful for monitoring stream health, but no published studies in Illinois quantitatively document EPT richness or assemblage structure. The objectives of this study were to characterize adult EPT richness and structure and relate these to relative water at eight stream sites (160-69,300 km3 area) in the lower Illinois River Adults were ultra-violet light trapped in June, July, and August 1997. Nutrient enrichment by nitrate and nitrite nitrogen was strongly evident, in smaller drainages, while critical loss of stable habitat was observed in water bodies. Seventy EPT species were identified from 17,889 specimens. …

Pupal And Adult Parameters As Potential Indicators Of Cottonwood Leaf Beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Fecundity And Longevity, David R. Coyle, Joel D. Mcmillin, Elwood R. Hart

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Cottonwood leaf beetle, Chrysomela scripta, pupae from a laboratory colony were weighed and monitored through adult emergence, oviposition, and mortality to determine if correlations existed between various pupal or adult parameters and fecundity or longevity. Forty-three female cottonwood leaf beetles were monitored. Pupal weight was not a good indicator of fecundity, total oviposition events, number of eggs/beetle/day, or adult longevity. In addition, adult weight showed very low correlation with fecundity, adult longevity, total oviposition events, or number of eggs/beetle/day. However, adult weight was a marginal indicator of the number of eggs/beetle/day, and correlated well with adult body length. Adult …

Laboratory Evaluation Of The Pathogenicity Of Beauveria Bassiana And Metarhizium Anisopliae To Larvae Of The Banded Sunflower Moth, Cochylis Hospes (Lepidoptera: Cochylidae)., John F. Barker

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Laboratory bioassays were conducted to assess the virulence of two entomopathogenic fungi, Beauveria bassiana, and Metarhizium anisopliae to 5th instars of the banded sunflower moth, Cochylis hospes,(Lepidoptera: Cochylidae). Temperature conditions of 20 and 25°C and high humidity, (near saturation) were nearly optimal for development of both fungi. Concentrations of 10(7) to 10(8) conidia/ml produced 100% mortality in 10 days or less and 106 conidia/ml produced 90% mortality at 21 to 26 days. Median lethal concentrations of conidia (LC50) from M. anisopliae were 3.6 x 103 at 25°C and 4.1 x 103 at 20°C. The LC50 for B. bassiana …

Attraction Of Pedilus Lugubris (Coleoptera: Pyrochroidae) To Epicauta Murina And Epicauta Fabricii (Coleoptera: Meloidae) And New Food Plant Records For Epicauta Spp., Andrew H. Williams, Daniel K. Young

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Pedilus lugubris was found associated with Epicauta murina feeding on Lathyrus venosus foliage and with E. fabricii feeding on Lupinus perennis flowers. Epicauta cinerea and E. funebris were found feeding on foliage of Anemone canadensis and Physalis heterophylla, respectively. This is the first reported association of P lugubris with any species of Epicauta, and the first reported use of Lathyrus venosus by E. murina, of Lupinus perennis by E. fabricii, of Anemone canadensis by E. cinerea and of Physalis heterophylla by E. funebris.

Timing Of Karner Blue (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) Larvae In Spring And Adults In Spring And Summer In Wisconsin During 1991-1998, Ann B. Swengel, Scott R. Swengel

The Great Lakes Entomologist

During 1991-1998, formal surveys and incidental observations of the Karner blue (Lycaeides melissa samuelis) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) occurred on 2-8 dates each year for spring larvae and on 5-10 dates in each adult generation at 148 pine-oak barrens in ten counties of central and northwestern Wisconsin. A total of 493 spring larvae were recorded, as well as 16,039 adults (6755 in spring and 9284 in summer) in 375.5 hours of formal adult survey effort. Adult Karner blue timing varied among years by about 2-5 weeks in spring and 2.5-6 weeks in summer. The mean span between spring and summer adult generations …

Gypsy Moth (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) Feeding On Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum Salicaria) In Michigan, Donald C. Sebolt, Douglas A. Landis

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Purple loosestrife, Lythrum salicaria, is an exotic invasive weed which is currently the target of a biological control effort using introduced leaf-feeding beetles. In 1997-1998 we observed larvae of the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar feeding on L. salicaria at several locations in south central Michigan. In one-minute timed counts conducted over a six-week period in 1998, densities of 0 to 8 larvae per 1-m2 quadrat were observed. Other observations indicated 23 L. dispar 2nd and 3rd instars on a single L. salicaria plant. Second and third instar L. dispar collected on L. salicaria in the field were successfully reared …

Road Mortality Of Dragonflies (Odonata) In A Great Lakes Coastal Wetland, Samuel Keith Riffell

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Although road mortality of vertebrates has been well studied, road mortality of invertebrates has rarely been studied or considered in management scenarios. Mackinac Bay is an extensive coastal wetland in northern Michigan. It is bordered by a two-lane paved highway that separates the marsh, where dragonflies defend territories and breed, from the adjacent forest where dragonflies forage and rest. During mid-summer of 1997, daily collections of dragonfly corpses from the road and road edge were used to estimate daily mortality rates and sex ratios among casualties. Daily mortality was highly variable, ranging from 10 to 256 casualties per kilometer. Sex …

A List Of Wisconsin Springtails With New Records And Annotations (Hexapoda: Parainsecta: Collembola), E. J. Rebek, D. K. Young, D. B. Hogg

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Twenty Collembola species new to Wisconsin were collected from soil at two agricultural sites in southern Wisconsin, including an undescribed species of Isotomidae. The state faunal list now contains 52 species representing seven families.

Ground Beetle Range Extensions: Six New Ohio Records (Coleoptera: Carabidae), Foster Forbes Purrington, R. Chris Stanton, David J. Horn

The Great Lakes Entomologist

We newly report six ground beetles from Ohio, comprising Badister parviceps, Stenolophus dissimilis, Harpalus somnulentus, Pentagonica fiavipes, Agonum albicrus, and Lebia collaris.

New Records And Biological Notes On Species Of Cleridae (Coleoptera) From The Adirondack Park, New York, Jonathan R. Mawdsley

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Eleven species of Cleridae (Coleoptera) have been previously recorded from the Adirondack Park in the state of New York. Three additional species (Placopterus thoracicus, Enoclerus muttkowskii, and Enoclerus nigrifrons) are recorded from the Adirondacks for the first time. Biological notes and collecting records are provided for all species. Characters are given for separating adults and larvae of Enoclerus muttkowskii from those of the superficially similar species Enoclerus ichneumoneus. The relationships of these two species are discussed.

Dead Leaf Clusters As Habitats For Adult Calliodis Temnostethoides And Cardiastethus Luridellus And Other Anthocorids (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Anthocoridae), John D. Lattin

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Two species of Anthocoridae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) were found in dead-leaf clusters of black oak in west-central Michigan, Calliodis temnostethoides and Cardiastethus luridellus. These clusters resulted from full- leafed trees being blown over by a severe wind storm in May 1998. They contained spiders, springtails, tubiliferan thrips, small beetles, and psocids, besides the predaceous anthocorids. Such habitats are well-known for some bugs elsewhere. Because only adults were collected, it was assumed that the more permanent habitat was likely to be under bark. Further attention to this habitat likely will result in additional records for other species of Anthocoridae.

Aeshna Subarctica (Odonata: Aeshnidae) In Northwestern Wisconsin, Robert D. Dubois, Robbye Johnson, Shaun Putz

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Nine adult specimens of Aeshna subarctica, a boreal dragonfly typically associated with muskeg wetlands, were collected from Black Lake and Breitzman Lake in northwestern Wisconsin (Douglas County). Viable populations likely exist in both lakes. Oviposition by three females is described. This represents the first published report of A. subarctica for the state of Wisconsin. Because Black Lake lies on the border of Wisconsin and Minnesota, A. subarctica likely occurs in Minnesota as well. Further sampling of acidic peatland habitats for aquatic macroinvertebrates is recommended to document populations of northern at the southern periphery of their ranges. These could function …

Seasonal Response Of Workers Of The Allegheny Mound Ant, Formica Exsectoides (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) To Artificial Honeydews Of Varying Nutritional Content, C. M. Bristow, E. Yanity

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Field colonies of Allegheny mound ants, Formica exsectoides, were tested at monthly intervals throughout the summer to assess their preference for artificial honeydews containing varying compositions of sugars and amino acids. In choice tests, foragers significantly preferred high sugar honeydews early in the season, but shifted in mid-season to a strong preference for high amino acid honeydews. Late-season foragers slightly preferred sugars. When offered in equal concentrations, the honeydew sugar, melezitose, was consistently less attractive to foragers than sucrose. However both sugars were readily fed upon, and appeared to attract ants in an additive fashion. No single amino acid …

A New Flexamia (Homoptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae) From Southern Michigan, James A. Bess, K. G. A. Hamilton

The Great Lakes Entomologist

A new species, Flexamia huroni, is described from a prairie fen in south- eastern Michigan. This leafhopper is closely related to the western F. serrata B & T, a specialist on mat muhly (Muhlenbergia richardsonis). Like its sister species, F. huroni was found only in close association with mat muhly, a grass listed as a threatened species in Michigan and Wisconsin. The regional rarity of mat muhly, its association with a globally imperiled plant commnity (prairie fen) and the absence of F. huroni from several fens known to contain this grass, make this new Flexamia a strong …

New Records Of Ohio Long-Horned Beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), Robert A. Androw, George D. Keeney

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Recorded from Ohio for the first time are eleven species of Cerambycidae: Arhopalus rusticus obsoletus, Tetropium schwarzianum, Parelaphidion aspersum, Anthophylax attenuatus, Acmaeops proteus proteus, Goes variegatus, Ataxia brunnea, Styloleptus biustus, Eutrichillus biguttatus, and Oberea flavipes. Confirming records are given for four other species: Tilloclytus geminatus, Lepturges pictus, Lepturges angulatus and Plectrodera scalator. Tetropium cinnamopterum is tentatively recorded from Ohio from one specimen with questionable data. New biological information is presented for several of the species recorded herein.

Selection Of Housekeeping Genes And Demonstration Of Rnai In Cotton Leafhopper, Amrasca Biguttula Biguttula (Ishida), Satnam Singh, Mridula Gupta, Suneet Pandher, Gurmeet Kaur, Pankaj Rathore, Subba Reddy Palli

Entomology Faculty Publications

Amrasca biguttula biguttula (Ishida) commonly known as cotton leafhopper is a severe pest of cotton and okra. Not much is known on this insect at molecular level due to lack of genomic and transcriptomic data. To prepare for functional genomic studies in this insect, we evaluated 15 common housekeeping genes (Tub, B-Tub, EF alpha, GADPH, UbiCF, RP13, Ubiq, G3PD, VATPase, Actin, 18s, 28s, TATA, ETF, SOD and Cytolytic actin) during different developmental stages and under starvation stress. We selected early (1^st and 2 …

Enallagma Anna, A Damselfly New To The Great Lakes Region (Odonata: Coenagrionidae), Mark F. O'Brien, Paul D. Pratt

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Enallagma anna, a predominantly western North America damselfly, is now recorded from southwestern Michigan and southwestern Ontario for the first time.

Gleaning On Coreidae (Heteroptera) By Tachopteryx Thoreyi (Odonata: Petaluridae), R. D. Waltz

The Great Lakes Entomologist

(excerpt)

Tachopteryx thoreyi (Hagen in Selys) is an uncommon or rare, fen and seep dwelling dragonfly noted for its large size, restricted habitat requirements, and characteristic habit of perching on tree trunks.

Distribution Of Hetaerina Titia (Odonata: Calopterygidae) In The Eastern Great Lakes Region, Paul D. Pratt, Paul M. Catling

The Great Lakes Entomologist

The lower Thames and Sydenham Rivers in southwestern Ontario have well established populations of Hetaerina titia that represent the northern range limit of the species. Although first discovered in 1985, these populations are not necessarily recently established. Adults appear from mid-August to early September and are most often seen around trees and shrubs overhanging moving water.

New Larval Variants And Distributional Records For Plauditus Cestus (Ephemeroptera: Baetidae), C. R. Lugo-Ortiz, W. P. Mccafferty

The Great Lakes Entomologist

The larval stage of Plauditus cestus (Ephemeroptera: Baetidae) is re- described to incorporate mouthpart, leg, and abdominal characteristics not previously accounted for. The examination of populations not studied previ­ously shows abdominal coloration and morphology to vary considerably. Additional distributional records from North America are provided.

Psilotreta Indecisa And Agarodes Distinctus (Trichoptera: Odontoceridae, Sericostomatidae): New State Records And Notes On The Habitat Of These Species In Michigan, Ethan Bright, Doug Bidlack

The Great Lakes Entomologist

The caddisfly species Psilotreta indecisa and Agarodes distinctus are reported for the first time in the State of Michigan. These species appear to be widely distributed in the state based upon their collection localities. Habitat information from collection localities is given.