Entomology Commons^™

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

Spider Biodiversity And Insecticide Sensitivity Across Active And Restored Cranberry Bogs On Nantucket, Tyler J. Kulak

Graduate Masters Theses

Spiders are one of the most diverse groups of organisms on the planet with over 53,000 species described as of 2026. They provide a suite of ecosystem services including their regulation of problematic pests in agricultural systems, appearing in high biomasses across a breadth of ecological niches. While beneficial as pest regulators, they are also susceptible to the same management techniques as pest organisms and are especially vulnerable to chemical control. Cranberry production in Massachusetts likely benefits from spider ecosystem services, but diversity research on spiders in these systems is limited. This study compares the diversity of spider populations from …

American Plum Borer In Utah Orchards (Euzophera Semifuneralis), Emilie Demard, Marion Murray, Claudia Nischwitz

All Current Publications

This fact sheet provides information on American plum borer in Utah orchards, also known as APB. This pest primarily damages fruit trees. APB moths were detected in traps in 2026, but to date, no tree damage has been found. This fact sheet discusses hosts, identification, and management methods.

South Texas Is Home To High Diversity Of Cytochrome Oxidase I Haplotypes Compared To Other Invasive Populations Of Aedes Aegypti, Rachel C. Malampy, Mariana Aguilar, Erin L. Schuenzel, Christopher J. Vitek

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

Simple Summary: The mosquito Aedes aegypti is capable of spreading a wide range of diseases that adversely affect human health. As the mosquito populations expand to new locations and increase in population, the risk to human health increases. To understand how the mosquito is spreading and the genetic composition of the current mosquito population in South Texas, partial DNA sequencing of the cytochrome oxidase I gene was completed for over 100 individuals. The large number of individuals sampled from a small geographic area resulted in new, unique sequences. These new sequences indicate the potential for new responses to pesticides and …

Clara S. Ludlow: Mississippi A & M Graduate And American Military Entomology Pioneer, Bradley Brazzeal

Midsouth Entomologist

The systematic study of the mosquitoes of the world did not begin until the early years of the 20^th century. Among the early entomologists to specialize in the field was Clara S. Ludlow, who graduated from Mississippi Agricultural and Mechanical College. Her research began in the Philippines in 1901, while American troops were still fighting in the Philippine-American War, and for over 20 years she researched mosquitoes in connection with the U.S. Army. This article explores Ludlow’s scientific career and the legacy of her research.

Eusocial Caste Specialization Under Abiotic And Biotic Stress In A Stingless Bee, Tetragonisca Angustula, Kristin M. Robinson

Dissertations

Eusocial insects rely on division of labor to achieve high colony efficiency and provide essential ecosystem services, but specialization may also constrain colony resilience when workers operate near their physiological or behavioral limits under abiotic and biotic stressors. How specialization mediates these responses remains poorly understood, particularly in stingless bees (Tribe: Meliponini). Using the agriculturally relevant stingless bee Tetragonisca angustula, which possesses a specialized soldier subcaste, I investigated how a high degree of worker specialization influences physiological tolerance and predator responses across worker subcastes.

In this dissertation, I quantified variation in thermal tolerance and desiccation resistance among worker subcastes …

Effect Of Food Resource, Preservation Method, And Preservation Duration On Larval Size Of Forensically Important Fly Species (Order: Diptera), John Zukowski

Student Theses

Forensic entomology is a vital discipline that can aid in the proceedings of criminal cases. Larval age and development are important aspects to consider when utilizing blow flies (Family: Calliphoridae) for estimates pertaining to the initial time of colonization (TOC), which contributes to postmortem interval (PMI) estimations. Thus, it is important to understand the factors that influence larval size and development, since larval size is commonly used as a proxy for age. Larvae of three species of flies, Lucilia sericata (Meigen), Calliphora vicina (Robineau-Desvoidy), and Phormia regina (Meigen), were reared on five different food resources. Specimens of L. sericata and …

Visual Cues Attract Adult Tunga Penetrans (Siphonaptera: Tungidae), Ayako Hyuga, Paul Ouma, Lynne Elson, Kazuchiyo Miyamichi, Satoshi Kaneko, Kensuke Goto, Tullu Bukhari, Jürgen Krücken, Ulrike Fillinger

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Tunga penetrans (Linnaeus, 1758) (Siphonaptera: Tungidae) is an ectoparasitic flea whose adult females cause tungiasis by embedding into the host’s skin. Environmental, social and financial challenges in tungiasis endemic areas have left this disease neglected and lacking locally available control measures. One possible approach for controlling T. penetrans targets its off-host stages; however, surveillance tools for adult fleas are still lacking. Moreover, host-seeking cues and behaviour of adult T. penetrans remain largely unknown. In this study, we show that visual cues are attractive to adult T. penetrans. Newly emerged T.penetrans responded to light stimuli across a broad spectrum, ranging from …

The Influence Of Ecological Pest Management Practices On Pests And Natural Enemies Under A Cabbage–Garden Pea Rotational System In Central Kenya, Peter Nyakundi Mageto, Milka Kiboi, Monicah Mucheru-Muna, Felix Matheri

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Pest pressure is a major constraint on crop production in Sub-Saharan Africa, where smallholder farmers rely heavily on synthetic pesticides with potential environmental and health risks. Ecological pest management practices (EPMs) have been proposed as sustainable alternatives, although field-based evidence is limited. This study evaluated pest and natural-enemy responses to EPMs in a cabbage–garden pea rotation system over six years (2020–2025) in Central Kenya. Four treatments were assessed: homemade botanical extracts (Botanicals), coriander intercropping (Intercrop), botanical extracts combined with coriander intercropping (Botanicals + Intercrop), and a control. In cabbage, ecological treatments often recorded lower aphid and diamondback moth abundance and …