DOCSLIB.ORG

Invertebrates Recorded from the Northern

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Invertebrates Recorded from the Northern MARIANA ISLANDS BIODIVERSITY. Short-horn grasshoppers Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Orthoptera Suborder: Caelifera Superfamilies: Tetrigoidea and Acridoidea. Diversity Micronesia – 23 species, Mariana Isl. – 10 species, CNMI - 9 species Ecological and human significance Short-horn grasshoppers are herbivores usually living in open grassy or weedy areas. Although they have been implicated in crop damage, such as maize, severe damage usually occurs only when there is a buildup of numbers, such as that occurring sometimes with the locust (Locusta migratoria). It is unlikely that any of the grasshoppers are indigenous to the Northern Mariana Islands as they are dwellers of open grassland or of, at least, low-cover, open areas. It is probable that most of the islands were mostly covered by forest prior to the advent and influence of man. It does seem that Stenocatantops splendens has recently entered the Northern Marianas, as , although it is now common on Saipan, there were no records prior to the recent (2000) collected material. It is a moderately sized animal and unlikely to be missed by collectors. Heteropternis obscurella seems, similarly, to have recently colonised the CNMI although its presence on Sarigan indicates a longer occupation period. Both species are in the University of Guam collection but were not recorded by Kevan et al 1997 from the Marianas. Conservation There are no conservation issues recognised at present, and none can really be determined until a thorough survey of the areas has been undertaken. All remaining natural habitats need to be conserved as much as possible. Identification There are no keys for in house identification, specimens have been sent (2002) to Dr. Dan Otte, Philadelphia Acadamy of Natural Sciences, U.S.A. Identifications are awaited.. Records of short-horn grasshoppers from CNMI indicating areas (blank spaces) from which records are required. Bold = endemic to Mariana Islands, Underlined = indigenous to Mariana Islands, Other = introduced , x = literature record, X = specimen in CNMI collection. Agri = Agrihan , Agui = Aguiguan, Alam = Alamagan , Asun = Asuncion, Urac = Farallon de Pajaros or Uracas, Fara = Farallon de Medinilla, Gugu = Guguan, Paga = Pagan, Rota = Rota, Sari = Sarigan, Saip = Saipan, Tini = Tinian Species Islands Rota Agui Tini Saip Fara Anat Sari Gugu Alam Paga Agri Asun Maug Urac Paratettix pullus x x X Oxya japonica japonica X X Valanga excavata x x X X X X X x Locusta migratoria manilensis x X X x X x x x Aiolopus thalassinus tamulus/ Aiolopus thalassinus dubius intergrades X X X X X X X X x x Stenocatantops splendens. X X X X Heteropternis obscurella X X X Acridid sp. X “ “ X Green species: white spot X X Green species : black spot X X X . 77 Species list Saipan 1945 = literature record for Saipan, seen/found 1945, CNMI 2000 = in Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, housed at the Northern Marianas college collection, Saipan, collected during 2000, or CNMI 1971-2000 where the dates indicate earliest and latest years of specimens collected. n.d. = no date given in reference. Superfamily: Tetrigoidea Family: Tetrigidae Subfamily: Tetriginae Euparatettix sp. Guguan 1992 Paratettix pullus Bolivar Guam 1971, Saipan 1951, ?CNMI 2001, Tinian 1984, Rota 1946 Superfamily: Acridoidea Family Pyrgomorphidae {Atractomorpha psittacina psittacina (Haan) Guam 1981 } Family: Acrididae Subfamily: Oxyinae Oxya japonica japonica (Thunberg) Japanese grasshopper Saipan 1971, Saipan CNMI 1970- 1973, Tinian 1985, CNMI 2002. {Gesonula mundata zonocera (Navas) Guam 1984 } Subfamily: Cyrtacanthacrininae Valanga excavata (Stal) Agrihan 1949, Anatahan CNMI 1991-2002 , Pagan 1940, Pagan CNMI 1999, Sarigan CNMI 2001, Saipan 1946-1951, Saipan CNMI 1970-2001, Tinian 1946-1985, CNMI 2002, Agiguan 1952, Rota 1946,2002 (in Rota collection), Guam 1985 Extra-limital: Palau CNMI 1973, Yap CNMI 1973 Locusta migratoria manilensis (Meyen). Migratory locust Pagan 1954, Saipan 1946, Saipan CNMI 1970-1980, Tinian 1946-1985, Tinian CNMI 1973-2002, Faralon de Madinilla 1984, Rota 1952, Guguan, Maug, Pagan, Uracas 1992, Anatahan 1992, CNMI 2002, Guam 1984 Green species A (white spots) Sarigan CNMI 2001, Saipan CNMI 2001, Tinian CNMI 2002 Green species B (black spots) Saipan CNMI 2001, Tinian CNMI 2002 Subfamily: Catantopinae {Trilophidia annulata (Thunberg) Guam 1945} Aiolopus thalassinus tamulus (Fabr.)/ Aiolopus thalassinus dubius Willemse intergrades Pagan 1951, Pagan CNMI 1971-1999, Sarigan CNMI 2001, Agrigan 1992, Agrigan CNMI 1971, Saipan 1945-1977, Saipan CNMI 1970-2000, Tinian 1945-1985, CNMI 2002, Aguiguan 1952-1962, Rota 1937-1951, CNMI 2002, Anatahan 1992, CNMI 2002, Alamagan CNMI 2000, Maug 1992, Guam 1962 Stenocatantops splendens (Thunberg) Saipan 1992, Saipan CNMI 2000 -2001; Tinian CNMI 2002, Aguiguan CNMI 2002, Anatahan 1992, CNMI 2002; Rota 2002 (in Rota collection), Guam, in University of Guam collection. Not recorded by Kevan et al 1997 from Micronesia. Heteropternis obscurella (Blanchard) Not recorded from Marianas by Ref. 1, but from Pohnpei, Yap, Palau and Chuuk. Saipan CNMI 1970-2001; Sarigan CNMI 2001 , Tinian CNMI 2002, Guam, in University of Guam collection. Unidentified species. Acridinae ? sp. Saipan CNMI 2001 “ “ Tinian CNMI 2002 78 (??Romaleinae) Green species (white spots) Sarigan CNMI 2001, Saipan CNMI 2001, Tinian CNMI 2002 Green species (black spots) Saipan CNMI 2001, Tinian CNMI 2002 References Gressitt, J. Linsley. 1954. Insects of Micronesia Introduction. In: Insects of Micronesia 1: 1 – 257 Kevan, D. Keith McE, Vernon R. Vickery and Mary-Lynn English. 1997. Acridoidea and related Orthoptera (Grasshoppers) of Micronesia. Micronesica 30(1): 127-168. Miyano, S. 1994. Insects of the Northern Mariana Islands, Micronesia, collected during the expedition. Nat. Hist. Res., Special Issue No. 1: 199-215. Swezey, O.H. 1946. Orthoptera and related orders of Guam. In: Insects of Guam – II, pp 3- 8 Bulletin 189, Bernice P. Bishop Museum, Honolulu, Hawaii. 257 pp. Gressitt, J. Linsley. 1954. Insects of Micronesia Introduction. In: Insects of Micronesia 1: 1 – 257 79 .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • NWS Honolulu Defines Aviation Mission
    July 2004 National Weather Service Volume 3, Number 3 NWS Honolulu Defines Aviation Mission By Raymond Tanabe, Aviation Program Leader, WFO Honolulu, HI In this Issue: [email protected] Situated in the middle of the Pa- takeoff or land in the Hawaiian air- NWS Honolulu Defines cific Ocean, the Hawai’ian Islands are space daily. Aviation Mission 1 one of the most remote areas on the Commercial air carriers service the earth. The islands’ topography varies number one industry in Hawai’i, tour- Tracking Volcanic Ash from sea level to near 14,000 feet. ism by shuttling tourists and residents In the Mariana Islands 4 Hawaii consists of eight main is- between islands and out of the state. lands with a total land area of 6,425 In addition, numerous helicopter com- NWS Pacific Region square miles and a population of ap- panies offer tours of the islands. Redraws Lines to proximately 1.3 million. Due to its General aviation pilots take fisher- Reflect Met Watch geographic isolation and its multiple man to spot large schools of fish, Office Change 8 island configuration, Hawai’i is im- shuttle people between neighboring is- mensely reliant on aviation for its so- lands, transport private aircraft into and cial and economic livelihood. out of Hawai’i, or simply fly for rec- More than 1,200 commercial, reation. When’s the Next Front? military and general aviation flights Continued on Page 2 Would you like an email when a new edition of The Front is published? Email: [email protected]. Managing Editor: Michael Graf [email protected] Editor/Layout: Melody Magnus [email protected] Mission Statement To enhance aviation safety by increasing the pilot’s knowledge of weather systems and processes and National Weather Service products and services.
    [Show full text]
  • An Inventory of Short Horn Grasshoppers in the Menoua Division, West Region of Cameroon
    AGRICULTURE AND BIOLOGY JOURNAL OF NORTH AMERICA ISSN Print: 2151-7517, ISSN Online: 2151-7525, doi:10.5251/abjna.2013.4.3.291.299 © 2013, ScienceHuβ, http://www.scihub.org/ABJNA An inventory of short horn grasshoppers in the Menoua Division, West Region of Cameroon Seino RA1, Dongmo TI1, Ghogomu RT2, Kekeunou S3, Chifon RN1, Manjeli Y4 1Laboratory of Applied Ecology (LABEA), Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Dschang, P.O. Box 353 Dschang, Cameroon, 2Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture and Agronomic Sciences (FASA), University of Dschang, P.O. Box 222, Dschang, Cameroon. 3 Département de Biologie et Physiologie Animale, Faculté des Sciences, Université de Yaoundé 1, Cameroun 4 Department of Biotechnology and Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture and Agronomic Sciences (FASA), University of Dschang, P.O. Box 222, Dschang, Cameroon. ABSTRACT The present study was carried out as a first documentation of short horn grasshoppers in the Menoua Division of Cameroon. A total of 1587 specimens were collected from six sites i.e. Dschang (265), Fokoue (253), Fongo – Tongo (267), Nkong – Ni (271), Penka Michel (268) and Santchou (263). Identification of these grasshoppers showed 28 species that included 22 Acrididae and 6 Pyrgomorphidae. The Acrididae belonged to 8 subfamilies (Acridinae, Catantopinae, Cyrtacanthacridinae, Eyprepocnemidinae, Oedipodinae, Oxyinae, Spathosterninae and Tropidopolinae) while the Pyrgomorphidae belonged to only one subfamily (Pyrgomorphinae). The Catantopinae (Acrididae) showed the highest number of species while Oxyinae, Spathosterninae and Tropidopolinae showed only one species each. Ten Acrididae species (Acanthacris ruficornis, Anacatantops sp, Catantops melanostictus, Coryphosima stenoptera, Cyrtacanthacris aeruginosa, Eyprepocnemis noxia, Gastrimargus africanus, Heteropternis sp, Ornithacris turbida, and Trilophidia conturbata ) and one Pyrgomorphidae (Zonocerus variegatus) were collected in all the six sites.
    [Show full text]
  • Report on Northern Mariana Islands Workforce Act of 2018, U.S. Public
    U.S. Department of the Interior Report to Congress Technical Assistance Northern Mariana Islands U.S. Workforce Act of 2018 October 2019 Department of the Interior TABLE OF CONTENTS Report of the Secretary of the Interior on Immigration in the CNMI 2 Office of Insular Affairs Authorities and Responsibilities to the Territories 2 Technical Assistance Program 3 Capital Improvement Project 3 Energizing Island Communities 4 Background and History of the CNMI Economy 5 Typhoon Yutu 7 Activities to Identify Opportunities for Economic Growth and Diversification 8 Office of Insular Affairs: Technical Assistance 8 Department of Commerce 11 International Trade Administration 11 Bureau of Economic Analysis 12 U.S. Census Bureau 12 Economic Development Administration 13 Office of Insular Affairs: Recruiting, Training, and Hiring U.S. Workers 14 Department of Labor 15 Background and Foreign Labor Certification 15 Implementation of Workforce Act 15 Commonwealth Worker Fund Annual Plan 16 Office of Insular Affairs: Technical Assistance 16 U.S. Department of Labor Formula and Discretionary Grants 17 Other Technical Assistance and Consultation 18 Section 902 Consultation of the Revocation of the PRC Tourist Parole Program 18 Recommendations by the Special Representatives 19 Conclusion 19 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR ON RESPONSIBILITIES TO THE COMMONWEALTH OF THE NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS In July 2018, President Trump signed into law H.R. 5956, the Northern Mariana Islands U.S. Workforce Act of 2018 (Act or the Workforce Act), Public Law 115-218.
    [Show full text]
  • Fruit Bats Comprised of Only a Few Individuals, Also Previously Located by the Micronesian Megapode Team, Was Confirmed from the Helicopter Search of SA Col
    Population Assessment of the Mariana Fruit Bat (Pteropus mariannus mariannus) on Anatahan, Sarigan, Guguan, Alamagan, Pagan, Agrihan, Asuncion, and Maug; 15 June – 10 July 2010 Administrative Report Pteropus mariannus mariannus at a roost on Pagan, Photograph by E. W. Valdez Ernest W. Valdez U. S. Geological Survey Fort Collins Science Center, Arid Lands Field Station Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001 Administrative Reports are considered to be unpublished and may not be cited or quoted except in follow-up administrative reports to the same Federal agency or unless the agency releases the report to the public. Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................ 3 METHODS AND MATERIALS ....................................................................................................................... 4 RESULTS ...................................................................................................................................................... 7 SARIGAN (15–16 June 2010) .................................................................................................................... 7 GUGUAN (17–18 June 2010) ..................................................................................................................... 7 ALAMAGAN (19–21 June 2010; 10 July 2010)
    [Show full text]
  • Biodiversity of Insect Pests in Wheat Ecosystem in Mid Hills of Meghalaya
    Content list available at http://epubs.icar.org.in, www.kiran.nic.in; ISSN: 0970-6429 Indian Journal of Hill Farming December 2019, Volume 32, Issue 2, Page 350 -353 Biodiversity of Insect Pests in Wheat Ecosystem in Mid Hills of Meghalaya Nadon, W.F1* . Thakur, N.S.A1 1School of Crop Protection, College of Postgraduate Studies in Agricultural Sciences (CPGSAS), (CAU, Imphal), Umiam, Meghalaya - 793103 ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Article history: Studies on biodiversity of insect pests in wheat ecosystem in mid hills of Meghalaya was Received 27 June 2019 conducted in 2018-19 Rabi season at the experimental farm at College of Post Graduate Revision Received 3 October 2019 Accepted 30 October 2019 Studies in Agricultural Sciences (CPGSAS), CAU (I), Umiam, Meghalaya. Wheat crop was ----------------------------------------------- raised in 9 different plots with three sowing dates. Field surveys, observations, collection, Key words: Biodiversity, pests, major, minor, identification and preservation of insect species was done throughout the cropping season. A wheat total number of 32 species of insects were identified as pests, out of which two were identified ---------------------------------------------- as major pests (Rhopalosiphum padi (Linnaeus) and Sitobion avenae (Fabricius)) of wheat based on their infestation and damage on the crop. The remaining 30 insect species were minor pests comprising of 5 orders, viz. Hemiptera, Diptera, Coleoptera, Orthoptera and Lepidoptera; and belonged to 16 families. The collected insect species were categorized into major and minor pests based on their incidence on the wheat crop. 1. Introduction to be around 60-70%, whereby in India, agriculture is suffering around. 8.7 million rupees loss due to the attack of Wheat (Triticum aestivum, Linnaeus) is a main insect pests (Dhaliwal et al., 2010).
    [Show full text]
  • Vegetation Mapping of the Mariana Islands: Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and Territory of Guam
    VEGETATION MAPPING OF THE MARIANA ISLANDS: COMMONWEALTH OF THE NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS AND TERRITORY OF GUAM NOVEMBER 2017 FINAL REPORT FRED AMIDON, MARK METEVIER1 , AND STEPHEN E. MILLER PACIFIC ISLAND FISH AND WILDLIFE OFFICE, U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, HONOLULU, HI 1 CURRENT AGENCY: BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, MEDFORD, OR Photograph of Alamagan by Curt Kessler, USFWS. Mariana Island Vegetation Mapping Final Report November 2017 CONTENTS List of Figures ............................................................................................................................................................................ 3 List of Tables .............................................................................................................................................................................. 4 Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................................................................ 5 Summary ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Description of Project Area ...........................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • (Orthoptera) and Their Phylogenetic Implications Within Tetrigoidea
    Mitochondrial genomes of eight Scelimeninae species (Orthoptera) and their phylogenetic implications within Tetrigoidea Ran Li1, Xiaoli Ying1, Weian Deng2, Wantao Rong2 and Xiaodong Li2 1 College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China 2 School of Chemistry and Bioengineering, Hechi University, Yizhou, China ABSTRACT Scelimeninae is a key member of the pygmy grasshopper community, and an important ecological indicator. No mitochondrial genomes of Scelimeninae have been reported to date, and the monophyly of Scelimeninae and its phylogenetic relationship within Tetrigidae is still unclear. We sequenced and analyzed eight nearly complete mitochondrial genomes representing eight genera of Scelimeninae. These mitogenomes ranged in size from 13,112 to 16,380 bp and the order of tRNA genes between COII and ATP8 was reversed compared with the ancestral order of insects. The protein-coding genes (PCGs) of tetrigid species mainly with the typical ATN codons and most terminated with complete (TAA or TAG) stop codons. Analyses of pairwise genetic distances showed that ATP8 was the least conserved gene within Tetrigidae, while COI was the most conserved. The longest intergenic spacer (IGS) region in the mitogenomes was always found between tRNASer(UCN) and ND1. Additionally, tandem repeat units were identified in the longest IGS of three mitogenomes. Maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian Inference (BI) analyses based on the two datasets supported the monophyly of Tetriginae. Scelimeninae was classified as a non-monophyletic subfamily.
    [Show full text]
  • (Acrididae: Ordo Orthoptera) Pada Agroekosistem (Zea Mays L.) Dan Ekosistem Hutan Tanaman Di Kebun Raya Baturaden, Banyumas
    Biosfera Vol 34, No 2 Mei 2017 : 80-88 DOI: 10.20884/1.mib.2017.34.2.490 Biodiversitas Belalang (Acrididae: ordo Orthoptera) pada Agroekosistem (zea mays l.) dan Ekosistem Hutan Tanaman di Kebun Raya Baturaden, Banyumas Bagas Prakoso1 1Program Studi Biologi, FMIPA, Universitas Ma’arif Nahdlatul Ulama (UMNU) Kebumen Email : [email protected] Abstarct This study aims to determine the diversity of grasshoppers (Acrididae: Orthoptera Order) on agro-ecosystems (Zea mays L.) and plants of forest ecosystems and to determine the role of locusts on both ecosystems. This research was conducted by field survey method. The parameters were observed at each site included the diversity of vegetation, the collection of the order Orthoptera Acrididae grasshoppers and locusts Acrididae direct observation of the order Orthoptera. Grasshopper diversity found in ecosystems diversity indices analyzed include: diversity index (H '), evenness (E) and Sorensen similarity index (C) as well as correlation and regression analysis. Samples were taken from agroecosystem (Zea mays L.) and forest plant ecosystem which was repeated four times. The results of this study found as many as 3,097 individuals were included in the Family Orthoptera Tetrigidae, Acrididae and Pyrgomorphidae consisting of 7 genus that is Atractomorpha, Criotettix, Gesunola, Hesperotettix, Miramella, Oxya, and Valanga with 7 Species. In agro-ecosystem, 3 species were found with 1,030 individuals, while in plantation forest were found 5 species with 2,067 individuals. The results of the Shannon diversity index value-Weinner on forest ecosystem diversity a higher value (0.6307) when compared to the agro-ecosystem (0.5325). Under these conditions, forests ecosystems grasshopper plant has a higher biodiversity than agroekosistem (Zea mays L.).
    [Show full text]
  • Coral Reef Status Report for the Northern Mariana Islands
    1 Coral reef condition: 20 8 A status report for the FAIR NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS Coral reefs are important Healthy coral reefs are among the most biologically diverse ecosystems on Earth, with high cultural and economic significance. Located in the western Pacific basin, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) is made up of 14 islands extending over 600 kilometers. Coral reefs are important to the people of CNMI because they provide traditional and subsistence uses, production of commercial food products, recreational opportunities for a healthy tourist economy, and physical protection from storms. Culture and Food The indigenous ethnic groups of the Marianas, the Chamorro and Carolinian, are closely tied to the natural environment. Surveys indicate that about 96% of residents who go fishing, do so to feed their families. Ancient Chamorros and Carolinians were expert fishermen with inherent knowledge of harvesting reef fish species such as tàtaga (unicornfish), mafute’ (emperor), and palakse’ (parrotfish). Traditional fishing methods such as Trianni Mike spearfishing and talaya (throw-net) help preserve the cultural identity of the islands. The connection between coral reefs and society is integral as the reefs provide habitat for most species as well as numerous ecosystem services, including protection of culturally significant areas along the CNMI coastlines. Surveys of CNMI residents indicate that 91% of respondents agree that coral reefs are important to their culture (NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science 2018). Alexandra Fries Alexandra Tourism The economic importance of the CNMI coral reef ecosystem is significant. In addition to providing food, shelter, and cultural significance for the citizens of CNMI, the coral reefs generate revenue from tourists and recreational users that are attracted to the beauty of the coral and its inhabitants.
    [Show full text]
  • Description of New Species of Oxya from Pakistan with Comparison to a Close Ally (Oxyinae: Acrididae: Orthoptera)
    Pakistan J. Zool., pp 1-6, 2020. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.17582/journal.pjz/20190212100223 Description of New Species of Oxya from Pakistan with Comparison to a Close Ally (Oxyinae: Acrididae: Orthoptera) Riffat Sultana*, Nuzhat Soomro and Muhammad Saeed Wagan Department of Zoology, University of Sindh, Jamshoro, Pakistan Article Information Received 12 February 2019 Revised 22 July 2019 ABSTRACT Accepted 02 September 2019 Available online 26 November 2019 A new species Oxya kashmorensis (Oxyinae: Acrididae: Orthoptera) from Kashmore, Sindh, Pakistan is Authors’ Contribution described and illustrated. We provide a comparison of Oxya kashmorensis sp.nov. and O. nitidula which is RS designed the study and compiled recorded from Pakistan for the first time. Comparative information on the female genitalia of both species the data. NS collected the samples and is provided. Further, a note on the ecology and distribution of both species is given. With the addition of MSW identified the species. O. kashmorensis and the new record of O. nitidula, the numbers of known species in genus Oxya is raised to 9 for Pakistan and 5 for Sindh. We further provide a key to the Oxya species from Sindh. Key words Oxyinae, New species, Kashmore, Sindh, Illustrations, Sub-genital plate, Ecology INTRODUCTION Seino et al., 2013; Soomro et al., 2019), none of these studies provided detailed taxonomic status and correct he genus Oxya belongs to the Acrididae and has a wide identification ofOxya from Sindh, Pakistan. Tdistribution in Asia and Africa. Species of the genus Species of the genus are well adapted to the marshy are known to damage a variety of crops, e.g.
    [Show full text]
  • COCONUT CRAB (Birgus Latro) SURVEYS on PAGAN, COMMONWEALTH of the NORTHERN MARIANAS ISLANDS
    COCONUT CRAB (Birgus latro) SURVEYS ON PAGAN, COMMONWEALTH OF THE NORTHERN MARIANAS ISLANDS Prepared by: Scott Vogt Wildlife Biologist U.S. Navy Naval Facilities Engineering Far East Command Yokosuka, Japan December 2010 INTRODUCTION The coconut or robber crab (Birgus latro) has a wide distribution ranging from Eastern Africa, through the Indian Ocean islands to the Pacific Ocean islands (Fletcher and Amos, 1994). Due to its large size, ease of collection and palatable flesh, the coconut crab is often over-harvested when it occurs in the vicinity of human habitation. The Mariana Islands are no exception and this species is heavily harvested as a cultural resource. Surveys on Guam (USFWS, 2001), Saipan (Kessler, 2006) and Tinian (U.S. Navy, 2008) have documented over-harvested populations. Coconut crabs are a type of hermit crab; however they abandon the necessity of residing in a discarded snail shell at a small size and go through life with no added protection other than their own carapace. They are the largest land dwelling invertebrate in the world and can reach a weight in excess of 5kg. Coconut crabs breed on land but the female releases the eggs in the ocean where they immediately hatch. The oceanic larval stage lasts 2-3 weeks (Fletcher and Amos, 1994). Once on land the growth rate is slow and it is estimated to take 8-10 years to reach the CNMI legal size limit of 3 inches (76mm) across the back (Brown and Fielder, 1991). On the southern islands (Rota, Saipan Tinian and Aguiguan), the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands – Division of Fish & Wildlife has established a legal crab hunting season from September 15 - November 15.
    [Show full text]
  • Feeding Habits and Trophic Niche Overlap of Aquatic Orthoptera Associated with Macrophytes Soledad Capello1,*, Mercedes Marchese1,2, and María L
    Zoological Studies 51(1): 51-58 (2012) Feeding Habits and Trophic Niche Overlap of Aquatic Orthoptera Associated with Macrophytes Soledad Capello1,*, Mercedes Marchese1,2, and María L. de Wysiecki3 1Instituto Nacional de Limnología (INALI-CONICET-UNL), Ciudad Univ., Santa Fe 3000, Argentina 2Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias-UNL. Ciudad Univ., Paraje El Pozo, Santa Fe 3000, Argentina 3Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores (CEPAVE) (CCT-La Plata- CONICET- UNLP), Calle 2 nº 584, La Plata 1900, Argentina (Accepted July 27, 2011) Soledad Capello, Mercedes Marchese, and María L. de Wysiecki (2012) Feeding habits and trophic niche overlap of aquatic Orthoptera associated with macrophytes. Zoological Studies 51(1): 51-58. A dietary analysis is a frequent 1st step in studying an animal’s ecology, because its diet directly reflects resource use and can provide insights into habitat utilization and competitive interactions. Little is known concerning orthopteran species that inhabit moist or wet environments, because such species do not usually become pests. We hypothesized that aquatic orthopterans feed on only a few macrophytes, and they show trophic niche overlap. Feeding habits of 7 orthopteran species associated with macrophytes, the botanical composition of the diets of these insects, and their trophic niche breadth and overlap were analyzed from the Middle Paraná River, Argentina. The diet composition by a microanalysis of feces under an optical microscope and the frequency of occurrence of each plant, food niche breadth, niche overlap, and food specialization level of every species were determined. Only Paulinia acuminata, Marellia remipes, and Cornops aquaticum exclusively consumed aquatic plants. The water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) was the unique macrophyte consumed by all orthopteran species studied, although in different proportions.
    [Show full text]