Brigham Young University BYU ScholarsArchive Theses and Dissertations 1956-08-01 A preliminary investigation of the taxonomy and the geographical distribution of the chrysopidae (neuroptera) of Utah Wayne A. Melander Brigham Young University - Provo Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Melander, Wayne A., "A preliminary investigation of the taxonomy and the geographical distribution of the chrysopidae (neuroptera) of Utah" (1956). Theses and Dissertations. 7822. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/7822 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION OF THE TAXONOMY AND THE GEOORAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE CHRYSOPIDAE (NEUROPTERA) OF UTAH A Thesis Submitted to the Department of Zoology and Entomology of Brigham Young University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts by Wayne A.. Melander August 1956 This thesis by Vifayne A. Melander is accepted in its present form by the Special Thesis Committee as satisfying the thesis require­ ments for the degree of Master of Arts. Signed: ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In making acknowledgrnents, the writer wishes to express his gratitude to the many people, some unmentioned by name, who helped to make this work possible. First, I am indebted to the curators of the in- sect collections who kindly gave me permission to study their, chrysopid specimens. Dr. Vasco M. Tanner, along with other assistance, gave me free access to the insect collection of Brigham Young University. Dr. Don M. Rees of the University of Utah kindly allowed me to study the in- sect specimens of Chrysopidae in the University's collection, and Dr. G. F. Knowlton of Utah State Agricultural College also gave me ace es s to the specimens in the latter institution. He also loaned me over one-hundred specimens to examine at leisure at the Brigham Young University campus. Arthur Bruhn kindly gave me permission to examine the chrysopid speci- mens of the collection of Dixie College. I wish to express gratitude to the Brigham Young University for extending to me its library and labo1·atory facilities and for the friendly spirit of those who were in charge at the time of their use. Also, I wish to acknowledge the help of the librarians of the Citrus Experiment Station of the University of California at Riverside, California for their kindness in letting me utilize their facilities and their aid in finding literature in their excellent entomological library. Others of the Citrus Experiment iii Station were also helpful. Dr. Lee R. Jeppson aided me in locating cer- tain geographical localities, and Mr. Jack C. Hall, Dr. L. D. Anderson, and Mr. Harold Compere gave hints and suggestions in the preparation of illustrations. Finally, I wish to acknowledge the aid of the professors of the Department of Zoology and Entomology for their special guidance in the preparation of this thesis. Dr. D. Elden Beck at the initiation of the pro- ject gave suggestions which influenced the direction and scope of the in- vestigation. To Dr. Vasco M. Tanner goes my gratitude for many aids during the course of the entire study. As Committee Chairman he guided me in the planning of this paper and made many helpful suggestions. He aided me in obtaining literature and often loaned me literature from his own personal collection. Dr. Tanner examined the :manuscript of the thesis and gave helpful criticisms of its content and form. Especially helpful was his encouragement to complete the project in spite of the fact that much of our communication was by correspondence. iv DEDICATION I dedicate this thesis to my \vife, Mary, as token of n1y gra~- itude for her patience, long-suffering, and encouragement which were so m.uch a part in its composition. V TABLE OF CONTENTS Page TITLE ....................... i CER TlFlCATE OF ACCEPT ANGE . ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . iii TABLE OF CONTENTS . vi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS . viii INTRODUCTION ...• . .1 The Problem The Investigation Results of the Investigation A HISTORY OF THE STUDY OF THE CHRYSOPIDAE OF UTAH ... 5 Early Contributions Later Developments COLLECTING, PRESERVING, REARING OF' CHRYSOPIDAE AND RECORDING OF DATA ...........•.....•.... 9 Introduction Collecting Methods Where and When to Collect Preservation of Material Rearing Recording of Data MORPHOLOOY OF THE ADULT CHRYSOPIDAE ...... 18 Introduction The Sclerites and Appendages of the Head and Body The Wings IL.LUST RATIONS Plate I . 2.7 Plate II . 29 vi Page THE TAXONOMY AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE CHRYSOPIDAE OF UTAH .......•..............• . 30 The Keys and Their Use Key to the Genera of the Chrysopidae of Utah Key to Utah Species of the Genus Chrysopa Key to Utah Species of the Genus Eremochrysa Key to Utah Species of the Genus Meleoma Genus Chrysopa Leach, 1815 Genus Chrysopiella Banks, 1911 Genus Eremochrysa Banks, 1903 Genus Meleoma Fitch, 1856 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS . ..... 77 APPENDIX I. LIST OF CHRYSOPIDAE REPORTED FROM NEARBY STATES WHICH MAY OCCUR IN UTAH .......... 82 The Genus Chrysopa The Genus Chrysopiella The Genus Eremochrysa The Genus Meleoma The Genus Nodita APPENDIX II. GLOSSARY . • . • . 84 vii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Plate I page Z 7 Fig. l. Forewing Chrys~ oculata Say ( X 6. 7). Fig. z. Hind wing Chrysopa ocula.ta Say (X 6. 7). Fig. 3. Lateral aspect terminal abdominal segments of female Chrysopa plorabunda var. californica Coq. (X 25). Fig. 4. Ventral aspect terminal abdominal segments of female Chrysopa plorabunda var. californica Coq. (X 25). Fig. 5. Anterior view of the head of Chrysopa majuscula Banks (X 17). Fig. 6. Lateral aspect abdomen of male Chrysopa majusculaBanks (Xl7). Plate II page 29 Fig. 7. Forewing Chrysopa plorabunda var. californica Coq. (X 6). Fig. 8. Forewing Chrysopa downesi Smith ( X 6). Fig. 9. Hind wing Chrysopa plorabunda var. californica Coq. (X 6). Fig. 10. Hind wing Chrysopa downesi Smith (X 6). .Fig. 11. Hind wing Eremochrysa punctinervis (McLach. ) (X 7) . Fig. 12. Dorsal aspect head of female Meleoma sp. illustrating basal segments of the antennae (X 40). Fig. 13. Vertex markings of variety ~ Smith (X 25). Fig. 14. Vertex markings of variety bipunctata Fitch (X 25). Fig. 15. Vertex markings of variety xantbocephala Fitch (X 25). Fig. 16. Vertex markings of variety iUepida Fitch (X 25). Fig. 17. Lateral aspect terminal abdominal segments of male Eremochrysa punctinervis (McLach.) (X 25). viii INTRODUCTION The Problem Whether a biologist be an explorer of a distant land or an invest- igator of his own familiar locality, he is interested in answering two ,;;_ues- tions~ First, what are the forms of life that exist there? Second, where and when may they be found? In answer to the first question he searches out, differentiates, and arranges the forms he discovers into categories-- in other words, the work of an explorer and taxonomist. He seeks to answer the latter question in the role of a biogeographer, ecologist, or student of life history. The forms of life investigated by the writer of this paper are the Chrysopidae of the order Neuroptera; the locality chosen, the State of Utah. The Chrysopidae; familiarly known as lace-wing flies, golden-eyed flies, stink-flies, or in the larval stage as a.phis-lions; attract investiga- tion for various reasons. They may arouse curiosity because of their commonness, being familiar to almost everyone, though the different forms are so similar that to the casual observer they may appear to be all of one species. The attractive hyaline wings of this group of insects are famous for their delicate and lacy venation which, furthermore, is probably the most specialized of all the order Neuroptera. Both in the adult and larval stages the Chrysopidae feed on insects and other arthropods which are l z noxious to man, a habit of economic importance. To the taxonomist there exists a challenge to understand the confused relationships between the species, varieties, and other forms. Utah is a particularly favorable area to conduct a distributional study. The life zones range from the alpine mountain peaks to the torrid lower Sonoran. Its 84, 916 square rniles of land and water include <', vast portion of the Great Basin and plateau. pl·ovinc-~s 0£ the c::ordilleran moun- tains. Large tracts of th';; arable lands are cultivated, but a great portion of the state remains in relatively prin,itive condition. Thus, such a range of habitats shows promise of correlated influences on the distribution of living organis.ms. As far as the Chrysopidae are concerned, Utah had been for x:nany years a neglected state. G. F. Knowlton realized this when he pub- lished a list of the known Chrysopidae in Utah (1930), but this included only four species. Later he added to the list (1946) wherein the known number was increased to twelve species, but this was the result of a single night's light trap collecting at the campus of the Utah State Agricultural College in Logan, Utah. Except for general taxonomic studies by Nathan Banks and others who have described many species of the Un:ited States, there has been little work on the Utah .rnembers of this group of insects and oppor- tunity for further research was apparent. The Investigation The main purposes of this study, as announced by the title, are 3 to learn what Chrysopidae live in the State of Utah, to provide means for their identification, and to report on their distribution. Two methods of investigation present themselves. The first, a bibliographic and indirect method, is to learn the published contributions of all previous investigators. Research was therefore undertaken to study all references pertaining to the chrysopid fauna of Utah and the nearby states.