An Inventory of Endemic Leaf Litter Arthropods of Arkansas with Emphasis on Certain Insect Groups and Diplopoda Derek Alan Hennen University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville ScholarWorks@UARK Theses and Dissertations 12-2015 An Inventory of Endemic Leaf Litter Arthropods of Arkansas with Emphasis on Certain Insect Groups and Diplopoda Derek Alan Hennen University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd Part of the Biology Commons, Entomology Commons, and the Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons Recommended Citation Hennen, Derek Alan, "An Inventory of Endemic Leaf Litter Arthropods of Arkansas with Emphasis on Certain Insect Groups and Diplopoda" (2015). Theses and Dissertations. 1423. http://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/1423 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UARK. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UARK. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. An Inventory of Endemic Leaf Litter Arthropods of Arkansas with Emphasis on Certain Insect Groups and Diplopoda A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Entomology by Derek Hennen Marietta College Bachelor of Science in Biology, 2012 December 2015 University of Arkansas This thesis is approved for recommendation to the Graduate Council. ___________________________________ Dr. Ashley P.G. Dowling Thesis Director ___________________________________ Dr. Frederick M. Stephen Committee Member ___________________________________ Dr. John David Willson Committee Member Abstract Endemic arthropods of Arkansas were sampled and their nomenclature and distributions were updated. The Arkansas endemic species list is updated to 121 species, including 16 species of millipedes. A study of the millipedes of Arkansas was undertaken, and resulted in the first checklist and key to all millipede species in the state. 68 species are known from Arkansas, including the genera Cylindroiulus and Polydesmus. The first state records for Ophyiulus pilosus, Cylindroiulus sp., and Ptyoiulus coveanus are reported, and new county records are reported for 16 species. This represents the first key to a state's species since 1980, and the first millipede checklist for a state since 2002. A study of the circadian rhythms of leaf litter arthropods via leaf litter collection methods was undertaken as well, and resulted in the collection of over 8,000 specimens. Three time periods, 6 AM (dawn), daylight, and darkness hours were identified as important to collecting abundance and diversity, and general circadian rhythm data on selected arthropod groups, including the Myriapoda, Formicidae, Staphylinidae, Carabidae, Curculionidae, and other Coleoptera families were reported and found to agree with similar data collected from pitfall trap studies. Acknowledgements Thanks are extended to my thesis committee for their help in the planning and execution of my projects, and for their helpful comments strengthening drafts of this thesis. I would also like to thank the Department of Entomology and its faculty, staff, and graduate students, particularly Clinton Trammel, Amber Tripodi, Joseph O'Neill, Sim Barrow, Fredericka Hamilton, Mark Janowiecki, Michael Skvarla, Danielle Fisher, and Ray Fisher. I also thank Jacqueline Guzy of the Department of Biology, and Joseph deSisto of the University of Connecticut Department of Biology, for their extraordinary help. A special thanks goes to Dr. Rowland Shelley, for enormous assistance in learning the taxonomy of millipedes, his identification of some specimens, and the generous gift of his time. I would also like to thank Dr. Bill Shear for his identification of some specimens and lending his helpful knowledge about the Chordeumatida. Table of Contents I. Introduction..........................................................................................................................1 II. Updates and Corrections to the Arkansas Endemic Fauna with a Focus on Myriapoda and Araneae................................................................................................................................4 A. Background..........................................................................................................................4 B. Methods................................................................................................................................8 C. Results..................................................................................................................................8 D. Discussion..........................................................................................................................19 E. References..........................................................................................................................19 III. A Review of the Millipedes (Arthropoda: Diplopoda) of Arkansas, with Keys to the State Fauna..................................................................................................................................23 A. Background........................................................................................................................23 B. Methods..............................................................................................................................27 C. Results................................................................................................................................28 i. Key to Arkansas Millipede Species...................................................................................29 ii. Species Accounts.............................................................................................................102 D. Discussion........................................................................................................................183 E. References........................................................................................................................185 IV. Circadian Rhythms of Leaf Litter Arthropods in a Temperate Deciduous Forest...........195 A. Background.....................................................................................................................195 B. Methods...........................................................................................................................197 C. Results.............................................................................................................................200 D. Discussion........................................................................................................................210 E. References........................................................................................................................217 V. Conclusions......................................................................................................................219 I. Introduction This project was undertaken as part of the Dowling Lab's continuing investigations of leaf litter arthropods in the western ecoregions of Arkansas, and is composed of three parts: an update to the list of known Arkansas endemic fauna, a first synopsis of all millipede species found in Arkansas, and an examination of day-night activity cycles of selected arthropod groups (particularly Myriapoda, Coleoptera, and Formicidae). Field work for these projects took place between July 2013 and June 2015, and most field work took place in western Arkansas, based on previously identified areas of interest. The diverse ecoregions found in the state contribute to its biodiverse assemblage of organisms (Robison & Allen 1995). The Interior Highlands region (namely the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains) has been previously identified as an area of high endemism (that is, organisms being found in only one geographic area), due to its place in geological history as glacial refugia (Robison & Allen 1995). The Interior Highlands have stood above surrounding ocean water for the past approximately 310 million years (Robison & Allen 1995), providing habitat for many organisms even while surrounding areas underwent glaciation or were covered in water. The region was also connected to the Appalachian Mountains during the Pennsylvanian era (Robison & Allen 1995), and this connection is seen in the genetic relationships of some organisms, such as millipedes and beetles. Previous work on the endemic flora and fauna of Arkansas informed this study, the most important of which was Robison & Allen's (1995) publication, which summarized earlier work by Allen (see Allen 1988, 1990) and expanded on the biogeographical significance of endemism in the Interior Highlands. Updates by Robison et al (2008) and McAllister et al (2009) refined the list further to include changes in nomenclature and additions and deletions of species. These 1 updates corrected some past mistakes, but lacked up-to-date information on the Myriapoda: no centipedes were included, and nomenclature in the Diplopoda contained errors. My work corrects these problems, and adds new species to the list. Knowledge of the millipedes of Arkansas is relatively good compared to other states in the U.S., but is scattered throughout the literature. The first attempt at listing the species in Arkansas was by Bollman (1887), in a short preliminary list. Later studies by Causey (see references) resulted in the collection and description of many species (though many were later synonymized), which gave useful distribution information. Concerted collecting and a series of papers by McAllister & Shelley