Biodiversity of the Potomac River Valley
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CRAYFISH IDENTIFICATION with DICHOTOMOUS KEYS As The
CRAYFISH IDENTIFICATION WITH DICHOTOMOUS KEYS As the name implies, a dichotomous key includes a series of paired choices called couplets. Each couplet contains alternative identification characteristics that allow you to advance step by step through the key, until you reach an endpoint (species). Once you reach your endpoint, read through the associated species account, and review the range map to make sure it fits what you found. If after reviewing the account and the map, you think you reached the species in error, go back to the key, and think about where you had to make a difficult decision on which way to proceed in the key. Then, try the opposite choice to see if it leads you to a better answer. When starting out, using dichotomous keys can be frustrating. Sometimes the characteristics presented in the key are straightforward, while other times the differences are extremely subtle. Seldom will every characteristic presented in a couplet match your specimen exactly. Be patient, choose the “best” answer, and as mentioned above, be ready to try alternative routes within the key. Keep in mind also that the photo included within a given species account represents a single, clean individual. There will often be variability in color and size depending on the sex and age class of the individual you are attempting to identify. You will see a good example of this when you are using one of the keys where Cambarus latimanus is present. The common name of this species is Variable Crayfish, and the name is fitting. This species is so variable that in some keys it appears in two places. -
"National List of Vascular Plant Species That Occur in Wetlands: 1996 National Summary."
Intro 1996 National List of Vascular Plant Species That Occur in Wetlands The Fish and Wildlife Service has prepared a National List of Vascular Plant Species That Occur in Wetlands: 1996 National Summary (1996 National List). The 1996 National List is a draft revision of the National List of Plant Species That Occur in Wetlands: 1988 National Summary (Reed 1988) (1988 National List). The 1996 National List is provided to encourage additional public review and comments on the draft regional wetland indicator assignments. The 1996 National List reflects a significant amount of new information that has become available since 1988 on the wetland affinity of vascular plants. This new information has resulted from the extensive use of the 1988 National List in the field by individuals involved in wetland and other resource inventories, wetland identification and delineation, and wetland research. Interim Regional Interagency Review Panel (Regional Panel) changes in indicator status as well as additions and deletions to the 1988 National List were documented in Regional supplements. The National List was originally developed as an appendix to the Classification of Wetlands and Deepwater Habitats of the United States (Cowardin et al.1979) to aid in the consistent application of this classification system for wetlands in the field.. The 1996 National List also was developed to aid in determining the presence of hydrophytic vegetation in the Clean Water Act Section 404 wetland regulatory program and in the implementation of the swampbuster provisions of the Food Security Act. While not required by law or regulation, the Fish and Wildlife Service is making the 1996 National List available for review and comment. -
Caterpillars – the Threat
Caterpillars – The threat •Plant health •Site conditions •Abundance of pest •Client Concerns •Regulatory Concerns Pesticides for Caterpillars Biologicals Bacillus thuringiensis (BT) Spinosad (Conserve, Fertilome etc) Insect Growth Regulators Diflubenzuron = Dimilin Fenoxycarb = Precision Tebufenozide = Confirm Pyriproxifen = Distance Neem, Azadirachtin Pyrethroids- Rescue Treatments Bifenthrin (Talstar) Cyfluthrin (Decathalon) Deltamethrin (Deltagard) Fluvalinate (Mavrik) Lamda -Cyhalothrin (Scimitar, Battle) Permethrin (Astro, Spectracide) Oldies but goodies… Carbaryl (Sevin) Acephate (Orthene) Tips For Bagworms, Fall Webworms and other large caterpillars Most pesticides kill caterpillars that are <1” long Spinosad kills largest stages, Pyrethroids are second best Pyrethroids are contact insecticides and useful for killing FWW blown out of webs. Caterpillar Pests- How much injury do they inflict? •Types- Exposed, Concealed •Abundance – Solitary, or Gregarious? •Host Range – What do they eat? •Number of Generations /Year •Abundance of Natural Enemies Concealed Defoliators Mimosa webworm Fall webworm Eastern tent caterpillar Bagworm Leaf crumpler Mimosa Webworm Damage Close-up of webbed branch Webs and Frass of Mimosa Webworm Caterpillar Mimosa Webworm Caterpillar (Late Stage) Overwintering Stage (Pupa) Mimosa Webworm Adult Fall Webworm Fall webworm caterpillar Adult Fall Webworm Adult and Egg Mass of Fall Webworm Eastern Tent Caterpillar Webs on Trees Close-up of Eastern Tent Caterpillar Egg Mass of Eastern Tent -
Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)
Acta Biol. Univ. Daugavp. 10 (2) 2010 ISSN 1407 - 8953 MATERIALS ON LATVIAN EUMOLPINAE HOPE, 1840 (COLEOPTERA: CHRYSOMELIDAE) Andris Bukejs Bukejs A. 2010. Materials on Latvian Eumolpinae Hope, 1840 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Acta Biol. Univ. Daugavp., 10 (2): 107 -114. Faunal, phenological and bibliographical information on Latvian Eumolpinae are presented in the current paper. Bibliographycal analysis on this leaf-beetles subfamily in Latvia is made for the first time. An annotated list of Latvian Eumolpinae including 4 species of 3 genera is given. Key words: Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Eumolpinae, Latvia, fauna, bibliography. Andris Bukejs. Institute of Systematic Biology, Daugavpils University, Vienības 13, Daugavpils, LV-5401, Latvia; [email protected] INTRODUCTION (Precht 1818, Fleischer 1829). Subsequently, more than 15 works were published. Scarce faunal The subfamily Eumolpinae Hope, 1840 includes records can also be found in following other more than 500 genera and 7000 species distributed articles (Lindberg 1932; Pūtele 1974, 1981a; mainly in the tropics and subtropics (Jolivet & Stiprais 1977; Rūtenberga 1992; Barševskis 1993, Verma 2008). Of them, 11 species of 6 genera are 1997; Telnov & Kalniņš 2003; Telnov et al. 2006, known from eastern Europe (Bieńkowski 2004), 2010; Bukejs & Telnov 2007). and only 4 species of 3 genera – from Fennoscandia and Baltiae (Silfverberg 2004). Imagoes of Eumolpinae feed on leaves of host plants; larvae occur in the soil, feed on In Latvian fauna, 3 genera and 4 species of underground parts of plants; pupate in the soil Eumolpinae are known. In adjacent territories, the (Bieńkowski 2004). number of registered Eumolpinae species slightly varies: Belarus – 5 species are recorded (Lopatin The aim of the current work is to summarize & Nesterova 2005), Estonia – 3 species information on Eumolpinae in Latvia. -
New Alien Crayfish Species in Central Europe
NEW ALIEN CRAYFISH SPECIES IN CENTRAL EUROPE Introduction pathways, life histories, and ecological impacts DISSERTATION zur Erlangung des Doktorgrades Dr. rer. nat. der Fakultät für Naturwissenschaften der Universität Ulm vorgelegt von Christoph Chucholl aus Rosenheim Ulm 2012 NEW ALIEN CRAYFISH SPECIES IN CENTRAL EUROPE Introduction pathways, life histories, and ecological impacts DISSERTATION zur Erlangung des Doktorgrades Dr. rer. nat. der Fakultät für Naturwissenschaften der Universität Ulm vorgelegt von Christoph Chucholl aus Rosenheim Ulm 2012 Amtierender Dekan: Prof. Dr. Axel Groß Erstgutachter: Prof. Dr. Manfred Ayasse Zweitgutachter: Prof. apl. Dr. Gerhard Maier Tag der Prüfung: 16.7.2012 Cover picture: Orconectes immunis male (blue color morph) (photo courtesy of Dr. H. Bellmann) Table of contents Part 1 – Summary Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 1 Invasive alien species – a global menace ....................................................................... 1 “Invasive” matters .......................................................................................................... 2 Crustaceans – successful invaders .................................................................................. 4 The case of alien crayfish in Europe .............................................................................. 5 New versus Old alien crayfish ....................................................................................... -
GIS Handbook Appendices
Aerial Survey GIS Handbook Appendix D Revised 11/19/2007 Appendix D Cooperating Agency Codes The following table lists the aerial survey cooperating agencies and codes to be used in the agency1, agency2, agency3 fields of the flown/not flown coverages. The contents of this list is available in digital form (.dbf) at the following website: http://www.fs.fed.us/foresthealth/publications/id/id_guidelines.html 28 Aerial Survey GIS Handbook Appendix D Revised 11/19/2007 Code Agency Name AFC Alabama Forestry Commission ADNR Alaska Department of Natural Resources AZFH Arizona Forest Health Program, University of Arizona AZS Arizona State Land Department ARFC Arkansas Forestry Commission CDF California Department of Forestry CSFS Colorado State Forest Service CTAES Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station DEDA Delaware Department of Agriculture FDOF Florida Division of Forestry FTA Fort Apache Indian Reservation GFC Georgia Forestry Commission HOA Hopi Indian Reservation IDL Idaho Department of Lands INDNR Indiana Department of Natural Resources IADNR Iowa Department of Natural Resources KDF Kentucky Division of Forestry LDAF Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry MEFS Maine Forest Service MDDA Maryland Department of Agriculture MADCR Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation MIDNR Michigan Department of Natural Resources MNDNR Minnesota Department of Natural Resources MFC Mississippi Forestry Commission MODC Missouri Department of Conservation NAO Navajo Area Indian Reservation NDCNR Nevada Department of Conservation -
Buggy Transformers
Wing Coverings They’re called elytra It’s liftoff! A scarab beetle (see (EL-ih-truh), and most Flight Wings beetles have them. photo) flaps its wings and rises Also called hind wings, Elytra are hard and into the air. they’re thin and delicate. tough. They protect the Beetles aren’t the best When not being used, delicate flight wings they fold under the elytra. underneath. fliers in the insect world. But But when it’s time to fly, that doesn’t stop them from these wings pop open Antennas and beat up and Most beetles use them being among the world’s great- down rapidly. for smelling. But some est success stories. Out of all the can use them for tasting, feeling, or even swimming species of animals on our planet, or fighting! They can be three out of ten are beetles! shaped like clubs, saw blades, feathers, They crawl, fly, hop, and or strings of beads. swim on every continent except Antarctica. You’ll find them in forests, deserts, prairies, mountain regions, and even Fossils like this one in your own backyard. show that beetles have Some beetles look strange. been around for at least Parts of their bodies may grow 300 million years. horns, crests, spikes, or brushes. Several beetles have long snouts, Legs Like all insects, and many are wildly colorful. beetles have six Beetles do weird things, too. jointed legs. Most beetles have two tiny claws on Some species eat dung, and a few the tip of each leg for even squirt out hot liquids. -
Insects of the Nebraska Mixedgrass Prairie
Mixedgrass Prairie Region Insect Viewing Tips Two-Striped Grasshopper 1. Go to where the habitat is — visit Melanoplus bivittatus state parks and other public spaces. Size: L: 1.2 - 2.2 in. Description: Smooth yellow- 2. Do your homework — learn what brown with two distinct species live in the area. pale-yellow stripes. Diet: Plants 3. Think about timing — check what is Painted Lady, wings closed Habitat: Rural to urban Viewing: Summer, statewide active in the area this time of year. 4. Consult an expert — join in on a The mixedgrass prairie region is a transitional zone between the tallgrass guided insect hike to learn more. Insects Chinese Mantis 5. Leave no trace — leave wildlife in Tenodera sinensis prairie of the east and the shortgrass prairie Size: L: 3.12 - 4.1 in. of the west. As a result, the vegetation of this nature and nature the way you Description: Long, green-tan area varies, with a combination of tallgrass found it. body, thick, bent front legs, of the and oversized eyes atop a and shortgrass prairie plants. There are many triangular head. wetlands, rivers, and streams and wooded Diet: Insects, small animals zones surround almost every waterway. Habitat: Rural to urban Basic Insect Anatomy Nebraska Viewing: Summer-fall, most Precipitation is greater in the east, with common in eastern half about 28 inches annually, compared with 20 inches in the west. Antenna Assassin Bug Mixedgrass The land is primarily used for agriculture, Sinea diadema Head Size: L: 0.47 - 0.63 in. with around two-thirds converted to cropland Description: Dark brown or a and much of the remaining third used for dull red with narrow head with grazing livestock. -
Specialist Foragers in Forest Bee Communities Are Small, Social Or Emerge Early
Received: 5 November 2018 | Accepted: 2 April 2019 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13003 RESEARCH ARTICLE Specialist foragers in forest bee communities are small, social or emerge early Colleen Smith1,2 | Lucia Weinman1,2 | Jason Gibbs3 | Rachael Winfree2 1GraDuate Program in Ecology & Evolution, Rutgers University, New Abstract Brunswick, New Jersey 1. InDiviDual pollinators that specialize on one plant species within a foraging bout 2 Department of Ecology, Evolution, and transfer more conspecific and less heterospecific pollen, positively affecting plant Natural Resources, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey reproDuction. However, we know much less about pollinator specialization at the 3Department of Entomology, University of scale of a foraging bout compared to specialization by pollinator species. Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, CanaDa 2. In this stuDy, we measured the Diversity of pollen carried by inDiviDual bees forag- Correspondence ing in forest plant communities in the miD-Atlantic United States. Colleen Smith Email: [email protected] 3. We found that inDiviDuals frequently carried low-Diversity pollen loaDs, suggest- ing that specialization at the scale of the foraging bout is common. InDiviDuals of Funding information Xerces Society for Invertebrate solitary bee species carried higher Diversity pollen loaDs than Did inDiviDuals of Conservation; Natural Resources social bee species; the latter have been better stuDied with respect to foraging Conservation Service; GarDen Club of America bout specialization, but account for a small minority of the worlD’s bee species. Bee boDy size was positively correlated with pollen load Diversity, and inDiviDuals HanDling EDitor: Julian Resasco of polylectic (but not oligolectic) species carried increasingly Diverse pollen loaDs as the season progresseD, likely reflecting an increase in the Diversity of flowers in bloom. -
Bionomics of Bagworms (Lepidoptera: Psychidae)
ANRV363-EN54-11 ARI 27 August 2008 20:44 V I E E W R S I E N C N A D V A Bionomics of Bagworms ∗ (Lepidoptera: Psychidae) Marc Rhainds,1 Donald R. Davis,2 and Peter W. Price3 1Department of Entomology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, 47901; email: [email protected] 2Department of Entomology, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., 20013-7012; email: [email protected] 3Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, 86011-5640; email: [email protected] Annu. Rev. Entomol. 2009. 54:209–26 Key Words The Annual Review of Entomology is online at bottom-up effects, flightlessness, mating failure, parthenogeny, ento.annualreviews.org phylogenetic constraint hypothesis, protogyny This article’s doi: 10.1146/annurev.ento.54.110807.090448 Abstract Copyright c 2009 by Annual Reviews. The bagworm family (Lepidoptera: Psychidae) includes approximately All rights reserved 1000 species, all of which complete larval development within a self- 0066-4170/09/0107-0209$20.00 enclosing bag. The family is remarkable in that female aptery occurs in ∗The U.S. Government has the right to retain a over half of the known species and within 9 of the 10 currently recog- nonexclusive, royalty-free license in and to any nized subfamilies. In the more derived subfamilies, several life-history copyright covering this paper. traits are associated with eruptive population dynamics, e.g., neoteny of females, high fecundity, dispersal on silken threads, and high level of polyphagy. Other salient features shared by many species include a short embryonic period, developmental synchrony, sexual segrega- tion of pupation sites, short longevity of adults, male-biased sex ratio, sexual dimorphism, protogyny, parthenogenesis, and oviposition in the pupal case. -
Growing a Wild NYC: a K-5 Urban Pollinator Curriculum Was Made Possible Through the Generous Support of Our Funders
A K-5 URBAN POLLINATOR CURRICULUM Growing a Wild NYC LESSON 1: HABITAT HUNT The National Wildlife Federation Uniting all Americans to ensure wildlife thrive in a rapidly changing world Through educational programs focused on conservation and environmental knowledge, the National Wildlife Federation provides ways to create a lasting base of environmental literacy, stewardship, and problem-solving skills for today’s youth. Growing a Wild NYC: A K-5 Urban Pollinator Curriculum was made possible through the generous support of our funders: The Seth Sprague Educational and Charitable Foundation is a private foundation that supports the arts, housing, basic needs, the environment, and education including professional development and school-day enrichment programs operating in public schools. The Office of the New York State Attorney General and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation through the Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund. Written by Nina Salzman. Edited by Sarah Ward and Emily Fano. Designed by Leslie Kameny, Kameny Design. © 2020 National Wildlife Federation. Permission granted for non-commercial educational uses only. All rights reserved. September - January Lesson 1: Habitat Hunt Page 8 Lesson 2: What is a Pollinator? Page 20 Lesson 3: What is Pollination? Page 30 Lesson 4: Why Pollinators? Page 39 Lesson 5: Bee Survey Page 45 Lesson 6: Monarch Life Cycle Page 55 Lesson 7: Plants for Pollinators Page 67 Lesson 8: Flower to Seed Page 76 Lesson 9: Winter Survival Page 85 Lesson 10: Bee Homes Page 97 February -
Eastern Tent Caterpillar, Forest Tent Caterpillar and Fall Webworm
Eastern Tent Caterpillar, Forest Tent Caterpillar and Fall Webworm EASTERN TENT CATERPILLAR Eastern tent caterpillar, Malacosoma americanum, feeds on cherry, apple, and plum. Full-grown caterpillars are about 1.6 inches long. Coloration varies, but in general they have black heads, and bodies marked with a mid-dorsal white stripe down the length of the back. Blue dots separate successive pairs of yellow lateral stripes. The adult moths are light brown with two diagonal white stripes across the forewings. The caterpillars' silken tents are usually found in tree forks. The larvae lay trails of silk from the communal tent to wherever they are feeding. Long trails of larvae can be seen migrating along the silken path between the tent and leaves. Eggs are laid in masses on twigs. Egg masses can be pruned from twigs during the dormant season and destroyed. Caterpillars can be handpicked from the communal tents. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) should be used on flowering trees to control young caterpillars. Bt is not harmful to pollinating bees. FOREST TENT CATERPILLAR The forest tent caterpillar, Malacosoma disstria, feeds on water tupelo, sweetgum, blackgum, birch, elm, maple, oak and flowering fruit trees. Full-grown caterpillars are about 1.6 inches long with light blue heads and blackish bodies with white hairs. Each segment is marked dorsally with a white keyhole-shaped spot. The adult moths are buff colored, with two darker bands on the forewings. Caterpillars are present in early spring, and upon maturity construct cocoons from folded leaves. The adults emerge in late summer and lay eggs in brown masses that encircle twigs.