THE MARYLAND ENTOMOLOGIST Insect and related-arthropod studies in the Mid-Atlantic region Volume 7, Number 1 September 2017 September 2017 The Maryland Entomologist Volume 7, Number 1 MARYLAND ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY www.mdentsoc.org Executive Committee: President Frederick Paras Vice President Philip J. Kean Secretary Janet A. Lydon Treasurer Edgar A. Cohen, Jr. Historian (vacant) Journal Editor Eugene J. Scarpulla E-newsletter Editors Aditi Dubey & Hanna Kahl The Maryland Entomological Society (MES) was founded in November 1971, to promote the science of entomology in all its sub-disciplines; to provide a common meeting venue for professional and amateur entomologists residing in Maryland, the District of Columbia, and nearby areas; to issue a periodical and other publications dealing with entomology; and to facilitate the exchange of ideas and information through its meetings and publications. The MES was incorporated in April 1982 and is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, scientific organization. The MES logo features an illustration of Euphydryas phaëton (Drury) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae), the Baltimore Checkerspot, with its generic name above and its specific epithet below (both in capital letters), all on a pale green field; all these are within a yellow ring double-bordered by red, bearing the message “● Maryland Entomological Society ● 1971 ●”. All of this is positioned above the Shield of the State of Maryland. In 1973, the Baltimore Checkerspot was named the official insect of the State of Maryland through the efforts of many MES members. Membership in the MES is open to all persons interested in the study of entomology. All members receive the annual journal, The Maryland Entomologist, and the monthly e-newsletter, Phaëton. Institutions may subscribe to The Maryland Entomologist but may not become members. Annual Dues: Individual Membership $10.00 Household Membership $15.00 Junior Membership (full-time student) $5.00 Institutional Subscription $10.00 Prospective members should send to the Treasurer full dues for the current MES year (October – September), along with their full name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, and entomological interests. Applications can be downloaded from the MES website: www.mdentsoc.org. Send remittances, payable to the Maryland Entomological Society, and any address changes to the Treasurer: Edgar J. Cohen, Jr., 5454 Marsh Hawk Way, Columbia, MD 21045-2246, [email protected]. Back issues of The Maryland Entomologist and recent issues of the Phaëton are available to members, via the Journal Editor, Eugene J. Scarpulla, [email protected]. Please contact the Journal Editor for availability and cost. Meetings are held on the third Friday of October, November, February, March, April and May at 8:00 p.m. in Room 4 of the Biological Sciences Building, University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), or occasionally at another announced site. Past Presidents of the MES 1971-1973 Austin P. Platt 1984-1985 Charles L. Staines, Jr. 1973-1974 Ronald W. Hodges 1985-1986 Thomas E. Wallenmaier 1974-1975 Douglas C. Ferguson 1986-1987 Eugene J. Gerberg 1975 Raymond B. Nagle 1987-1988 Austin P. Platt 1975-1977 William A. Andersen 1988-1989 Philip J. Kean 1977-1978 Robert T. Mitchell 1989-1990 Nathan Erwin 1978-1979 Elaine R. Hodges 1990-1991 Stephen J. Harrison 1979-1980 Richard H. Smith, Jr. 1991-1992 Thomas E. Wallenmaier 1980-1981 Timothy P. Karpetsky 1992-1993 Mary C. Fenton 1981-1982 John F. Carroll 1993-2013 Frederick Paras 1982-1983 Theodore L. Bissell 2013-2015 Timothy Foard & Frederick Paras 1983-1984 Robin G. Todd 2015-present Frederick Paras September 2017 The Maryland Entomologist Volume 7, Number 1 The Maryland Entomologist 7(1):1 Editor’s Note The Maryland Entomologist continues to attract accomplished authors, both within and outside of Maryland. This year’s issue has featured several out-of-state authors. Of the seven articles, four were submitted from authors/coauthors outside of Maryland. Of the eleven authors/coauthors, eight are from states other than Maryland: Virginia (3), Maine (2), Georgia (1), Washington (1), and Wisconsin (1). There is also an excellent diversity of topics this year, with three Coleoptera, one Lepidoptera, two Hymenoptera, and one Araneae articles. I express my gratitude to all of the authors and peer reviewers that made this issue possible. Eugene J. Scarpulla Editor 1 September 2017 The Maryland Entomologist Volume 7, Number 1 The Maryland Entomologist 7(1):2–15 The Occurrence of Snail-eating Ground Beetles in the Genus Scaphinotus Dejean (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Cychrini) on the Delmarva Peninsula and the Historical and Current Status of S. elevatus (Fabricius) and S. unicolor (Fabricius) in the Mid-Atlantic Region from New York to Virginia Frank G. Guarnieri1 and Curt W. Harden2 139 Roosevelt Avenue, Waterville, Maine 04901; [email protected] 21500 Remount Road, Front Royal, Virginia 22630; [email protected] Abstract: Guarnieri (2015) discussed the historical distributions of all the snail-eating beetles in the genus Scaphinotus Dejean (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Cychrini) that occur in or near Maryland after a review of published collecting records and a survey of the insect collections at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Cornell University, the United States National Museum of Natural History, and University of Maryland College Park. Although Bousquet (2012) reported that S. elevatus (Fabricius) and S. viduus (Dejean) occur in Delaware, Guarnieri (2015) did not list any confirmatory records. We now show data confirming the presence of S. elevatus and S. viduus in Delaware and Maryland on the upper Delmarva Peninsula, and of S. elevatus in the Maryland and Virginia sections of the lower Delmarva Peninsula. Guarnieri (2015) also suggested possible declines in the range and number of both S. elevatus and S. unicolor (Fabricius) in the Mid-Atlantic region (initially defined as Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia). In this paper, we describe additional records for these two species from the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, the American Museum of Natural History, the Maryland Department of Agriculture, the University of Delaware, the Virginia Museum of Natural History, and the personal collections of the second author and Todd Lawton. Furthermore, we expand our geographic coverage to include specimens from New Jersey and New York. This larger data set may indicate that the populations of S. elevatus and S. unicolor are stable in Virginia. However, both beetles appear to be quite rare and local in the remaining states studied, even in areas where they may have once been more abundant. INTRODUCTION Guarnieri (2015) investigated patterns in the historical distributions of all the snail-eating beetles in the genus Scaphinotus Dejean that occur or possibly occur in Maryland based on reports by Bousquet (2012) and Glaser (1996). These were: Scaphinotus andrewsii mutabilis (Casey), S. elevatus (Fabricius), S. imperfectus (Horn), S. ridingsii monongahelae Leng, S. ridingsii ridingsii (Bland), S. unicolor (Fabricius), and S. viduus (Dejean). Guarnieri (2015) described a survey of every specimen of the species listed above from the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia that were housed at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; the Cornell University Insect Collection, Ithaca, New York; the United 2 September 2017 The Maryland Entomologist Volume 7, Number 1 States National Museum of Natural History, Washington, District of Columbia; and the University of Maryland College Park, College Park, Maryland. Although nearly 1500 beetles were examined, no individuals of any Scaphinotus species were seen from Delaware or anywhere on the Delmarva Peninsula. Assumptions were made regarding changes in range and relative abundance by comparing the numbers of older versus newer specimens in the collections. Further inferences were made after a review of recent published regional pitfall trap surveys. It was noted that the study methods were problematic in that many types of sampling bias could be present. With that caveat in mind, Guarnieri (2015) made several assertions regarding the status of the Mid-Atlantic Scaphinotus fauna. Scaphinotus a. mutabilis, S. imperfectus, S. r. monongahelae, and S. viduus are secure within their historical ranges in the region surveyed. Scaphinotus r. ridingsii is probably extirpated from its primary habitat in northern Virginia. Scaphinotus elevatus has likely experienced a dramatic decline in both its range and numbers, even in areas where it seemed to be formerly common. Scaphinotus unicolor probably no longer occurs north of Maryland, and in that state the beetle appears to be quite scarce and local. However, S. unicolor may still be abundant in certain areas of Virginia. This present work improves upon Guarnieri (2015) by including more records from additional collections over a larger geographic area. We begin with a brief note documenting the presence of S. elevatus and S. viduus on the Delmarva Peninsula and then focus on the status of S. elevatus and S. unicolor throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, including New Jersey and New York. For this study, we define the Mid-Atlantic region to include Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. We include data from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, the Cornell University Insect Collection,