14 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOc. OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, PROC. ( 1949) , VOL. 46, MAY 15,1950 instar. but with markings more decided. Imago. First emergence on July 16. There is a certain amount of variation in There was considerable variation in the size and intensity of the black mark length of instars among individuals. ings on the dorsal surface and especially Under natural conditions the larvae the lateral hyphens which are sometimes averaged 25 mm. on July 22 or about fused to form solid black lines but the same stage of development which slightly interrupted between segments. had been reached on May 31 by those Head pale sea-green, with small black under control. The larvae remain very dots arranged in four vertical rows, two quiet except when feeding; they rest on each side. The larva ceased feeding along the midrib on the underside of the on June 19 , three days before the pupal leaves or on moss and bark often with stage was assumed and spins a very thin the h ea d shielded from daylight. webbing either betwee n two leaves, Summary. Ova laid under confined among the moss on the trunk, or on the conditions on September 18, 1947, were ground at the base of the tree. Length kept in an equably cool room tempera of larva just before pupation, 40 mm. ture throughout the winter. The larvae Stadium, 22 days. emerged May 1, 1948, and were fed on Pupa. Pupation June 22. Length of Garry Oak, Quercus garryana, complet pupa 28 mm., width 4 mm.; wing cases ing their life cycle in 75 days from time fuscous ; abdominal segments beige with of emergence from the egg. The first small black dots; anal segment black ; instar was completed in 8 days ; second cremaster consisting of two stout ter instar. 10 days; third instar, 13 days ; minal hooked setae and two to six fourth instar, 22 days and pupa, 24 smaller ones at the base. The pupa is days. Each instar was progressively held in place chiefly by the entanglement longer than the preced ing one. The last of the cremaster among the fibres of the instar, however, included three or four web spun by the larva. Pupal period, days devoted to spinning and lying 24 days. quiescent prior to pupation.
BIOLOGY OF ANISOLABIS MARITIMA (GENE) THE SEASIDE EARWIG, ON VANCOUVER ISLAN D (Dermaptera, Labiduridae) RICHARD GUppy Wellington, B. C. Introduction - Anisolabis maritima beyond Neck Point, a distance of only (Gene), a large and fearsome appearing six or seven miles along the tortuous apterous ea rwig, inhabiting a restricted shore line. zon'e at the line of highest tides, is not After fair! y careful search at several like! y to escape notice for very long points along the coas t, I found speci where it occurs in settled districts. E. mens in only one other locality, a few R. BuckelI has given a res ume of its small islets known as Dayman Id. lying known range, and an account of its close to Kuper Id. I made unsuccessful discovery on Vancouver Island by searches at Separation Point, near Cow 1 Professor G. V. Spencer in 1926 , and ichan Bay; Dodd Narrows, south of it will not be necessary to go over this Nanaimo; and French Creek, near information here. The species in 20 Qualicum Beach. It is interesting to years or more does not seem to have be note that Professor Spencer found them come very generally distributed on the on a small island, possibly Snake Id., British Columbia coast. It is now very three miles from Departure Bay. It ap abundant on the shore of Vancouver pears that these earwigs are more apt to Island from Departure Bay where it was travel by water than along the shore. reported first to at least as far as the cove There is a record in the Report of the ENTOMOLOGICAL SOc. OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, PROC. (1949), \ '0L. 46. M AY 15. 195 0 15
Provincial Museum for 1947 of two Brooding by Females-As is usual examples of "seaside earwigs" found with Dermaptera , female Anisolabis ncar Vancouver, I am indebted to G. watch over and care for their eggs and H. Hardy for the information that young nymphs. An elaborate cell is these specimens were taken at Tsawavas prepared by the insect when she is sen Beach by Mr. F. Goertz. U nfor nearly ready to oviposit. several nights tunateiy they were not preserved, but being devoted to the task. This cham the record must be accepted as fairly ber appears to the observer much larger definite proof that Anisolabis is now than necessary, plenty of room is al also established on the British Columbia lowed for the insect to move around and mainland. to spread out h er eggs. A favorite loca Resume of Life History-A study of tion for cells is under the bark of rotten the life history of Anisolabis leaves little logs, though they are often in sand doubt that it is a species adapted for life under driftwood. The earwigs show a in tropical regions. Due to its ability to strongl y developed instinct in selecting endure long periods of suspended devel suitable sites which will remain con opment it survives in temperate climates, stantly moist, and yet be above the where the winters are not too long or reach of ordinary summer tides. The severe. In this respect it differs strongl y brooding females are very aggressive in from, Forftcula, which grows rapidly at protecting their ova, much more so than rather low temperatures and so appears Forftcula. They will not permit others much better suited for northern condi of their own kind to enter the cell. The tions. forceps are used as weapons, the insect On V. ancouver Island seaside earwigs striking over her back with such force as to throw herself completely on end. mature III two years. Ova are deposited during spring or summer as soon as tem They have, however, a sense of propor perature is suitable. This is seldom tion, The hand of an observer ap earlier than July, although unusually proaching the cell causes immediate re treat. :varm. we~t?er in t?e spring may result III OVIpositIon taklllg place before the Two female seaside earwigs have end of May. Under normal summer hatched their ova under my observation. temperature on Vancouver Island ova The first batch, deposited on July 13, w'ill hatch after 30 to 45 days. C. B. hatched without artificial aid in 30 days, Bennett2 reported that on the New York At this time I did not keep a record of coast ova hatched in 17 days, but he did temperatures but fairly constant warm not mention what temperature was :veather prevailed. Another lot depos required to produce this result. The lted August 18 were kept without arti nymphs attain only the first or second ficial heat until September 18. Average instar by the time winter conditions temperature during this period, arrived force them into hibernation. The re at by taking readings twice daily, was maining three or four stadia are usually 63 oF. By this time well-developed completed during the second summer. embryos could be seen in the eggs. As but many pass a second winter as fifth progress seemed to be very slow the instar nymphs. temperature was increased to 75 °F. or One of my captive seaside earwigs, higher. which resulted in the first kept under constant high temperatures, nymph appearing on October 4, an in oviposited 43 days after reaching ma cubation period of 47 days. Several turity. This evidence shows that indi more days were required to complete the viduals which winter during their fifth hatching, and a total of 62 days elapsed stadium would reproduce next summer. before the paren t insect was seen to the dorman t period being unnecessary, leave the cell to search for food. The I t also indicates that Anisolabis under nymphs did not appear on the surface of tropical conditions may maintain a con the soil un til they were four or five tinuous and quite rapid cycle of growth weeks old. They remained in seclusion and reproduction. in a system of burrows constructed by 16 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOc. OF BRITISH COLUMBIA. PROC. (1949). VOL. 46. MAY IS. 1950 their mother. and into which she months, November to March inclusive, dragged all the food provided for her are too cool for any growth to take use. place. Except for size the external ap During 1947. when unusually warm pearance of Anisolabis nymphs alters weather occurred both in April and May, very little during their entire develop I found on June 30 females with ova ment. Tegmina and wings are absent nearly ready to hatch. None of the ear even in the adult. The forceps are well wigs which I kept in captivity that year formed in the first instar, differing in oviposited before mid-August. At that this respect from those of Forficula, time a period of cool weather set in but which are straight and threadlike at artificial heat was not provided and birth. after periods ranging from 45 to 60 days Although the antennae of Forficula all the parent earwigs ate their own eggs, show an increase in the number of seg even though well-developed embryos ments with each moult, those of a few could be seen in some cases. This must exuviae of Anisolabis nymphs of un be a common occurrence under natural known instars which I examined num conditions on Vancouver Island. bered 17 in nearly every case. Two I have found no evidence to indicate specimens known to be of the first and that female Anisolabis oviposit a second last nymphal instars had 15 and 17 time, as is the case with ForIicula. The antennal segments respectively. Buckell former are long-lived insects. especially stated that the antennae of adult Aniso the females. Two which had oviposited labis carry from 20 to 24 segments. so in captivity were kept through the win some variation must be expected in the ter and up to July of the following year. nymphs also. The adults can be easily when they died at an age of approxi distinguished from immature forms mately three years. with the unaided eye. Adult females have only six abdominal sterna visible. Growth of Nymphs - As indicated instead of eight as with nymphs and above. Anisolabis pass through five adult males. The forceps of adult males nymphal instars. instead of only four are distinctive. as with Forficula. The length of each stadium varies greatly according to the Behaviour of Adults-The depend temperature. My observations indicate ence of seaside earwigs on damp condi that the rate of growth increases very tions and their strict confinement to a rapidly as the temperature is raised. narrow belt at high tide level, has been Below 60°F. little or no progress seems somewhat exaggerated by writers. I to be made. Unfortunat:
of highest tides. I have found many very little cover, a quarter inch of sand individuals in all stages of growth, is sufficient, but care must be taken to hibernating under logs and boards in keep this moist as the insects will soon company with European earwigs and die if it becomes quite dry. Excessive various beetle larvae. - litter makes it impossible to keep a close The chief occupation of adult Aniso check on ecdyses. labis seems to be the digging of burrows. For the purpose of recording moul ts, Two inches of damp sand in a quart jar three methods may be considered. First, will be converted into such a maze of since earwigs are absolutely white im tunnels that it is difficult to understand mediately after ecdysis. and do not re what prevents the whole affair from col cover full pigmentation for some hours. lapsing. Digging is accomplished with checking twice daily is near! y certain to the mandibles alone, grains of sand and result in nymphs being noticed while small stones being dislodged and carried still pale. Second, as earwigs do not as to the surface. Food is often taken into a rule eat the exuviae, these can be found these tunnels, by non-brooding adults, without difficulty if litter is kept to a as well as those with young. It thus minimum. Third, the most positive appears that the feeding of young method is to clip off part of one of the nymphs by their mother may be by forceps. If this is done soon after a chance rather than design. Nevertheless moult, the part will he found partly or their is no doubt that the habit is of wholly restored after the next trans great use in providing a supply of food formation. It is necessary to quieten for the nymphs during the first part of the insects in order to perform this their lives. operation. or When counting abdominal segments. This is most easily done by Food-Anisolabis maritima must be exposing them to low temperature. A considered a carnivorous species. Any temperature of 35°F. will in a few hours vegetable food they take is so little as to render them quite immobile, Failing be negligible. In captivity they ate any this. they can be placed in a cyanide sort of dead animal matter. I fed them killing vial. and taken out immediately chiefly on crushed tiny crabs and dead they become quiet. flies. I have never noticed them killing any active insects. though they ate ova When observing brooding females. and sluggish larvae. As a result of many an inch or more of packed sand or soil tests, I have concluded that they never must be provided. If unable to construct eat herbage or seaweed of any kind. a proper cell the earwigs will eat their They are fond of wheat softened by eggs. With luck. the cell may be built soaking, and hollow out the grains until against the side of the jar. which was the a neat shell remains. On rare occasions case with the insect whose family life is I have seen them eat potato. Their described in this paper. These insects natural food is doubtless gleaned from seem to know by instinct when night the shore where small crustaceans and has fallen. and pay little or no attention drow'ned insects are thrown up by the to artificial light. For this reason their waves. The eggs and larvae of Diptera habits are easily observed. With a hun which breed in decaying seaweed may dred watt light bulb not over ten feet provide them with a great part of their from the jars, I have frequently watched sustenance. them feeding. and constructing cells or Methods of Rearing and Observa burrows. Even by daylight they are tion - Seaside earwigs will thrive in quickly able to detect the presence of glass jars with nearly tight covers. They food in their cages. A few moments are unable to climb out of ordinary jars, after a dead fly is dropped in. the sensi but if these are left uncovered when tive antennae will be seen at the burrow rearing at high temperatures, constant entrance. waving slowly as their owner attention must be paid to replenishing decides whether the coast is clear. If all moisture. I provide the nymphs with remains quiet the earwig comes into the 18 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOc. OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, PROC. (1949), VOL. 46. MAY 15,1950 open and seizes the fly with its mandi tucked under any convenient stone or bles. I have never seen the forceps used chip. for this purpose. The food may be 1 BuckeU E. R. 1930 Ent. Soc. B. C., 27: 22-23, also, Spell eel' G .•1. 192(; Call. Ent. 58 (8): 183-184. carried at once into the burrow, or 2 Bennett C. B. 1904 Psyche, II (3): 47-53.
NOTES ON VANCOUVER ISLAND AND WEST COAST COLEOPTERA G. A. HARDY Provincial Museum. Victoria. B. C. The following notes concern certain mens of this characteristic species were coleoptera belonging to the families taken from the crop of the same screech Carabidae, Lucanidae and Cerambycidae owl. While common, the mode of cap and include references to new locality ture is somewhat unique. This is also a records and to matters of biological or first record for Goose Island. ecological significance. CERAMBYCIDAE CARABIDAE Plectrura spinicauda Mann. A wing Zacotus matthewsii Lee. As this case and head of this unusual Ceramby handsome species is comparatively rare cid were found in the crop of another in collections, its occurrence is worth screech owl collected at the same time passing mention, particularly as in the and place. This species is reported along present instance, when it was found in the coast from Alaska to California, the crop of a screech owl taken on Goose though not known formerly from Island, B. e., by G. J. Guiguet during Goose Island. the summer of 1948. Three specimens were extracted from the crop, all suffi Eumichthus oedipus Lee. A single cien tl y well preserved to make iden tifi specimen of this scarce beetle collected at cation certain. The crepuscular habit of Buttle Lake, Vancouver Island, on July this species is no doubt one reason why 22, 1948, by E. G. Harvey of the Vic it is not more common in collections. toria Forest Insect Laboratory estab Evidently the ow!, whose appearance lishes a new locality record. abroad coincides with that of the bectlc. Dicentrus bluthneri Lee. One indi had no difficulty in finding it in num vidual of this apparently very local bers. British Columbia species was obtained Z. matthewsii was originally described on Valdez Island by E. G. Harvey, May by LeConte in 1868 from specimens 14, 1948. This constitutes a new collected on Vancouver Island by Mr. locality record and to my knowledge, Matthews. for whom the species was only the third for British Columbia. named. So far as I am aware the above All three places are quite close together, is the first record for Goose Island and Duncan, Valdez Island, and Pender provides a considerable northern exten Island. In connection with the last sion of the known range for the species. named place, I have a note made from a Goose Island lies off the mainland just conversation with G. R. Hopping, to south of parallel 52 0 and some 80 miles the effect that he took it in numbers at to the north of Cape Sutton, Vancouver Pender Harbour in May, 1926, where Island. it was running about and pairing on LUCANIDAE poles of recently cut hemlock Tsuga Ceruchus "trtatus Lee. Two speCl- heterophylla.