Indoor Arthropod Communities and Distributions in U.S
17 Proceedings of the Ninth International Conference on Urban Pests Matthew P. Davies, Carolin Pfeiffer, and William H Robinson (editors) 2017 Printed by Pureprint Group, Crowson House, Uckfield, East Sussex TN22 1PH UK INDOOR ARTHROPOD COMMUNITIES AND DISTRIBUTIONS IN U.S. HOMES 1MATTHEW A. BERTONE, 2MISHA LEONG, 1KEITH M. BAYLESS, 3,4ROBERT R. DUNN, AND 2MICHELLE D. TRAUTWEIN 1Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA 2California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA, USA 3Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA 4Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark Abstract By furthering our understanding of biodiversity in urban landscapes, we can advance our understanding of urban pests. We investigated the complete arthropod community of the indoor biome in 50 houses (located in and around Raleigh, North Carolina, USA). We discovered high diversity, with a conservative estimate range of 32 to 211 morphospecies, and 24 to 128 distinct arthropod families per house. However, the majority of these arthropods are not considered urban pests. We found arthropods within homes are both diverse and prevalent, and are a mix of closely synanthropic species and a great diversity of species that enter homes accidentally. Despite being found in the majority of homes, several arthropod groups such as gall midges (Cecidomyiidae) and book lice (Liposcelididae) remain unfamiliar to the general public. The diversity of arthropods was non-random with respect to location within the house; for instance, certain families, such as camel crickets (Rhaphidophoridae) and isopods (Armadillidiidae) were particularly abundant in basements.
[Show full text]