620 The linden bark borer (Lepidoptera: Agonoxenidae) infesting European linden in Nova Scotia Christopher G. Majka Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History, 1747 Summer Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 3A6 (e-mail: [email protected]) Majka621 The Holarctic genus Chrysoclista (Lepidop- single generation) then emerge and are present tera: Agonexenidae) consists of very distinctive, from May to August. Bark, honeycombed by small, brightly coloured moths whose larvae larval boring, can be found from ground level bore in the bark of deciduous trees. There are on the stem to high in the crown (Karsholt seven species worldwide including three found 1997; Rose and Lindquist 1997). in Europe, two found in the Caucasus, and two A taxonomic note: members of this genus Nearctic species, C. cambiella (Busck, 1915) have until recently often been placed in the ge- and C. villela (Busck, 1904). In addition, the nus Glyphipterix Hübner and the specific name Palearctic species C. linneella (Clerck, 1759) linneella has also frequently been misspelled as has been introduced to North America lineella, linnaeella, and linnaeanella. Chryso- (Karsholt 1997). clista linneella is now considered the correct In Europe, C. linneella is found across most name and placement (Tubbs 1986). of the continent, in all of the Baltic and Fenno- In 2000, in the context of research on the in- scandian countries, Great Britain, the Nether- sect fauna of Point Pleasant Park, Halifax, Nova lands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Scotia, a number of specimens of C. linneella Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, were collected. Subsequent investigations from Austria, Switzerland, France, Spain, Italy, Ru- 2001 to 2004 in other areas of the city have mania, Russia (Karsholt and Razowski 1996), shown the species to be present throughout pen- Turkey, and Ukraine (S. Koster, personal com- insular Halifax. Adults have been collected munication). from 30 June through 23 September (C.G. Chrysoclista linneella was first reported in Majka collection, Halifax). Almost every North America from specimens collected in T. ×europea tree examined showed extruded New York City in 1928 (Klots 1942). In the frass from the boring of the larvae, and when United States there are reports and records from the surface of the bark was cut away with a other parts of New York State, New Jersey, near penknife, the pale white larvae could be seen. Boston, Massachusetts (Baker 1972), Connecti- In some instances the outer portions of the bark cut, and Vermont (D.L. Wagner, personal com- were honeycombed to such a degree by larval munication). In Canada the only specimens tunneling as to allow the bark to be crumbled indicated in the National Forest Health and by hand. Biodiversity Database were collected between At various times, particularly from mid-July 1964 and 1966 in St. Catharines and Fort Erie, to early September, adults could be exceedingly Ontario (J.R. Trinnell, Canadian National Col- abundant. Clouds of hundreds or even thou- lection of Insects, Ottawa, Ontario). Rose and sands of individual moths could be observed Lindquist (1997) also listed Ottawa as a local- during daylight hours flying around all portions ity, although subsequent investigation by K. of affected trees. Beyond these observations, no Nystrom (who revised this publication) was un- attempt has been made to survey the extent of able to determine the source of this report (K. the infestation. The long- and short-term effects Nystrom, personal communication). of this infestation on T. ×europea trees have The larvae of this species feed in the bark of also to be investigated. European linden (Tilia ×europea L.; Tiliaceae), Tilia ×europea originates in Europe and has extruding a rusty-coloured frass. Pupation takes been extensively planted (occasionally escap- place in the bark in the early spring, when the ing) in the Halifax metropolitan area. It is also larvae are approximately 6 mm long. Adults (a found in Bridgewater, Wolfville, Truro, and Received 26 January 2005. Accepted 26 August 2005. Can. Entomol. 137: 620–621 (2005) © 2005 Entomological Society of Canada Majka 621 Sydney in the province (Roland 1998). It is un- Hebda (Nova Scotia Museum) for continuing known how long C. linneella has been present support and encouragement. in Nova Scotia; however, the Nova Scotia Mu- seum of Natural History contains extensive Baker, W.L. 1972. Eastern forest insects. US Depart- holdings of microlepidoptera collected in Nova ment of Agriculture Miscellaneous Publication Scotia in general, and Halifax in particular, by 1175. Douglas C. Ferguson (between 1945 and 1965) Karsholt, O. 1997. The genus Chrysoclista Stainton, and Barry Wright (between 1965 and 1993), 1854 in Europe (Lepidoptera: Agonoxenidae). both eminent lepidopterists and successive cu- Entomologiske Meddelelser, 65: 29–33. rators of entomology at the Museum. There are Karsholt, O., and Razowski, J. 1996. The Lepidop- no specimens of C. linneella in this material tera of Europe: a distributional checklist. Apollo and it seems highly improbable that, were it Books, Stenstrup, Denmark. present at that time, it would have escaped their Klots, A.B. 1942. A newly imported European notice. Thus, indications are that the species lavernid (Microlepidoptera). Bulletin of the Brooklyn Entomological Society, 37: 173. was introduced after 1993. This population is Majka, C.G., and Klimaszewski, J. 2004. clearly significantly disjunct from the United Phloeocharis subtilissima Mannerheim (Staphyl- States eastern seaboard and southern Ontario inidae: Phloeocharinae) and Cephennium gallicum population and may represent a separate intro- Ganglbauer (Scydmaenidae) new to North Amer- duction to the continent. The port of Halifax is ica: a case study in the introduction of exotic well known historically as a source for the in- Coleoptera to the port of Halifax, with new re- troduction of exotic insects (Majka and cords of other species. Zootaxa, 78: 1–15. Klimaszewski 2004). Roland, A.E. 1998. Roland’s flora of Nova Scotia. Revised by M. Zinck. Nimbus Publishing and the Many thanks to D. Bright (Agriculture Can- Nova Scotia Museum, Halifax, Nova Scotia. ada), R. Brown (Mississippi Entomological Rose, A.H., and Lindquist, O.H. 1997. Insects of Museum), J.B. Heppner (Florida State Collec- eastern hardwood trees. Revised by K. Nystrom. Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Ser- tion of Arthropods), O. Karsholt (Zoologisk vice, Forestry Technical Report 29. Museum, Denmark), S. Koster (Zoological Mu- Tubbs, P.K. 1986. Opinion 1418. Glyphipterix seum Amsterdam), K. Nystrom (Canadian For- Hübner, [1825] (Insecta: Lepidoptera): Tinea est Service), E. van Nieukerken (National bergstraeserella Fabricius, 1781 designated as Museum of Natural History, the Netherlands), type species. Bulletin of Zoological Nomencla- and D. Wagner (University of Connecticut) for ture, 43: 325–327. their assistance. Thanks to C. Ewing and A. © 2005 Entomological Society of Canada.