Fall 2002 Vol. 21, No. 2 NEWSLETTER OF THE BIOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA (TERRESTRIAL ARTHROPODS) Table of Contents General Information and Editorial Notes..................................... (inside front cover) News and Notes Summary of the Scientific Committee Meeting ......................................................41 Members of the Scientific Committee 2002 ...........................................................48 Grasslands Project Active ......................................................................................49 Nature Discovery Fund: Call for Applications for 2003 ..........................................50 Project Update: Seasonal Adaptations in Insects...................................................51 The Quiz Page.............................................................................................................55 Web Site Notes ...........................................................................................................56 The University of Guelph Insect Collection .............................................................57 Arctic Corner Insect Biodiversity in the Thelon Wildlife Sanctuary ..............................................59 Canadian Research in Arctic Entomology is out in the Cold..................................64 Selected Publications ...............................................................................................67 Selected future conferences .....................................................................................72 Answers to Faunal Quiz.............................................................................................74 Quips and Quotes.......................................................................................................75 Requests for Material or Information Invited...........................................................76 Request for Cooperation (form)................................................................................77 Vol. 21, No. 2 41 General Information The Newsletter of the Biological Survey of Canada (Terrestrial Arthropods) appears twice yearly. All material without other accreditation is prepared by the Secretariat for the Biological Survey. Editor: H.V. Danks Head, Biological Survey of Canada (Terrestrial Arthropods) Canadian Museum of Nature P.O. Box 3443, Station “D” Ottawa, ON K1P 6P4 Tel. 613-566-4787 Fax. 613-364-4022 Email: [email protected] Queries, comments, and contributions to the Newsletter are welcomed by the editor. Deadline for material for the Spring 2003 issue is January 31, 2003. Editorial Notes The Biological Survey of Canada (Terrestrial Arthropods) develops and coordinates national initiatives in taxonomic and ecological entomology on behalf of the Cana- dian Museum of Nature and the Entomological Society of Canada. The Newsletter communicates information about systematic and faunistic entomology that may be of interest in Canada, and reports especially on activities relevant to the Biological Survey. This newsletter will also be available soon on the Survey’s website at: http://www.biology.ualberta.ca/bsc/bschome.htm Vol. 21, No. 2 41 News and Notes Summary of the meeting of the Scientific Committee, April 2002 he Scientific Committee met in Ottawa on summer-flowering plants. The site includes a TApril 18-19, 2002. diverse range of habitats. Grasslands sampling is also proceeding in southern Ontario with a Scientific projects number of studies. However, although Univer- The scientific projects of the Survey were sity of Guelph researchers had funding from considered, including the following progress or the World Wildlife Fund to sample on Walpole information. Island, they were denied permission to do so by the band council. [see also p. 49] 1. Grasslands The grasslands newsletter and grasslands 2. Arctic invertebrate biology prospectus had been produced and also are The former Arctic Insect News was in- posted on the web. These high-quality prod- corporated into the Survey newsletter as “Arc- ucts are designed to help stimulate the project tic Corner” to deal with some aspects of arctic and demonstrate the professionalism of those invertebrate biology. For example, the spring involved. There is a report of last year’s trip 2002 newsletter included an article about the to Onefour in the Grasslands newsletter. Dr. proposed Alaska Insect Survey project, inspired Wheeler noted that the symposium on Ecology in part by the Biological Survey of Canada, and interactions in grassland habitats is set for as well as an account of the 2001 European Tuesday, October 8, 2002 at the ESC / ESM Workshop on Invertebrate Ecophysiology. A annual meeting in Winnipeg. The contributions new monograph on the ecology of Greenland, at the symposium will be part of the set of edited by Dr. Jens Böcher, includes a chapter planned chapters for the first grasslands vol- on insects and insect ecology. A field guide to ume on Ecology and interactions of grasslands the western arctic is due to be published this habitats. Dr. Wheeler reported that grasslands- year and includes a chapter on insects. A book related work continues, including papers in had been produced as a result of an expedition press. Information about potential funding organized by the governments of Denmark and was briefly reviewed, pending more detailed Sweden. That expedition had hired a Canadian discussions by the grasslands subcommittee. A coast guard icebreaker to study ecology in the PowerPoint presentation with an overview of Canadian arctic. This example demonstrates Canadian grasslands as well as the prospectus that other countries are expending more re- are available to assist this effort. Dr. Shorthouse sources than Canada to study Canada’s geog- pointed out that the symposium on grasslands at raphy and biota. Therefore, there is little active the CSZ meeting might provide an opportunity entomological work to report. [see also p. 64] to discuss the grasslands symposium planned 3. Seasonal adaptations for the ESC/ESM meeting. Papers on dormancy and allied responses Plans for the second grasslands focus in insects have been published recently or are site are covered in the grasslands newsletter. in press. Other invited work is in preparation, The trip would be held at the Tall Grass Prairie including a paper on circadian rhythmicity and Preserve in Manitoba in July, a time which photoperiodism for an international Japanese- is at the juxtaposition of early-flowering and Czech meeting on this subject, to be held in 42 Newsletter of the Biological Survey of Canada (Terrestrial Arthropods) Vol. 21, No. 2 43 the Czech Republic in August 2002. A paper ect provides uniform litter bags to participating on insect seasonal adaptations is also planned countries. The results are to come from extract- for a conference on Biology of the Arctic, to be ing invertebrates and putting up digital images held in Toronto early next year at the meeting of morphotaxa on the web to elicit taxonomists’ of the Society for Integrative and Comparative support in identifications; and to see how rapid Biology (formerly the American Society of Zo- biodiversity assessments can be done without ologists). In summary, the seasonal adaptations the need for taxonomists’ input. The question project continues especially in synthetic mode. being posed is what is the rate of invasion and [see also p. 51] what are the taxa that invade; the same major groups seem to be invading litter bags irrespec- 4. Insects of Keewatin and Mackenzie tive of the habitat. The first year’s samples In summer 2001, Dr. Doug Currie and are being sorted. Some committee members Dr. Peter Adler undertook a 3-week trip in the expressed reservations about a design without Northwest Territories. Their sampling increased local plant material as controls and including the number of known blackflies in NWT from rapid biodiversity assessment ideas. 18 to 52 species. This year 5 researchers plan a trip on the Thelon River within the Thelon 2. Old-growth forests Game sanctuary, including the use of Malaise Various committee members reviewed traps and other sampling methods. The group projects, especially by graduate students, in has received about half of the necessary per- old-growth forests in various provinces. One mits to date, and the permit process seems to be study comparing old-growth forest with similar easier this time than for the Horton River trip looking but younger forest demonstrated the in 2000. Interesting results are expected. [see difficulties with rapid assessment techniques also p. 59] using higher taxa and morphospecies. For example, the number of specimens and mor- Other scientific priorities phospecies were the same and even species richness did not show much difference, but 1. Arthropod fauna of soils there were differences, depending on family, in A special issue of the Canadian Journal dominant species. These results lead to the con- of Soil Science featuring soil biodiversity clusion that only reliable species-level identi- papers is planned for 2002. It includes papers fication can confirm this sort of information. on mites, Collembola, and beetles in Canadian Initiatives are also underway to preserve, or to agricultural systems. The Grasslands newslet- try to establish infrastructures, for canopy sam- ter contains an article about an unexpected mite pling in other places, though funding is difficult found at Onefour, known from dune systems in to secure. Federal government funding for the other parts of the world but never recorded