Observations on the biology of Mansonia perturbans (Walker) (Diptera: Culicidae) in the Nova Scotia–New Brunswick border region

1980 ◽  
Vol 58 (11) ◽  
pp. 2084-2088 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Lewis ◽  
Gordon F. Bennett

Aerial sweep netting of mosquitoes in the Nova Scotia – New Brunswick border region during the summers of 1973–1975 revealed that Mansonia perturbons (Walker) is the most abundant species in this region. This mosquito is univoltine; adult emergence commences in late June; peak abundance occurs about mid-July; peak activity of blood-seeking females occurs at or near darkness. Observations were made of swarming adults, and the immature stages were associated with at least seven species of aquatic plants. Mansonia perturbans appears to have become a relatively recent pest in this region.

1977 ◽  
Vol 55 (9) ◽  
pp. 1493-1503 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Lewis ◽  
Gordon F. Bennett

Fifty-seven species of Tabanidae are recorded from maritime Canada. Thirty-one species have been collected during the period 1973–1976 in the Maritime Provinces, particularly in the Nova Scotia–New Brunswick border region. Larval and pupal habitats were not determined. Feeding habits of 20 species of tabanids were determined; 15 species were collected feeding on man, and 9 species feeding on cattle. Chrysops mitis was the most abundant deer fly and accounted for 14.5% of the tabanid population, 37.1% of the deer flies collected, and 52.6% of the deer flies feeding on man. Hybomitra epistates was the most abundant tabanid; it comprised 19.7% of the tabanids collected and 32.6% of the Hybomitra population. Hybomitra frontalis was the most abundant horse fly feeding on man, and comprised 74.2% of this group. Chrysops frigidus accounted for 42.9% of the deer flies feeding on cattle, while H. typhus Form A accounted for 50% of the horse flies feeding on cattle. Hybomitra illota was the most abundant tabanid collected in tabanid traps. Generally, species of Chrysops were more annoying to man while species of Hybomitra were more of a pest of cattle. Specimens of Tabanus were uncommon.


2003 ◽  
Vol 117 (4) ◽  
pp. 611
Author(s):  
Anthony J. Erskine ◽  
Reid McManus

Redpoll (primarily Carduelis flammea) data from the New Brunswick–Nova Scotia border region were reviewed in the context of alleged biennial periodicity of irruptions south of their breeding range. Long-term records by the authors suggested a number of departures from visitation in alternate years. Three local Christmas Bird Counts (CBCs) spanning the last 41 winters supported the less-than-regular pattern shown by individual observations. CBC redpoll data from across the Atlantic Provinces revealed annual redpoll visitations across southern New Brunswick, where the largest regional counts (adjusted for observer effort) usually occurred. Visitation to Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland was less frequent, and patterns there were often obscured by scarcity of CBCs with both long-run coverage and redpolls. Examination of those data in relation to varying food availability suggested that irregular abundance but near-annual occurrence of redpoll visitation explains observed observations better than attempts to find periodicity in their irruptions.


1987 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 352-364
Author(s):  
R. Peterson ◽  
S. Ray

Abstract Brook trout and yellow perch collected while surveying New Brunswick and Nova Scotia headwater lakes were analyzed for DDT metabolites, chlordane, hexacyclohexane isomers, hexachlorobenzene, toxaphene and PCB’s. Concentrations of DDT metabolites were much higher from fish taken from lakes in north-central N.B. (200-700 ng/g wet wt) than from fish taken elsewhere (<10 ng/g). Seventy to 90% of the DDT metabolites was DDE. Chlordane (3-13 ng/g) was analyzed in seven trout, six of them from central N.B. areas with intensive agriculture. Isomers of hexachlorocyclohexane were in highest concentration from north-central N.B. (10-20 ng/g), eastern N.S. (5-15 ng/g) and southern N.B. (5-20 ng/g). In most cases, alpha-hexachlorocyclohexane (lindane) was the isomer in highest concentration. Concentrations of hexachlorobenzene in fish tissues was highly variable with no obvious geographic bias. PCB’s were detected in very few fish, and no toxaphene was detected.


2012 ◽  
Vol 144 (6) ◽  
pp. 779-791 ◽  
Author(s):  
G.C. Cutler ◽  
J.M. Renkema ◽  
C.G. Majka ◽  
J.M. Sproule

AbstractThe Carabidae (Coleoptera) are a diverse family of beetles with almost 300 species identified in Nova Scotia, Canada. Carabid beetle communities have been studied in several agricultural systems, but not wild blueberries, an important crop in eastern Canada. In the interest of potentially developing conservation biological control programs in wild blueberry, we collected Carabidae in crop (fruit-bearing) and sprout (vegetative) blueberry fields in Nova Scotia in order to assess species diversity and abundance over space and time. Over 3200 specimens were collected, representing 51 species. A large portion of collected specimens (39%) were nonnative, and the most abundant species were generally predacious and synanthropic. Species diversity tended to be higher near forest edges than further into fields, but not for all abundant species. Several of the most prominent predators showed significant differences in preference of crop versus sprout fields, distribution throughout fields, and seasonable abundance. These findings have implications for conservation biological control efforts with carabid beetles against several insect pests in wild blueberry.


1987 ◽  
Vol 65 (6) ◽  
pp. 1163-1179 ◽  
Author(s):  
David G. Green

Pollen diagrams from sites in southwest Nova Scotia and close to the New Brunswick – Nova Scotia border show that after retreat of the Wisconsin ice sheets, most tree taxa arrived in the extreme southwest of Nova Scotia earlier than anywhere else in the province. For most tree taxa, arrival times at sites in maritime Canada and in northeastern New England are consistent with very early dispersal of individuals along the coastal strip via the exposed coastal shelf and with their entering Nova Scotia from the southwest. These scattered pioneer populations acted as centres for major population expansions, which followed much later in some cases. Local environments, fire, and interspecies competition appear to have been more important than propagule dispersal rates as factors limiting the spread of most taxa.


1972 ◽  
Vol 104 (8) ◽  
pp. 1197-1207 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. F. Morris

AbstractThe number of predators inhabiting nests of Hyphantria cunea Drury was recorded annually for 13 years in four areas in New Brunswick and two areas on the coast of Nova Scotia. The most common groups were the pentatomids and spiders, which sometimes reproduced within the nests, but the mean number per nest was low in relation to the number of H. cunea larvae in the colonies. The rate of predation on fifth-instar larvae was low. Small or timid predators appeared to prey largely on moribund larvae or small saprophagans during the principal defoliating instars of H. cunea.No relationship could be detected between the number of larvae reaching the fifth instar and the number of predators in the colony; nor could any functional or numerical response of the predators to either the initial number of larvae per colony or the population density of colonies be found. It is concluded that the influence of the nest-inhabiting predators is small and relatively stable, and may be treated as a constant in the development of models to explain the population dynamics of H. cunea.H. cunea is a pest in parts of Europe and Asia, where it has been accidentally introduced from North America. The introduction to other continents of the North American predator, Podisus maculiventiis (Say), is discussed briefly.


1986 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 444-456 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. H. Carter ◽  
W. D. Taylor ◽  
R. Chengalath ◽  
D. A. Scruton

Crustacean and rotifer plankton assemblages of 93 lakes in Labrador, 107 in Newfoundland, and 142 in New Brunswick – Nova Scotia were investigated for evidence of correlations with lake morphometric, chemical, or biological factors. Labrador assemblages were almost completely lacking in identifiable structure. Newfoundland species clustered into two groups of different body size, suggesting the influence of fish predation. Only one species in Labrador and Newfoundland was significantly correlated with a derived factor related to lake water buffering capacity. New Brunswick – Nova Scotia species clustered into two groups, one featuring significant positive and the other significant negative correlations with the buffering factor. From this we conclude that acidification is having an impact on the limnetic zooplankton of these two provinces. Multiple discriminant analysis was used to demonstrate that New Brunswick – Nova Scotia lakes differing in their buffering capacity were also distinct in zooplankton composition. Lakes with low factor scores (low pH, alkalinity, and calcium) were mainly located in the Bay of Fundy region; this area has above average fog and precipitation, and lies within the summer air flow carrying pollutants from the south.


1973 ◽  
Vol 105 (8) ◽  
pp. 1091-1099 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. D. Hodkinson

AbstractThe four larval instars and the pupa of Ptychoptera lenis lenis Osten Sacken are described. Instars 2 to 4 are very similar morphologically but instar 1 is markedly different. Both a pharate pupal and a pharate adult stage were observed. Larvae are found in stagnant marginal areas of ponds where water depth does not exceed 4 cm and where benthic deposits of plant detritus exceed 8 cm. Fourth instar larvae, under experimental conditions, survived up to 45 days without contact with atmospheric oxygen but development was arrested. P. lenis has a 1 year life cycle with an extended adult emergence season from late May to the end of July.


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