The millipeds of eastern Canada (Arthropoda: Diplopoda)

1988 ◽  
Vol 66 (7) ◽  
pp. 1638-1663 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rowland M. Shelley

The diplopod fauna of eastern Canada, an area containing all or parts of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland, consists of 6 orders, 15 families, 28 genera, and 38 species. Eighteen species, 47% of the total fauna, are synanthropic forms introduced chiefly from Europe, and 11 additional millipeds, including another order and family, may occur there, particularly in southern Ontario. The sole Canadian records of Polyzonium mutabile Causey, Aniulus paludicolens Causey, Uroblaniulus stolidus Causey, Pseudopolydesmus branneri (Bollman), Scytonotus granulatus (Say), and Pleuroloma flavipes Rafinesque; the genera Cleidogona, Scytonotus, and Pleuroloma; and the family Cleidogonidae are from Ontario. Pleuroloma flavipes and Uroblaniulus stolidus, in Essex and Algoma counties, are newly recorded from Canada. Polyxenus lagurus (L.), Underwoodia iuloides (Harger), and Trichopetalum lunatum Harger are the only native diplopods in the Maritime Provinces, and Allajulus caeruleocinctus (Wood), a Palearctic introduction, is the only species known from New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. The combination Polyzonium cryptocephalum (McNeill) is revived for the dominant eastern polyzoniid species, and Petaserpes rosalbus Cope and Polyzonium divaricatum Loomis are recognized as synonyms of it, the latter being new. Other new synonymies are Polyzonium borealis Loomis and P. quadricauda Loomis with P. mutabile Causey; Julus immaculatus Wood and Parajulus dux Chamberlin with Uroblaniulus canadensis (Newport); and Underwoodia polygama Cook and Collins with U. iuloides. Apheloria virginiensis (Drury), n.comb., is proposed as are subspecific statuses for the common eastern spirobolid millipeds. American species improbable for eastern Canada are identified, and a key to known and potential taxa and pertinent anatomical drawings are provided.


Zootaxa ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 1385 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHRISTOPHER G. MAJKA

The beetles of the family Cleridae in the Maritime Provinces of Canada are reviewed and new provincial records are reported. As a result, 16 taxa (15 species and one additional subspecies) are now known to occur in the region. A total of 19 new provincial records are reported; seven from Prince Edward Island, nine from Nova Scotia, and three from New Brunswick. Three species, Zenodosus sanguineus (Say), Necrobia rufipes (DeGeer), and Necrobia violacea (Linnaeus) are newly recorded in the Maritime Provinces. The bionomics of the fauna is briefly reviewed; species found in the region fall into one of five ecological groups. The composition of the fauna is also examined in relation to subjects such as island faunas, the northeastern North American regional fauna, and adventive species.



2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsten Palmier ◽  
Cory Sheffield

In Canada, the Common Eastern Bumble Bee (BombusimpatiensCresson) is native to southern Ontario and Quebec, but since being developed as a managed commercial pollinator, it has been exported to several other provinces for use in greenhouse and field crop settings. This has enabled this species to become established outside its natural range and it is now established in eastern Canada (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island) and British Columbia. To date, the species has not been detected via field capture in the prairie provinces.Here we report on recent captures ofB.impatiensworkers and males from south-eastern Alberta and suggest that these specimens escaped from nearby commercial greenhouses. The risk that the presence and looming establishment of this species has on native bumble bees in the Canadian prairies is discussed.



Zootaxa ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 1636 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHRISTOPHER G. MAJKA

The Family Eucnemidae in the Maritime Provinces of Canada is surveyed. Eleven species are now known from the region. Ten species are recorded in Nova Scotia, six in New Brunswick, and four on Prince Edward Island. Nine new provincial records (four from Nova Scotia, four from Prince Edward Island, and one from New Brunswick) are reported, and two species, Microrhagus triangularis (Say) and Nematodes penetrans (LeConte), are newly recorded in the Maritime Provinces as a whole. The four species reported from Prince Edward Island are the first records of the family Eucnemidae from the province. The composition of the fauna is in broad agreement with that of northeastern North America. The faunas on Prince Edward and Cape Breton Islands are diminished with respect to the mainland, but are more robust than that of other saproxylic groups. Many species of eucnemids have been very infrequently collected and may actually be rare. In this regard eucnemids are similar to many other groups of saproxylic beetles, although they are proportionately even less abundant than many other groups. A variety of studies that have reported on this phenomenon have pointed to the history of forest management in the region as potential being responsible for this scarcity. The eucnemids in this region are almost entirely associated with deciduous trees. The history of forest management in the Maritime Provinces, as well as that of introduced forest diseases, is such as to have had a major impact on the composition and structure hardwood forests, and hence potentially on insects such as eucnemids which are reliant on these hosts. Consequently further research is urged in order to better ascertain their status, and to develop appropriate conservation measures for these important indicator species of diverse forest structure.



Zootaxa ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 1573 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHRISTOPHER G. MAJKA

The beetle families of the Bostrichiformia—the Derodontidae, Dermestidae, Bostrichidae, and Anobiidae – in the Maritime Provinces of Canada are surveyed. Seventy-four native and established introduced species are now known to occur including 30 found in New Brunswick, 65 in Nova Scotia, and 29 on Prince Edward Island. Seven species are newly recorded from New Brunswick, 24 from Prince Edward Island, and 37 from Nova Scotia for a total of 68 new provincial records. A total of 31 species are newly recorded in the Maritime Provinces as a whole, three of which, Dinoderus minutus (Fabricius), Ernobius filicornis LeConte, and Ernobius granulatus LeConte, are newly recorded in Canada. Two species, Ptilinus pruinosus Casey and Caenocara oculata (Say), are removed from the faunal list of New Brunswick, and one subspecies, Attagenus unicolor unicolor (Brahm), is removed from the faunal list of Prince Edward Island since no specimens or published records could be found to support their presence.        Additional records of six other exotic species intercepted at ports and points in the region, but not established here, are also reported. A specimen of the Palearctic Ptinus bicinctus Sturm collected in 1915 in Nova Scotia, establishes a new early timeline for this species in North America. The fauna of the region is distinguished by the very large proportion (37 of 74 species, i.e. 50%) of which is introduced. It is also distinguished by the large proportion (22 of 37 species, i.e. 60%) of the indigenous, native fauna that is apparently rare, perhaps as a result of the historical impact of forest management practices on these wood-boring, saproxylic species. The fauna is further evaluated from both zoogeographic and ecological perspectives.



Zootaxa ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 1154 (1) ◽  
pp. 49 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHRISTOPHER G. MAJKA ◽  
DAVID B. MCCORQUODALE

New records of Coccinellidae in the Maritime Provinces of Canada are reported. The known fauna of the region consists of 47 species: 41 in Nova Scotia, 39 in New Brunswick, and 21 in Prince Edward Island. Of these, records are provided for 13 species newly recorded from Nova Scotia and 14 from Prince Edward Island. Two species, Diomus amabilis (LeConte) and Naemia seriata seriata Melsheimer, are newly recorded in Canada. Didion punctatum (Melsheimer) is removed from the fauna of PEI, and Coccidula lepida LeConte is removed from the fauna of NS, and Scymnus impexus Mulsant is removed from the faunas of NS and NB. Records of two adventive species not established in the region are also reported. Collecting effort in the three provinces and their sub-regions is briefly analyzed and compared. Biogeographic observations are provided in relation to the composition of the fauna as a whole, and of disjunct populations of six Nova Scotia coccinellids, several of which appear to be members of a coastal plain fauna that extends from New England to southern Nova Scotia. The potential vulnerability of the coccinellid fauna is discussed in the context of both adventive species in the region, and habitat loss and conservation.



Zootaxa ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 1546 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHRISTOPHER G. MAJKA

The Erotylidae and Endomychidae of the Maritime Provinces are surveyed. Fifteen species are now known from the region, fourteen in Nova Scotia, seven in New Brunswick, and four on Prince Edward Island. Thirteen new provincial records (seven from Nova Scotia, three from New Brunswick, and three from Prince Edward Island) are reported. Four erotylids, Dacne quadrimaculata (Say), Triplax dissimulator (Crotch), Triplax flavicollis Lacordaire, Triplax macra LeConte; and two endomychids, Rhanidea unicolor (Ziegler) and Lycoperdina ferruginea LeConte, are newly recorded in the Maritime Provinces as a whole. New records of the rare endomychid, Hadromychus chandleri Bousquet & Leschen, are reported. The fauna is examined in a regional zoogeographic context, paying particular attention to the insular faunas of Cape Breton and Prince Edward Islands. Attention is also drawn to the number of species that have been very rarely collected. This apparent scarcity may be related to the long history of forest management in the region, in particular the effects of intensive forestry on the communities of forest fungi on which these species feed and depend. Attention is drawn to the importance of ongoing research to monitor their populations and assess how these species may be employed as indicators of the overall health forest ecosystems.



2008 ◽  
Vol 140 (6) ◽  
pp. 690-713 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher G. Majka ◽  
Patrice Bouchard ◽  
Yves Bousquet

AbstractThe Tenebrionidae of the Maritime Provinces of Canada are surveyed. Forty-eight species have been reported from the region. Eleven of these species (ten Palearctic and one Nearctic) have been introduced to the region, five of which are apparently now extirpated. Dates of first detection of these species are provided for each province and North America. Thirteen species are newly recorded in New Brunswick, 25 in Nova Scotia, and 15 on Prince Edward Island, for a total of 53 new provincial records. Of these, 18 species including Bolitophagus corticola Say, Neatus tenebrioides (Palisot de Beauvois), Helops gracilis Bland, Blapstinus substriatus Champion, Hymenorus obesus Casey, Hymenorus picipennis Casey, Hymenorus pilosus (Melsheimer), Mycetochara bicolor (Couper), Mycetochara binotata (Say), Mycetochara fraterna (Say), Platydema excavatum (Say), Platydema teleops Triplehorn, Corticeus praetermissus (Fall), Alobates pennsylvanicus (DeGeer), Haplandrus fulvipes (Herbst), Xylopinus saperdioides (Olivier), an undescribed species of Paratenetus Spinola, and an undescribed species of Neatus LeConte are newly recorded for the Maritime Provinces as a whole. One of these, Helops gracilis, is recorded for the first time in Canada. The fauna is discussed from the perspective of the patterns of distribution of species in the region and their possible underlying causes. Island faunas are discussed, as is the saproxylic component of the fauna, with a brief consideration of the importance of this trophic group in the dynamics of forest ecosystems in the region.



1980 ◽  
Vol 112 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Maltais

The larch sawfly, Pristiphora erichsonii (Htg.), is a serious defoliator of trees of the genus Larix and particularly of Larix laricina (Du Roi) K. Koch in eastern Canada. According to Reeks (1954), four outbreaks occurred in the Maritime Provinces between 1883 and 1942. Following the last outbreak, few specimens of the insect were found in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island until 1960 when an outbreak started near Fredericton, New Brunswick. Since, outbreaks varying in degree from moderate to severe have persisted throughout this province.In the course of a study on the ecology and population dynamics of the insect it was found necessary to verify and separate the various developmental stages of the larvae.



2007 ◽  
Vol 139 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Klimaszewski ◽  
Christopher G. Majka

AbstractTwo new athetine beetles from eastern Canada are described and illustrated: Atheta (Metadimetrota) savardae Klimaszewski and Majka, sp. nov. (Nova Scotia, Quebec) and Atheta (Datomicra) acadiensis Klimaszewski and Majka, sp. nov. (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec). Their relationships to other closely related species are discussed, and new data on bionomics and distribution are provided. The new species are presented with a short diagnosis, description, colour habitus images, and black-and-white genital images.



2008 ◽  
Vol 140 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher G. Majka ◽  
Jan Klimaszewski

AbstractThe fauna of introduced rove beetles (Staphylinidae) in the Maritime Provinces of Canada is surveyed. Seventy-nine species have now been recorded. Of these, 73 have been found in Nova Scotia, 29 on Prince Edward Island, and 54 in New Brunswick. Twenty-five species are newly recorded in Nova Scotia, 16 on Prince Edward Island, and 10 in New Brunswick, for a total of 51 new provincial records. Of these, 15 species, Tachinus corticinus Gravenhorst, Mycetoporus lepidus (Gravenhorst), Habrocerus capillaricornis (Gravenhorst), Aleochara (Xenochara) lanuginosa Gravenhorst, Gnypeta caerulea (C.R. Sahlberg), Atheta (Microdota) amicula (Stephens), Cordalia obscura (Gravenhorst), Drusilla canaliculata (Fabricius), Deleaster dichrous (Gravenhorst), Coprophilus striatulus (Fabricius), Carpelimus subtilis (Erichson), Leptacinus intermedius Donisthorpe, Tasgius (Rayacheila) melanarius (Heer), Neobisnius villosulus (Stephens), and Philonthus discoideus (Gravenhorst), are newly recorded in the Maritime Provinces. Two of these, Atheta (Microdota) amicula and Carpelimus subtilis, are newly recorded in Canada. Leptacinus intermedius is removed from the faunal list of New Brunswick and Philhygra botanicarum Muona, a Holarctic species previously regarded as introduced in North America, is recorded for the first time in the Maritime Provinces. An examination of when species were first detected in the region reveals that, on average, it was substantially later than comparable dates for other, better known families of Coleoptera — an apparent indication of the comparative lack of attention this family has received. Some introduced species appear to be associated with the dry-ballast mechanism of introduction to the continent, while others are synanthropic and may have been inadvertently introduced in connection with agriculture, horticulture, or other processes associated with human activities. A substantial number are now established and well distributed, seemingly indicative of an early introduction into the region, the ability to successfully colonize a habitat and disperse within it, or a combination of these factors. Other species appear to be local in distribution, perhaps indicative of more recent introductions, more restricted ecological tolerances, a lesser ability to disperse, or a combination of these factors. These recent discoveries are discussed briefly in the context of the importance of taxonomic research and ongoing monitoring in order to detect and identify exotic species and monitor for new introductions and changes in existing native or introduced populations — all important in terms of assessing the risk of introductions to, and their impact on, native faunas and habitats.



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