The Erotylidae and Endomychidae (Coleoptera: Cucujoidea) of the Maritime Provinces of Canada: New records, zoogeography, and observations on beetle-fungi relationships and forest health

Zootaxa ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 1546 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHRISTOPHER G. MAJKA
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
New Brunswick ◽  
Prince Edward Island ◽  
New Records ◽  
Forest Health ◽  
Maritime Provinces ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
Prince Edward Islands ◽  
Cape Breton ◽  
History Of

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.

The Ciidae (Coleoptera: Tenebrionoidea) of the Maritime Provinces of Canada: new records, distribution, zoogeography, and observations on beetle-fungi relationships in saproxylic environments

Zootaxa ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 1654 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHRISTOPHER G. MAJKA
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
New Brunswick ◽  
Prince Edward Island ◽  
New Records ◽  
Regional Distribution ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Host Use ◽  
Maritime Provinces ◽  
Cape Breton Island ◽  
Cape Breton

The Ciidae of the Maritime Provinces of Canada are surveyed. Fifteen species are now known to occur in the region, thirteen in Nova Scotia, six in New Brunswick, and two on Prince Edward Island. Ten new provincial records  are reported. Seven species including Ceracis sallei Mellié, Ceracis thoracicornis (Ziegler), Cis creberrimus Mellié, Cis pistoria Casey, Cis subtilis Mellié, Malacocis brevicollis (Casey), and Orthocis punctatus (Mellié) are newly recorded in the Maritime Provinces as a whole. Cis americanus Mannerheim and Cis levettei (Casey) are newly recorded on Prince Edward Island, the first records of this family from the province.Collecting effort on Cape Breton Island, Prince Edward Island, and in New Brunswick has apparently been insufficient to fully document the ciid fauna of these areas. Some local and regional distribution patterns of ciids in the mainland of Nova Scotia and in the Maritime Provinces are suggested from the present data, but further collecting is required to confirm these. Zoogeographically, most of the region's ciids are members of either a boreal fauna (9 species) with Holarctic affinities, or a southeastern North American Nearctic fauna (5 species). The Maritime Provinces ciid fauna has representatives of five of the six known ciid host-use groups. Records of host fungi indicate that there are suitable hosts for all species of ciids found in the region in all three Maritime Provinces, indicating that ciids in the region appear not to be limited by availability of suitable host-fungi. However, Cis horridulus Casey, Cis striolatus Casey, and Cis subtilis Mellié, the three species in the Trametes host-use group, are very infrequently collected and apparently rare.Forests in Maritime Provinces have been greatly affected by forestry and disease, and such activities are known to impact fungal communities. Consequently such practices could have important repercussions for groups like the Ciidae that are reliant on fungi as both a food source and a habitat

The ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) of the Maritime Provinces of Canada: review of collecting, new records, and observations on composition, zoogeography, and historical origins

Zootaxa ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 1590 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHRISTOPHER G. MAJKA ◽  
YVES BOUSQUET ◽  
SUSAN WESTBY
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
New Brunswick ◽  
Prince Edward Island ◽  
New Records ◽  
Atlantic Canada ◽  
Maritime Provinces ◽  
Cape Breton ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Faunal List ◽  
Historical Origins

The Carabidae of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are surveyed. The collecting history of the family in the region is reviewed. New records of 20 species are reported, 6 from New Brunswick and 15 from Nova Scotia. Six species are newly recorded in the Maritime Provinces (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island) as a whole. Six species are removed from the faunal list of Nova Scotia and one from the faunal list of New Brunswick. Consequently, 282 species of Carabidae are now known from Nova Scotia, 273 species from New Brunswick, and 329 from the Maritime Provinces as a whole. A new and earlier timeline (1942) is reported for the introduced Palearctic carabid, Bembidion properans (Stephens), in North America. The status of Stenolophus carbo Bousquet in the region is reviewed and its presence in Nova Scotia is considered doubtful. The historical origins of the Maritime fauna are discussed based on studies of post-glacial Coleoptera. These indicate at least three colonization phases, some elements of which are still apparent in the contemporary fauna. Elements of the native Nova Scotia fauna not found in New Brunswick (26 species), may represent colonization from New England across post-glacial land bridges and island chains. Elements of the native fauna found in New Brunswick and not Nova Scotia (31 species), may represent species that have reached the eastward limit of their distribution for climatic or environmental reasons; or that have found the Northumberland Strait and/or the isthmus of Chignecto an obstacle to geographical dispersal; or represent widely distributed boreal species (6 species) that should be sought in Nova Scotia. Eighteen species of Nova Scotia carabids have been recorded only from Cape Breton Island, two of which are known in Atlantic Canada solely from there. Although Cape Breton is separated from the mainland by the 1.5 km wide Strait of Canso, the number of flightless, native carabids present is proportionally greater than that in Nova Scotia overall, or the Maritime Provinces as a whole. Despite differences in land mass and distance to the neighbouring mainland, the faunas of Cape Breton, Prince Edward Island, and insular Newfoundland, exhibit similarities in size and composition, although Newfoundland's fauna has twice the proportion of Holarctic species. Cape Breton's carabid fauna is diminished compared to the neighbouring mainland, having only 57% of the native species. This may represent an island-associated diminution, the paucity of collecting, or a combination of both, although in comparison with other groups of Coleoptera the Carabidae appear relatively well represented. Within Atlantic Canada, New Brunswick has the lowest proportion (8.8%) of introduced carabids and the highest proportion (83.2%) of native, Nearctic species. Given the potential utility of carabids as bioindicators, and the wide range of disturbance to which the environment of the Maritime Provinces has been subjected, further research on this diverse group of beetles would be desirable.

The Coccinellidae (Coleoptera) of the Maritime Provinces of Canada: new records, biogeographic notes, and conservation concerns

Zootaxa ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 1154 (1) ◽  
pp. 49 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHRISTOPHER G. MAJKA ◽  
DAVID B. MCCORQUODALE
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
New Brunswick ◽  
New England ◽  
Habitat Loss ◽  
Coastal Plain ◽  
Prince Edward Island ◽  
New Records ◽  
Maritime Provinces ◽  
Adventive Species ◽  
Disjunct Populations

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.

The Elateridae (Coleoptera) of the Maritime Provinces of Canada: faunal composition, new records, and taxonomic changes

Zootaxa ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 1811 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHRISTOPHER G. MAJKA ◽  
PAUL J. JOHNSON
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
New Brunswick ◽  
Prince Edward Island ◽  
New Genus ◽  
New Records ◽  
New Combination ◽  
Palaearctic Species ◽  
Maritime Provinces ◽  
Taxonomic Changes ◽  
Faunal List

The Elateridae in the Maritime Provinces of Canada is surveyed. One hundred and twenty-five species have been recorded, 110 in Nova Scotia, 98 in New Brunswick, and 48 on Prince Edward Island. Of these, 117 are Nearctic, four are Holarctic, and four are introduced Palaearctic species. Twenty-four species are newly recorded in Nova Scotia, 13 in New Brunswick, and 27 on Prince Edward Island, for a total of 64 new provincial records. Fourteen species including Dalopius gentilis Brown, Dalopius pennsylvanicus Brown, Ampedus areolatus (Say), Ampedus laesus (LeConte), Ampedus nigricollis (Herbst), two undescribed species of Ampedus, Aeolus mellillus (Say), Athous posticus (Melsheimer), Athous productus (Randall), Athous scapularis (Say), Hypoganus sulcicollis (Say), Sylvanelater mendax (LeConte), and Negastrius exiguus (Randall) are newly recorded in the Maritime Provinces as a whole, and one species, Dalopius pennsylvanicus, is newly recorded in Canada. Two species are removed from the faunal list of New Brunswick and two from the faunal list of Nova Scotia. Taxonomic changes proposed are: Anostirus vernalis (Hentz), new combination; Anostirus bipunctatus (Brown), new combination; Anostirus exclamationis (Fall), new combination; Beckerus new genus; Beckerus appressus (Randall), new combination; Beckerus barri (Lane), new combination; Corymbitodes dorothyae (Knull), new combina-tion; Corymbitodes elongaticollis (Hamilton), new combination; Corymbitodes moerens (LeConte), new combination; Corymbitodes pygmaeus (Van Dyke), new combination; Corymbitodes tarsalis (Melsheimer), new combination; Corymbitodes xanthomus (Horn), new combination; Metanomus blaisdelli (Van Dyke), new combination; Metanomus insidiosus (LeConte), new combination; Metanomus shastensis (Van Dyke), new combination; Nitidolimonius new genus; Nitidolimonius appalachius (Van Dyke), new combination; Nitidolimonius breweri (Horn), new combination; Nitidolimonius resplendens (Eschscholtz), new combination; Nitidolimonius weidtii (Angell), new combination; Paractenicera new genus; Paractenicera exilis (Notman), new combination; Paractenicera fulvipes (Bland), new combi- nation; Pseudanostirus hamatus (Say), new combination; Sylvanelater, new genus; Sylvanelater cylindriformis (Herbst), new combination, Sylvanelater furtivus (LeConte), new combination; Sylvanelater limoniiformis (Horn), new combination; Sylvanelater mendax (LeConte), new combination; and Elater viridis Say is regarded as a nomen dubium.

The Eucnemidae (Coleoptera) of the Maritime Provinces of Canada: new records, observations on composition and zoogeography, and comments on the rarity of saproxylic beetles

Zootaxa ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 1636 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHRISTOPHER G. MAJKA
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
New Brunswick ◽  
Prince Edward Island ◽  
Saproxylic Beetles ◽  
Maritime Provinces ◽  
Important Indicator ◽  
Composition And Structure ◽  
The Family ◽  
History Of

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.

Nitidulidae and Kateretidae (Coleoptera: Cucujoidea) of the Maritime provinces of Canada. I. New records from Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island

2006 ◽  
Vol 138 (3) ◽  
pp. 314-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher G. Majka ◽  
Andrew R. Cline
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
North America ◽  
Prince Edward Island ◽  
New Records ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Nonnative Species ◽  
Maritime Provinces ◽  
Cape Breton ◽  
New Synonym ◽  
Palearctic Species

AbstractThe Nitidulidae and Kateretidae of the Maritime provinces of Canada are surveyed. Forty-eight species are now known to occur in the region. Twenty-six are newly recorded in Nova Scotia and nine are newly recorded on Prince Edward Island. One Palearctic species, Soronia grisea (L.), is reported for only the second time in North America. Six other nonnative species have been intercepted. One new synonym, Glischrochilus sanguinolentussanguinolentus (Olivier, 1790) (= Glischrochilus sanguinolentusrubromaculatus (Reitter, 1873) syn. nov.), is designated. Cape Breton and Prince Edward Island appear to have a depauperate fauna, perhaps reflecting an island-related diminution of species, a comparative lack of collection effort, or a combination of both. An examination of the Nova Scotia fauna indicates several distribution patterns within the province. Introduced species constitute a sizeable component of the region's fauna, with four new introductions being reported here.

scholarly journals New and noteworthy records of Orthoptera and allies in the Maritimes and the Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec

2014 ◽  
Vol 127 (4) ◽  
pp. 332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul M. Catling ◽  
Donald F. McAlpine ◽  
Christopher I. G. Adam ◽  
Gilles Belliveau ◽  
Denis Doucet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
New Brunswick ◽  
Prince Edward Island ◽  
Forficula Auricularia ◽  
Cape Breton Island ◽  
Cape Breton ◽  
La Madeleine

Chortophaga viridifasciata, Forficula auricularia, Melanoplus stonei, Scudderia furcata furcata, Scudderia pistillata, and Trimerotropis verruculata from Prince Edward Island and Doru taeniatum, Melanoplus punctulatus, Orchelimum gladiator, and Spharagemon bolli from New Brunswick are new provincial records. Other records of interest include the endemic Melanoplus madeleineae from Île d’Entrée in the Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec; Trimerotropis verruculata from the Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec; and Chortophaga viridifasciata, Stethophyma lineatum, and Tetrix subulata, new for Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. The ranges of Conocephalus brevipennis, Tetrix arenosa angusta, Tetrix ornata, and Tetrix subulata are significantly extended in New Brunswick. A previously unpublished record from 2003 of Roeseliana roeselii (Metrioptera roeselii) is the earliest report of this European introduction to the Maritimes.

The distribution, zoogeography, and composition of Prince Edward Island Carabidae (Coleoptera)

2008 ◽  
Vol 140 (1) ◽  
pp. 128-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher G. Majka ◽  
Yves Bousquet ◽  
Christine Noronha ◽  
Mary E. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Introduced Species ◽  
Prince Edward Island ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Maritime Provinces ◽  
Cape Breton Island ◽  
History Of Collecting ◽  
Cape Breton ◽  
History Of ◽  
Faunal List

AbstractFourteen species of Carabidae are added to Prince Edward Island’s (P.E.I.) faunal list, bringing the known fauna to 167 species. Bembidion nitidum (Kirby) and Bembidion obtusum Audinet-Serville are newly recorded for the Maritime Provinces. Six species are removed from P.E.I.’s faunal list. The history of collecting of Carabidae on P.E.I. is briefly recounted. Despite differences in land area and distance from the mainland between P.E.I., Cape Breton Island, and insular Newfoundland, their carabid faunas exhibit many similarities in size and composition. The native carabid fauna of P.E.I. comprises 49% of the species in the combined Maritime Provinces fauna, perhaps reflecting an island-related diminution of species diversity. The proportion of flightless species on P.E.I. (4.9%) is less than that in the Maritime Provinces as a whole (7.1%), an apparent indication that the Northumberland Strait has been a barrier to colonization. Twenty-seven introduced species are found on P.E.I., 26 of which can be classified as synanthropic and may have originated in dry-ballast quarries in southwestern England. Although the earliest dates of detection of many introduced species on P.E.I. are substantially later than elsewhere in the Maritimes, this reflects the paucity of early collecting. Land-management practices on P.E.I. (large-scale and early forest clearances, intensive agriculture, and the extensive use of biocides) may have had an impact on P.E.I.’s carabid fauna.

scholarly journals The Derodontidae, Dermestidae, Bostrichidae, and Anobiidae of the Maritime Provinces of Canada (Coleoptera: Bostrichiformia)

Zootaxa ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 1573 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHRISTOPHER G. MAJKA
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
New Brunswick ◽  
Prince Edward Island ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Maritime Provinces ◽  
Dinoderus Minutus ◽  
Saproxylic Species ◽  
Faunal List ◽  
Wood Boring

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.

Tenebrionidae (Coleoptera) of the Maritime Provinces of Canada

2008 ◽  
Vol 140 (6) ◽  
pp. 690-713 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher G. Majka ◽  
Patrice Bouchard ◽  
Yves Bousquet
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
North America ◽  
New Brunswick ◽  
Prince Edward Island ◽  
Forest Ecosystems ◽  
Trophic Group ◽  
Undescribed Species ◽  
Maritime Provinces ◽  
Underlying Causes ◽  
First Time

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.

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