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

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

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.


2007 ◽  
Vol 139 (3) ◽  
pp. 397-442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher G. Majka ◽  
Robert S. Anderson ◽  
David B. McCorquodale

AbstractSeventy-nine species of weevils are newly reported in Nova Scotia and 66 species are newly reported on Prince Edward Island, increasing the known provincial weevil faunas to 244 and 92 species, respectively. Thirty-six species are recorded for the first time in the Maritime Provinces; of these, Ceutorhynchus pallidactylus (Marsham), Listronotus dietzi O'Brien, Corthylus columbianus Hopkins, and Orchidophilus aterrimus (Waterhouse) are recorded for the first time in Canada. Orchidophilus aterrimus has been collected only in exotic domesticated orchids and is not established in the wild. Fourteen species previously recorded on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, are reported from the provincial mainland. Four species — Curculio sulcatulus (Casey), Ceutorhynchus squamatus LeConte, Tachyerges niger (Horn), and Ips calligraphus (Germar) — are removed from the faunal list of Nova Scotia, and three species — Temnocerus cyanellus (LeConte), Curculio nasicus (Say), and Cryphalus ruficollis ruficollis Hopkins — are removed from the faunal list of Prince Edward Island. The combined known weevil fauna of the Maritime Provinces now totals 290 species. The adequacy of collection effort is discussed and in Nova Scotia, where collection effort has been greatest, distribution patterns of selected groups of species are examined. Island faunas are discussed with respect to those of Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton Island. Regional biogeographic patterns of species are also discussed, including possible disjunct populations in Nova Scotia and species that may not have crossed the isthmus of Chignecto to colonize Nova Scotia. Attention is drawn to the long history of introduced species in the region and to ongoing introductions through an examination of the earliest records for the 60 introduced species found in the region.


Zootaxa ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 1590 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHRISTOPHER G. MAJKA ◽  
YVES BOUSQUET ◽  
SUSAN WESTBY

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.


2006 ◽  
Vol 138 (3) ◽  
pp. 314-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher G. Majka ◽  
Andrew R. Cline

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.


2014 ◽  
Vol 127 (4) ◽  
pp. 332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul M. Catling ◽  
Donald F. McAlpine ◽  
Christopher I. G. Adam ◽  
Gilles Belliveau ◽  
Denis Doucet ◽  
...  

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.


1997 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 156-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. D. Dallmeyer ◽  
J. D. Keppie ◽  
R. D. Nance

Detrital muscovite from lowermost Cambrian sequences exposed in the Avalon Composite Terrane in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick record 40Ar/39Ar plateau ages of ca. 625–600 Ma. These are interpreted to date times of cooling in source areas. The regional distribution of coarse-grained detrital muscovite in Lower Cambrian rocks of Avalonian overstep sequences suggests a source region of dimensions considerably larger than any presently exposed in Appalachian segments of the Avalon Composite Terrane. Late Proterozoic tectonic reconstructions locate the Avalon Composite Terrane adjacent to northwestern South America, thereby suggesting a possible source within Late Proterozoic PanAfrican – Brasiliano orogens. Detrital muscovite from clastic sequences of the proximally derived, Lower Carboniferous (Tournaisian) Horton Group and the more distal Upper Carboniferous (Westphalian D – Stephanian) Pictou Group in Nova Scotia records 40Ar/39Ar spectra that define plateau ages of ca. 390–380 Ma (Horton Group) and and ca. 370 Ma (Pictou Group). Finer grained fractions from samples of the Horton Group display more internally discordant age spectra defining total-gas ages of ca. 397–395 Ma. A provenance for the finer muscovite may be found in southern Nova Scotia where Cambrian–Ordovician turbidites of the Meguma Group display a regionally developed micaceous cleavage of this age. The ca. 390–380 Ma detrital muscovites probably were derived from granite stocks presently exposed in proximal areas of northernmost Cape Breton Island. A more distal source for the ca. 370 Ma detrital muscovites in the Pictou Group is suggested by its original extensive distribution, although a local, possibly recycled, source may also have been present. The presence of only 400–370 Ma detrital muscovite suggests a rapidly exhumed orogenic source with characteristics similar to those of crystalline rocks presently exposed in the Cape Breton Highlands and (or) the Meguma Terrane.


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 ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 1811 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHRISTOPHER G. MAJKA ◽  
PAUL J. JOHNSON

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.


ZooKeys ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 897 ◽  
pp. 49-66
Author(s):  
Yves Alarie

The Haliplidae, Gyrinidae, and Dytiscidae (Coleoptera) of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada were surveyed during the years 2006–2007. A total of 2027 individuals from 85 species was collected from 94 different localities, which brings to 87 the number of species recorded for this locality. Among these, Heterosternuta allegheniana (Matta & Wolfe), H. wickhami (Zaitzev), Hydroporus appalachius Sherman, H. gossei Larson & Roughley, H. nigellus Mannerheim, H. puberulus LeConte, Ilybius picipes (Kirby), and I. wasastjernae (C.R. Sahlberg) are reported for the first time in Nova Scotia. The Nearctic component of the fauna is made up of 71 species (81.6%), the Holarctic component of 16 species (18.4%). Most species are characteristic of both the Boreal and Atlantic Maritime Ecozones and have a transcontinental distribution but 19 species (21.8%), which are generally recognized as species with eastern affinities. In an examination of the Hydradephaga of insular portions of Atlantic Canada, it was shown that the island faunas of Cape Breton Island and Prince Edward Island are very similar (87 and 84 species, respectively) despite differences in composition suggesting that more Hydradephaga species have yet to be found on Cape Breton Island.


2009 ◽  
Vol 141 (4) ◽  
pp. 317-370 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher G. Majka ◽  
David Langor ◽  
Wolfgang H. Rücker

AbstractThirty-five species of Latridiidae are reported in Atlantic Canada as a whole, 17 in New Brunswick, 14 in Newfoundland, 31 in Nova Scotia, and 14 on Prince Edward Island. Fifty-six new provincial records are reported (11 in New Brunswick, 9 in Newfoundland, 23 in Nova Scotia, 13 in Prince Edward Island). Twenty-two species are newly recorded for Atlantic Canada. Of these, Cartodere (Aridius) bifasciata (Reitter), Enicmus histrio Joy and Tomlin, Latridius consimilis (Mannerheim), Corticaria elongata (Gyllenhal), C. impressa (Olivier), C. saginata Mannerheim, Corticarina longipennis (LeConte), Melanophthalma helvola Motschulsky, and M. inermis Motschulsky are newly recorded in Canada, and C. bifasciata, E. histrio, and C. saginata are newly recorded in North America. Dienerella filiformis (Gyllenhal) is removed from the New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island lists. Corticaria dentigera LeConte is removed from the Labrador and Atlantic Provinces lists. Melanophthalma inculta Motschulsky syn. nov. and M. signata Belon syn. nov. are designated as a junior synonyms of M. inermis Motschulsky and M. picta (LeConte), respectively. Melanophthalma helvola Motschulsky is reinstated as a valid species. Lectotypes and paralectotypes of M. helvola and M. americana (Mannerheim) are designated. Approximately half of the species are adventive (16 Palaearctic, 1 Australian) and half are native (13 Nearctic, 3 Holarctic). Two species are of uncertain zoogeographic status. Although some species are synanthropic, several have colonized native habitats. Nova Scotia has the largest number of adventive species, probably as a result of trans-Atlantic shipping. New Brunswick has the fewest, at least in part because of insufficient collecting there. Early detection dates and introduction processes are discussed. The native faunas on Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton Island, and Newfoundland appear diminished (33%–40%) compared with those of the neighbouring mainland. Although all latridiids are mycetophagous, many in the region show clear habitat preferences; however, the ecological role of those species requires further investigation.


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