Rediscovery of Cerceris fumipennis (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae) in British Columbia, Canada, with notes on geographic variation and nesting habits

Within Canada, Cerceris fumipennis Say (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae) is known to occur in Ontario and Québec but there is also one historic record from 1935 of two female specimens captured in Lytton, British Columbia. No other records have been recorded for the last 77 years. In 2012 and 2013, one male and four females were captured in a sweep net adjacent to a gravel parking lot in Merritt, British Columbia. Although there are differences in size and colouration between the British Columbia and eastern species, the variation between the populations does not warrant assigning a new name to this geographical race.

Illyrian Pre-Alpine Fir and beech Forests - The Association Homogyno Sylvestris-Fagetum Marinček et al. 1993

Illyrian Pre-Alpine Fir and beech Forests - The AssociationHomogyno Sylvestris-FagetumMarinček et al. 1993The work deals with the associationHomogyno sylvestris-Fagetumin the pre-Alpine region of Slovenia. The communitis were classified into a geographical racetypicaand divided into six subassociations:typicumsubass. nova,mercurialetosum perennissubass. nova,festucetosum altissimaesubass. nova,calamagrostietosum variaesubass. nova,luzuletosum sylvaticaesubass. nova andvaccinietosum myrtillisubass. nova. The results are shown in the analytical table, as well as in two diagrams.

Intersexuality in Lymantria dispar (L.). A reassessment

R. Goldschmidt worked on intersexuality in the Lepidoptera for many years up to 1934 and the moth Lymantria dispar was his chief experi­mental material. According to him, an intersexual insect develops for a time as one sex and then changes to the other, though the chromosomal sex remains that of the original zygote. If the change takes place early enough in development, e. g. at the formation of the gonads, the whole insect appears to be sexually converted, whereas, if it occurs later, only those structures formed towards the end of development, e. g. the wings, will be affected. Goldschmidt held that, within races, a fixed dosage of female determinant, carried maternally in the cytoplasm or in the Y chromosome and elaborated into the cytoplasm, outweighs the effect of a single dose of male determinant carried in one X chromosome in the heterogametic sex, here the female. In the homogametic sex the double dose of X chromo­somes is balanced against the single dose of female determinant received from the female parent, and results in a male. Moreover, a certain min­imum excess in either direction is required for normal sex determination. He held that, while the relative values of the sex determinants always conform to this plan, their absolute values may differ from one geographical race to another. Consequently, intersexuality due to lack of correct balance between the sex determinants may arise in different ratios when distinct races are crossed. Its degree and type, whether male converted towards female or the reverse, are controlled by the races and sexes used. Since sex abnormalities have appeared, but only sporadically, in more recent genetic work involving race crosses in mimetic butterflies, we decided to reassess Goldschmidt’s results. On repeating those of his crosses that he regarded as the most funda­mental, between German and Japanese material, we bred a number of intersexes, but there were marked discrepancies between his and our overall findings. The matter is discussed and it is shown that the accuracy of the Goldschmidt hypothesis can now be tested in much more detail by using the heterochromatin body in the larva as a prospective marker of chromosomal sex in the adult.

New taxa of Claytonia section Claytonia (Portulacaceae)

A new species, Claytonia ogilviensis McNeill, is described from the Ogilvie Mountains, Yukon Territory, and a new geographical race of C. lanceolata, occurring on Vancouver Island and the Olympic Peninsula, is recognized as var. pacifica McNeill. A key is also provided to the Canadian representatives of Claytonia section Claytonia, to which both new taxa are referable.

Life History and Habits of the Brown Mite, Bryobia arborea M. & A. (Acarina: Tetranychidae) on Apple in Nova Scotia

Morgan and Anderson (1957) discussed in detail the synonymy of the Bryobia praetiosa Koch complex. They raised the apple inhabiting form to species status, and gave it the name, brown mite, Bryobia arborea.The brown mite from apple trees in Nova Scotia was examined by C. V. G. Morgan, Summerland, British Columbia, and found to be morphologically similar to the B. arborea on apple in British Columbia. It is possible, however, that the Nova Scotian form may be a geographical race.

The North American Species of Diathrausta Lederer (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

Dyar (1913) listed Diathrausta reconditalis (Walker) as a “form” of the South American D. nerinalis (Walker) and described as new the “form” harlequinalis from Arizona. From the context it is evident that in that paper Dyar used “form” as equivalent to geographic race, and the form names he proposed there can accordingly be treated as valid trinomina. Haimbach (1915), apparently in ignorance of Dyar's paper, described Diathrausta montana from Colorado. This was sunk by Barnes and McDunnough (1917) as a synonym of harlequinalis. Barnes and McDunnough listed harlequinalis as a geographical race of reconditalis, but did not follow Dyar in uniting these with nerinalis.