Notes on a Collection of Dragonflies (Odonata) from Nova Scotia

1950 ◽  
Vol 82 (9) ◽  
pp. 190-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl Cook

During the past four years Mr. Douglas C. Ferguson has collected dragonflies in Nova Scotia thereby greatly increasing our knowledge of the geographical distribution of these insects within the province. He very generously presented to the writer his entire collections comprising 327 specimens of 51 species, four of these being new records for the Maritime Provinces and two others being new for Nova Scotia. In the annotated list of species below these new records are indicated as follows: New records for the Maritime Provinces are indicated by a double asterisk (**). Records which are new for Nova Scotia only, are indicated by a single asterisk (*). A better representation of the widely distributed northern genus Somatochlora whould have been expected in a collection of this size made from the territory covered, in view of the fact that at least eight species are known to occur in thls territory. The reasons for their escaping capture is doubtless due, in part, to the restricted habitat occupied by many of the species, and in part to the difficulty of collecting specimens.

Author(s):  
M. Moseley

Several caves and sinkholes where snow and ice persist well into the summer exist in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. In the past they were sometimes used as a source of ice or for cold storage, and are known locally as ‘ice caves’ or ‘ice holes’. Although they are not true ice caves in the speleological sense of the term because they do not contain perennial ice, they are very similar. Woodville Ice Cave in Hants County, Nova Scotia, described here, is a particularly good example. Invertebrates and bats recorded from such sites are briefly discussed and the possibility of finding psychrophilic fauna in them is suggested.Plusieurs grottes et dolines sont présentes là où la neige et la glace ne disparaissent que tard durant l’été en Nouvelle‑Écosse et au Nouveau-Brunswick. Autrefois, elles étaient parfois utilisées comme sources de glace ou aux fins d’entreposage sous froid. À l’échelle locale, elles sont connues sous le nom de glacières ou de puits de neige. Elles ne sont pas de véritables glacières au sens habituel dans le domaine de la spéléologie parce qu’elles ne contiennent pas de glace pérenne, mais elles sont très semblables. La grotte Woodville (Woodville Ice Cave) dans le comté de Hants (N.-É.) décrite dans leprésent document, est un très bon exemple. Nous discutons brièvement des invertébrés et des chauves‑souris observés dans de telles grottes et dolines, et nous suggérons qu’il est peut-être possible d’y observer des organismes psychrophiles.


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.


1986 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 808-814 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Nielsen ◽  
J. McLachlan

Collections were made from various sites in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island for small green benthic marine algae, filamentous species associated with other plants, animals, wood, shells, or stones. Identifications were based on observations in situ and material isolated into culture. Twenty species, distributed in 14 genera, were identified; six are new records for eastern Canada and a seventh species is a new record for the Maritime provinces.


Zootaxa ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 1219 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
JERZY BŁOSZYK ◽  
MARCIN STACHOWIAK ◽  
BRUCE HALLIDAY

Two new species of mites are described from Europe on the basis of all developmental stages: Cilliba cassideasimilis sp. nov. and C. rafalskii sp. nov. (Acari: Uropodina: Cillibidae). Both of these species have been misidentified in the past as the closely related species C. cassidea, but these three species can be distinguished using morphological characters. Data on their geographical distribution and some remarks about ecology of both species are presented and discussed. New records of mites of the genus Cilliba are given.


2005 ◽  
Vol 137 (3) ◽  
pp. 325-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher G. Majka

The Melyridae (soft-winged flower beetles) are a diverse, abundant, and widespread family of beetles found throughout the world, with more than 300 genera and 6000 species worldwide (Mayor 2002). Melyrids are particularly abundant in dry, temperate regions of the world. Mayor's (2002) synopsis of the North American fauna includes 58 genera and 520 species. Bright (1991) tabulates 49 species in 14 genera in the Canadian fauna. Only one species, the introduced Palearctic Malachius aeneus (L.), was reported for Atlantic Canada, with records in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland.


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 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.


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.


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.


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