New records of Melyridae (Coleoptera) from the Maritime Provinces of Canada

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 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.


2019 ◽  
Vol 133 (2) ◽  
pp. 118
Author(s):  
Colin J. Chapman ◽  
C. Sean Blaney ◽  
David M. Mazerolle

We conducted a review of herbarium collections of the Wintercress genus (Barbarea W.T. Aiton) from the Maritime provinces. Most specimens previously determined to be the regionally rare native species Erect-fruit Wintercress (Barbarea orthoceras Ledebour) are in fact the uncommon exotic Small-flowered Wintercress (Barbarea stricta Andrzejowski). The latter species is here reported as new to Atlantic Canada, where it is scattered but widespread in the three Maritime provinces. Only three collections (two from New Brunswick and one from Nova Scotia) were confirmed as B. orthoceras. Its known range extent and area of occupancy in the Maritimes has been significantly revised, and B. orthoceras is now considered potentially extirpated in New Brunswick and extremely rare in Nova Scotia. One collection from Nova Scotia was referred to another rare exotic species, Early Wintercress (Barbarea verna (Miller) Ascherson), which represents the first record for the Maritimes.


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.


2020 ◽  
Vol 56 ◽  
pp. 111-145
Author(s):  
Carmen Álvarez-Vázquez

A systematic revision of Alethopteris and Neuralethopteris from upper Namurian and lower Westphalian (Middle Pennsylvanian) strata of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, eastern Canada, has demonstrated the presence of eight species: Alethopteris bertrandii, Alethopteris decurrens, Alethopteris cf. havlenae, Alethopteris urophylla, Alethopteris cf. valida, Neuralethopteris pocahontas, Neuralethopteris schlehanii and Neuralethopteris smithsii. Restudy of the Canadian material has led to new illustrations, observations and refined descriptions of these species. Detailed synonymies focus on records from Canada and the United States. As with other groups reviewed in earlier articles in this series, it is clear that insufficient attention has been paid to material reposited in Canadian institutions in the European literature. The present study emphasizes the similarity of the North American flora with that of western Europe, especially through the synonymies.


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 ◽  
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.


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.


2020 ◽  
Vol 133 (3) ◽  
pp. 199-205
Author(s):  
Sean R. Haughian ◽  
Thomas H. Neily

Harpalejeunea molleri subsp. integra (R.M. Schuster) Damsholt is reported for the first time in Atlantic Canada. It was found on the base of a large Eastern White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis) in a swamp in Nova Scotia. The specimen was examined using light microscopy, diagnosed using standard keys, and compared with reference specimens, including two European collections from the New Brunswick Museum, two North American collections annotated by R.M. Schuster, and the only material that may have been previously collected in Canada, by T. Drummond. We speculate on the original location of Drummond’s collection, and the implications of this finding for conservation.


1972 ◽  
Vol 104 (8) ◽  
pp. 1197-1207 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. F. Morris

AbstractThe number of predators inhabiting nests of Hyphantria cunea Drury was recorded annually for 13 years in four areas in New Brunswick and two areas on the coast of Nova Scotia. The most common groups were the pentatomids and spiders, which sometimes reproduced within the nests, but the mean number per nest was low in relation to the number of H. cunea larvae in the colonies. The rate of predation on fifth-instar larvae was low. Small or timid predators appeared to prey largely on moribund larvae or small saprophagans during the principal defoliating instars of H. cunea.No relationship could be detected between the number of larvae reaching the fifth instar and the number of predators in the colony; nor could any functional or numerical response of the predators to either the initial number of larvae per colony or the population density of colonies be found. It is concluded that the influence of the nest-inhabiting predators is small and relatively stable, and may be treated as a constant in the development of models to explain the population dynamics of H. cunea.H. cunea is a pest in parts of Europe and Asia, where it has been accidentally introduced from North America. The introduction to other continents of the North American predator, Podisus maculiventiis (Say), is discussed briefly.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document