VES News - Vermont Entomological Society

VES NEWS
The Newsletter of the Vermont Entomological Society
On the web at www.VermontInsects.org
Number 59
Spring 2008
VES NEWS
Contents
The Newsletter of the
Vermont Entomological Society
VES Officers
Michael Sabourin
Mary Burnham
Trish Hanson
Steve Trombulak
Rachael Griggs
President
Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
Deputy Secretary/Treas.
Emeritus Members
Joyce Bell
Ross Bell
John Grehan
Gordon Nielsen
Michael Sabourin
Mark Waskow
Number 59 ♦ Spring 2008
DEPARTMENTS
♦
♦
♦
♦
Member Profile: Steve Trombulak
VES Calendar
Field Notes
VES Flea Market
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 15
FEATURES
♦ Notes on Paraplatyptilia watkinsi
and Chionodes sattleri
Page 5
By Michael Sabourin
The Vermont Entomological Society is
devoted to the study, conservation, and
appreciation of invertebrates. Founded in 1993,
VES sponsors selected research, workshops
and field trips for the public, including children.
Our quarterly newsletter features developments
in entomology, accounts of insect events and
field trips, as well as general contributions from
members or other entomologists.
VES is open to anyone interested in
arthropods. Our members range from casual
insect watchers to amateur and professional
entomologists. We welcome members of all
ages, abilities and interests.
♦ Bumblebee Project Update
Page 6
By Leif Richardson
♦ Biosurveillance for Emerald Ash Borer
Page 7
By Colleen Teerling
♦ Baby Bugs
Page 9
By Ross Bell
♦ All About Fleas
Page 10
By Don Miller
♦ Wanted: Derodontids and Adelgids
Page 12
By Allison Kanoti
You can join VES by sending dues of $15 per
year to:
Steve Trombulak, VES Treasurer
Department of Biology
Middlebury College
Middlebury, VT 05753
Cover Photo:
Ron Kelley photographed this spiny oak-slug
caterpillar (Limacodidae: Euclea delphinii)
resting on the bark of a green ash (Fraxinus
pennsylvanica) in Essex on August 31, 2006.
Back Page Photo:
This sugar maple borer (Glycobius speciosus)
was discovered by Ron Kelley on a log in Stowe
on August 4, 2005. Larvae tunnel in sugar
maples; adults emerge after a two-year life
cycle, but are seldom observed.
See this newsletter in living color
on the web at:
www.VermontInsects.org
Page 2
Check Your
Mailing Label!
The upper right corner of your mailing label will
inform you of the month and year your VES
membership expires. So if it’s time to renew,
please send your $15 to:
Steve Trombulak, VES Treasurer
Department of Biology
Middlebury College
Middlebury, VT 05753
Thanks!
VES News - Spring 2008
Member Profile
Our New Treasurer
By Steve Trombulak
hen I moved to Vermont in 1985 to start as an
Assistant
Professor of Biology
at Middlebury College, my professional work revolved exclusively
around mammalian
ecology. I had also
conducted minor
studies on birds in
Costa Rica and tenebrionid beetles in
eastern Washington,
but my research focused primarily on
ecological questions
related to interspecific competition and
life-history strategies
of squirrels and
other rodents.
W
The last 23 years
have brought a lot of
change. Even
though I am still at
Middlebury College,
I now divide my
teaching between
both the Biology Department and the
Program in Environmental Studies. I
now call myself a
conservation biologist rather than an ecologist. My research now focuses largely on landscape-scale questions related to the identification of locations that are
vulnerable to human transformation yet critical for
achieving comprehensive conservation goals. I now
spend as much time working with conservation practitioners in state agencies and land trusts as I do with
other academics. And my organisms of choice for field
studies are carabid beetles.
I was drawn to carabids for many reasons, not the least
VES News-Spring 2008
of which was that their taxonomy in eastern North
America has been fairly well worked out and, thanks to
Ross Bell and generations of his students,
Vermont’s fauna has
been well described.
These are great advantages to someone
like me who is making a late career shift
to learning a new
taxon. It’s my hope
that coleopterans in
general and carabids
in particular will provide new insights to
me about the relationships between
land uses/land cover
and the organisms
with which we share
this landscape, relationships that are less
obscured by longdistance migration or
dispersal. Currently
I am studying the
response of carabids
to changes in hydrology at different spatial scales, from the
local (a few meters)
to the regional
(mountains to valley), in the Champlain Basin.
I joined the Vermont Entomological Society a few years
ago because I believe in the importance of supporting a
forum for the community of people who love this place
and the small yet extremely special creatures that live
here. There is still much to learn, and VES can help
make it happen.
Steve Trombulak is the Albert D. Mead Professor of Biology
and Environmental Studies at Middlebury College.
(http:community.middlebury.edu/~trombula/Trombulak.html)
Page 3
VES Calendar
being planned. North Branch Nature Center is organizing
this BioBlitz, which concludes with a huge barbecue supJune 22 , 11 am , Lincoln, VT
per. You can register now and learn more at:
This year’s annual spring potluck takes place at the home www.northbranchnaturecenter.org/bioblitz
of Trish Hanson and Luke Curtis in Lincoln. The property is an old hill farmstead surrounded by fields and for- Kiel Open House and Day Lilies
est. With luck, a small brook near the house may still
July 26, Underhill (Rain date July 27)
have water in it by this date. Orange and yellow hawkDeb and Warren Kiel invite VES members to an open
weed abound, and a diverse roster of breeding birds,
house to investigate insects and enjoy their daylilies. The
from woodcock to scarlet tanagers, reflects the range of
gathering begins on July 26 at 10am. Drop by to see the
habitats. Bring a dish. Beverages and some grilled victimpressive insect collection (including Warren’s 20,000
uals will be supplied; the grill will be available.
mounted Lepidoptera specimens) and to discover what’s
Directions to 2177 Ripton Road: From the north, take the flying or walking outside. Bring a dish to share for a picturn, on Rte 116 just north of Bristol, up the New Haven
nic.
River to Lincoln. Go past the Lincoln store, and turn right
Directions: Deb and Warren live at 43 Allen Irish Road in
on South Lincoln Rd after the second bridge. Bear right
on Ripton Rd (dirt), and continue 2.8 mi. Look for white Underhill. Take Route 15 through Jericho and Underhill.
About 6.5 miles from Underhill, pass K&R Auto on the
farmhouse on the left. For anyone coming over Lincoln
left, continue for another mile or so on route 15, and take
Gap, follow the road down to the river, and turn left on
South Lincoln Rd just before the bridge. From the south, the left dirt road marked with a sign for Allen Irish Road.
take Rte 125 to the Ripton store. Opposite the store, go up Drive Allen Irish Road for about 1/8 mile, to find, on the
the hill on Lincoln Rd and travel about 6 mi. to 2177 Rip- left, a white house with a rail fence. Contact Deb at 8995039 or dkiel@cvca.ws.
ton Rd, just past the Bristol Notch Rd coming in on the
left. Hint: in Lincoln, it’s Ripton Rd, and in Ripton, it’s
Goodsell Ridge, Isle LaMotte
Lincoln Rd. Those crazy farmers.
August 3, 11 am (Rain date August 10)
Birds of Vermont Museum Butterfly Walk
The Goodsell Ridge Fossil Preserve protects the most
complete fossil record of the world’s oldest reef. The last
July 5, Huntington
of the great glacial ice sheets receded from Vermont
Join us for our annual Butterfly Walk at the museum
12,000 years ago. But 480 million years ago, during the
grounds in Huntington. If it’s raining, call the Museum
Ordovician period, Isle La Motte was part of a reef in a
(434-2167) to see if we’ve rescheduled.
tropical marine environment in a shallow sea.
Directions: The museum is 8 miles from the Richmond
Directions: After crossing the causeway to Isle La Motte,
exit (exit 11) off I-89 in the town of Huntington. At the
stoplight in Richmond Village, turn right (south) towards continue straight ahead on Main Street. Pass through the
Huntington and follow the signs (5 miles). You will turn center of town and continue straight ahead a mile or so to
off the paved road onto Sherman Hollow, a dirt road, just Quarry Road. Turn left. The Historical Society is on the
after crossing the Huntington town line. The museum is corner. The road bears left and very soon comes to the
one mile up that road and 1/2 mile past the Green Moun- Goodsell Ridge Preserve. We will meet at the kiosk.
tain Audubon Nature Center.
Bristol Waterworks Field Trip
August 16, 11—1, Bristol
The Montpeliber BioBlitz
The setting is Champlain Valley lowlands, with wetlands
July 11-12, Montpelier
You’ve read about this exciting event in previous issues of accessible right near the parking lot, a reservoir (14 acre)
that's a one-half-mile-or-less easy walk, an old field along
VES News! Biologists and naturalists from across the
the way that's several acres and has some shrubs, and
Northeast will gather in Montpelier on July 11 to invenvarious types of woodland (ledgy on quartzite, ledgy on
tory every living organism they can find in the first-ever
dolomite, well-drained hardwoods, seepy hardwoods,
BioBlitz of an entire state capital. Montpelier offers wetpine plantations, and more.) The Waterworks is easily
lands, ponds, parks, forests, fields, and three rivers. Its
natural communities are well mapped. BioBlitzers will eat accessible from Route 7, from the Bristol-Monkton Rd., or
well for free, get discounts on lodging and camping, and from 116. It's on Plank Rd, where the road makes a brief
jog north, about 3 miles west of Bristol village. The resermeet colleagues and other biologists from across the revoir has a picnic table and is a good gathering spot.
gion. A lecture series and other educational events are
VES Annual Spring Meeting and Field Trip
Page 4
VES News - Spring 2008
Field Notes
Paraplatyptilia watkinsi Gielis (Lepidoptera, Pterophoridae):
A New Species Described From Vermont
you from the
North-East:
wo new species of Pterophorids, one a patronym,
P. sabourini
were recently described from material provided
and P.
(Gielis, 2008). A male specimen (paratype) from Peacham, watkinsi”
Vermont was included in the type series of Paraplatyptilia (Gielis, 2007,
watkinsi Gielis, 2008.
personal
I have had an comm).
exchange
P. sabourini
going for
Gielis (Fig.1)
decades with and P.
Paraplatyptilia watkinsi
two fine
watkinsi (Fig.2) are cryptic species differentiated by
Netherlands diagnostic characters in female genitalia. The two species
lepidopterists, are sympatric in Burnett Co., Wisconsin; though a longer
Dr. Cees
flight season is given for P. watkinsi. The hosts of both
Gielis and
species is unknown.
Hugo W. van
Paraplatyptilia sabourini
der Wolf. I
P. sabourini so far is endemic to Burnett Co., WI. Burnett
send them examples of coleophorid and pterophorid
Co. and other areas of Wisconsin are known for endemic
moths in exchange for tortricid specimens from all over
species and are believed to be glacial refuge areas. The
the world.
Paraplatyptilia auriga complex was previously unrecorded
from Vermont.
This past September I received the following surprise
correspondence, “The main reason for this message is to [Abbreviations: CG = Dr. Cees Gielis collection, Lexmond, Netherlands; CG08 =
inform you on the results of the identification of a group Gielis, C. 2008] Photos by Dr. Cees Gielis.
of Pterophoridae you have sent me. First I thought you
Reference:
had sent me a series of Paraplatyptilia auriga, but with
Gielis, C. 2008. Additions to the species complex
some material I received for identification from the
Paraplatyptilia auriga (Barnes & Lindsey, 1921) in the USA
Rockies, I started to doubt this and dissected the
(Lepidoptera: Pterophoridae). Entomologische Zeitschrift,
specimens. This resulted in two species new from the
Stuttgart, 118(1):3-7.
Rockies: P. albui and P. glacialis; and two species sent by
By Michael Sabourin
T
An Additional Note on Chionodes sattleri (Hodges)
By Michael Sabourin
previous article (Sabourin, 2008) referenced Entomology Research Laboratory specimen (1338), n. sp.
#21, as not examined within a certain time frame. This
winter I had the opportunity to examine the specimen
and accompanying genitalia slide and found it to be
Chionodes sattleri Hodges. C. sattleri is a distinctive black
and white species with a white head and an irregular
white post median band on the forewing. It is strikingly
similar to C. continuella (Zeller) in appearance. It differs
from C. continuella in the shape of the viniculum in male
genitalia and the outer white band on the forewing not
being interrupted from costal to inner margins; the white
band is bisected in C. continuella. The C. sattleri specimen
was collected on the summit of Mt. Mansfield by Dr. John
A
VES News - Spring 2008
Grehan on 7 July 1993.
satterli is unknown.
Twelve Chionodes species have been recorded
from Vermont.
Reference: Sabourin,
M. 2008. First report of
Chionodes soter (Hodges)
and a list of potential
congeners. VES News,
#58:10-11.
The host of C.
Chionodes sattleri
By Michael Sabourin
I would like to acknowledge Bruce Parker, Don Tobi, and
Cheryl Frank (ERL collection) for making material available for examination.
Page 5
Bumblebee Project Update
in your favorite flower patch. Because we lack baseline
data on the distribution and abundance of bumblebees
he Vermont Bumblebee Project is an effort to
(and almost all other invertebrates!), annual monitoring
document the distributions of the state’s 19 species of would really contribute to our understanding of any
bumblebees, highlight the conservation needs of a
changes taking place. Casual reports of what species of
number of these bees, and produce identification
bees visit your garden or woods would be useful, but a
materials that will help entomologists, naturalists, and
carefully designed and repeatable transect would be even
citizen scientists identify them. There is growing
better.
awareness of both the
About 1/3 of the
value of bees and the
bumblebees found here
threats to their
and elsewhere in the
persistence, so the project
northeast have
is timely. People are
experienced sudden and
paying attention to bees
mysterious declines in
now!
abundance. Any colonies
We have been working
of these bees in Vermont
on these goals over the
would be especially
last year. VES sponsored
valuable to bring to light.
a bumblebee
Bombus affinis, once one of
identification workshop
the more common bees in
last fall in the Zadock
Vermont and across the
Thompson zoology
eastern United States, has
collections at UVM. I
declined so precipitously
have been working on
in the last decade that
producing an
there is only one known
identification guide, and
extant population, in
participants used that
Ontario. A related species,
and other materials to
B. terricola (pictured here),
learn the bees. I’m also
has also become rare, but
collecting specimen
appears to be persisting in
records for the state’s
some places. A cuckoo
bumblebees. I have
bumblebee that parasitizes
databased my own
only the nests of these two
collections as well as
species, B. ashtoni, has not
many of those in the
been seen in a number of
UVM collection, and am
years and may be headed
now producing
for extinction. Other
preliminary maps of
species that may be in
distribution (see
decline in Vermont
graphic).
include B. pennsylvanicus and B. auricomis.
By Leif Richardson
T
There is still much to be done! If you are interested in
contributing to bumblebee conservation efforts in the
state, there are many things you can do. First, learn to
identify bumblebees! There are several good online and
print publications to help with this, and later this spring I
hope to finish an illustrated identification guide, which I’ll
post to the VES online group space. Second, we need to
know more about the distribution of these bees around
the state, particularly those that are in decline. If you want
to collect or photograph bumblebees, I would be glad to
do the identification work and add these records to the
database. Finally, consider establishing a ‘permanent plot’
Page 6
Finally, we have discussed the possibility of a formal
bumblebee atlasing project like those already completed
for birds and butterflies. With enough funding and
interest on the part of potential atlas block volunteers, this
could become a reality next year. In the meantime, keep
your eyes open for bumblebees!
Leif Richardson (leif.richardson@state.vt.us) is state lands
ecologist at the Vermont Nongame and Natural Heritage
Program. As a pollination ecologist, merging botany and
entomology, Leif has a special interest in bees.
VES News - Spring 2008
Biosurveillance: A Fascinating New Way To Monitor
For Emerald Ash Borer
borne EAB infestation. Look in these areas on sunny afternoons in July and August (maybe as early as late June).
ost of you are probably aware of the emerald ash
At a potential site, look for small round holes the diameter
borer (EAB), and the havoc it is wreaking in the
of a pencil, with a 1½ inch mound of loose soil (tumulus)
Midwest. Why is this insect so frightening? Well, it atall the way around it (fig. 2). Holes are often found near
tacks all species of ash in North America, and seems to be tufts of grass.
killing 100% of the trees it attacks. There are no effective
natural enemies or tree resistance to it yet in North Amer- Once you find nest holes, you can verify that the occupants are indeed Cerceris fumipennis. This is a fairly disica. It is spreading very rapidly (primarily in firewood)
throughout the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. But perhaps tinctive wasp; ½ - ¾ inch long, with dark smoky wings,
three large cream/yellow spots on the face, and one
most frightening is that there is no good way to monitor
cream/yellow band on the second tergite (figs. 3, 4). One
for this insect, so we often don’t spot a new infestation
until it has been there several years. However, there may of the many good things about this wasp is that it is not
be a new answer for the problem of monitoring – biosur- known to sting humans, even when handled. You can
peer down the hole to see if the female is guarding her
veillance.
nest just below the surface, or place an overturned clear
Biosurveillance is the use of one organism to monitor an- plastic cup (punctured with breathing holes and weighted
other; in this case, employing a ground-dwelling wasp to with a rock) over the hole. As you search for additional
monitor for EAB. Recent work by a grad student in
Guelph, Ontario, has shown that the native wasp, Cerceris
fumipennis, provisions its nest with buprestids, including
EAB when present. Although it will unlikely be useful for
classical biocontrol, the wasp is much more efficient than
humans at finding EAB, and is proving a reliable way to
monitor for this pest.
By Colleen Teerling
M
Initially, we were uncertain if C. fumipennis even existed in
Maine, since there were no official records, but two MES
members had collected them in Arundel and Vasselboro
(thanks, Monica Russo and Dana Michaud). We now expect to find these wasps throughout the southern and
coastal areas of Maine, although we don’t know yet how
far north and inland they will extend. We would like to
enlist the help of MES members this summer in our
biosurveillance work.
How can you help? Glad you asked. We would love to
have members of the Maine Entomological Society help
us locate wasp colonies throughout the state, and to monitor them once found. We would especially like to find
colonies near campgrounds and summer homes this year,
because we think these areas are at the greatest risk of firewood-borne EAB introduction. Here’s what to look for.
nests, check the cup every few minutes to see if a wasp is
inside the cup trying to get out or if one is outside, trying
to get in. If so, you can temporarily capture her to identify
her, then tip over the cup to let her past.
Finding Wasp Colonies
Monitoring for EAB
Cerceris fumipennis is a solitary ground-nesting wasp that
lives in diffuse colonies in hard-packed sandy soil. It prefers full sunshine and sparse vegetation, and is almost
always found near a wooded area in places of human disturbance (fire-pits, camp-sites, road- and trail-edges, informal parking lots, baseball diamonds) (fig. 1). Coincidentally, many of these areas are also at high risk of firewood-
Monitoring for EAB is carried out by placing ventilated
clear plastic cups over the holes. This slows down returning wasps so you can look at their prey. If a wasp
emerges from her hole, tip the cup over to release her.
VES News - Spring 2008
Typical colony site in hard-packed soil (P. Careless)
(Continued on page 8)
Page 7
Biosurveillance
(Continued from page 7)
When she returns with prey, you will see her buzzing
around the cup. Either gently net her or knock her out of
the air with your hand (remember, they don’t sting). She
will drop her prey, and you can examine it to see if it is
EAB. If it is not of interest to you, place the dead or paralyzed beetle right on the lip of the nest and the wasp will
come up and take it.
we will find throughout Maine. Remember, that in order
to monitor for EAB, a colony should be within a mile of
ash trees – and closer is better; 200-400 feet would be ideal.
Facial markings of female C. fumipennis (D. Cheung)
Details
Nest entrance with excavated soil and occupant (P. Careless)
Research in Ontario estimates that if you see 40 prey items
brought to a colony and EAB is not among them, it is safe
to assume EAB is not in the region. In Ontario, a typical
colony contains 30 nests, and 40 prey items can be observed in a few hours. Monica’s colonies in Arundel were
much smaller: 3 - 4 nests per colony, so monitoring there
will go more slowly. We are not sure what size colonies
Further information on Cerceris is available on our website. Go to www.maineforestservice.org/idmhome.htm
and click on “emerald ash borer hunter” in the left sidebar. For those interested in looking for wasps, we will
soon have a colony location form available for people to
fill out when searching. It is just as important for us to
know where colonies are NOT found as where they are,
so let us know where you have looked. For those who
wish to monitor this summer, we will have an
EAB/Cerceris survey form for you to use. And finally,
since these wasps are often found in public areas, there
may be security concerns. For anyone looking for colonies or monitoring them, we will write an official letter
stating that you are looking for insects on behalf of the
Maine Forest Service, and this may help alleviate the concerns of landowners. For this letter, or more information,
please contact me.
Colleen Teerling
50 Hospital St, Augusta, ME 04344
phone: 207 287-3096
email: colleen.teerling@maine.gov
As an added incentive, for those who collect beetles, the
Canadians found that in just a couple of days of wasp observation, they found one new buprestid genus and two
new species records for Canada, as well as some rarely
collected beetles. Just please don’t steal all their prey.
Colleen Teerling is a forest entomologist for Maine Forest
Service. She is interested in biological control, and now
biosurveillance, and works on whatever needs doing.
Female C. fumipennis (P. Careless)
Page 8
VES News - Spring 2008
Baby Bugs
By Ross Bell
ost insects begin life as larvae which are utterly
unlike their parents. A typical larva lacks wings
and compound eyes. In place of the latter there is often a
cluster of 6 or less small simple eyes. Larvae are difficult
to make into specimens because they have very soft
bodies. If you pin them they usually shrivel up. You can
store them in alcohol, but this means that you have to
keep them separately in small vials in order to prevent
mixing up the collection information. There is a way of
treating them so they can be put into your dry collection
next to the appropriate adult example. You need a fat
solvent and a series of alcohol dilutions, in which you
gradually dehydrate the body.
M
How do you know what kind of larva you have? There
must be at least 20,000 kinds of larvae in Vermont. Just as
with adults,
the first step
is to discover
to which of
the main
groups
(orders) the
Lepidoptera caterpillar
insect
belongs.
Here are ways of recognizing typical larvae of the main
orders: If your larva is a caterpillar it will have pairs of
soft leg-like structures on the abdomen (in addition to the
3 pairs of true legs on
the thorax) . These
soft structures are
called PROLEGS.
Unlike the true legs,
prolegs do not have a
Lepidoptera caterpillar known as a complete hard
skeleton.
“looper”
Most caterpillars grow up to be Lepidoptera (moths or
butterflies). About one in ten grows up to be a wasp-like
adult (sawfly). These insects go in order the
Hymenoptera. How can we separate these two? If you
have a Lepidopteran caterpillar, it will have five or fewer
pairs of
prolegs,
and each
proleg will
have a
band of
hooked
Sawfly “caterpillar”
bristles. If
VES News - Spring 2008
a sawfly caterpillar, it will
usually have seven pairs of
prolegs, and these lack
hooks. Another difference is
that the lepidopteran has
usually 5 or 6 very small
simple eyes on each side,
while the sawfly has one
much more visible eye on
each side.
Beetle larva
Suppose your larva has three
pairs of true legs but no
prolegs. The best guess is that it will grow up to be a
beetle (Coleoptera). If you have a larva without true legs
or prolegs it is probably a fly larva (Diptera) unless you
get it from a
wasp or ant nest
in which case it is
a Hymenoptera.
In most fly
larvae, the head
Fly larva
is reduced or
retracted inside
the body.
I just gave you Lesson I, “rule of thumb ways of
separating larvae” which will work most of the time.
Because there are so many kinds of bugs in these groups,
there are bound to be
exceptions, which
you learn when you
encounter them. If I
described each
exception this article
would probably
expand to book
Bee or wasp larva
length.
I also omitted larvae of five smaller orders, which you are
less liable to encounter. There could be a future article
about them. About one-fifth of the insects have a
different type of development, with the wings
developing outside the body (nymphs) and usually with
large compound eyes present from the time of the
hatching egg stage. Grasshoppers, mantises, walking
sticks, cockroaches, plant lice, cicadas, true bugs,
dragonflies and mayflies are examples of these insects
that have nymphal stages. This could be Lesson II.
Ross Bell, a founding member of the VES, taught at UVM
for 45 years. He continues his research on the Carabidae of
Vermont and New Hampshire, as well as Rhysodid beetles.
Page 9
All About Fleas
An introduction to their general biology with a brief report on some personal and professional experiences with the New England fauna
By Don Miller
I would like to dedicate this essay to the late Gordon Nielson.
I am not aware that he did a great deal of work with fleas but
he certainly knew another group of ectoparasites very well:
the ticks. Another person who should be mentioned is Dr.
Miriam Rothschild, one of the top experts in the world on
the biology of fleas. I regard her as one of the greatest zoologists of the 20th century. Every
budding student of parasitology
should read her magnificent “Fleas,
flukes, and cuckoos”. After I read
her book parasitology was never the
same to me. She showed that the
endocrine cycle of the blood levels of
European rabbit entrained the reproductive cycle of its host species
of flea. Thus the female fleas of the
rabbit laid their eggs just before the
young leverets were born. In effect
the rabbit was unconsciously signaling the female flea that lunch
was coming and the fleas used the
endocrine cues from the blood of the
rabbit to be ready with its own
young to savor the new menu.
Such endocrinal matching between
various host and parasite has since
been documented in other types of
parasitism. I believe that Rothschild was the first to show this type of hormonal relationship
and fleas were the model organism for elucidating this phenomenon.
leas of the insect order Siphonaptera are well
known to cat and dog owners as well as to others
indirectly associated with these commensal pets of
humans. Fleas have been the object of wonder in various carnivals around the world. The general impression that most people have of fleas is of abhorrence, a
group of little value to anyone. The order is one of the
smallest in terms of number of species of all the 30 or
so insect orders. There are about 2100 species known
worldwide in two major suborders and 16 families. In
N. America 275 species of eight families have been reported. In the published literature from the general
F
Page 10
area of the northeastern states 33 species have been
reported from VT, 30 from MA, 22 from CT, 48 from
NY, and one paper estimates 43 from all of the New
England states. Furthermore, 22 species are known
from New Jersey. None of these peer-reviewed papers
reflects a thorough survey of the flea fauna of all the
potential host species of both mammals and birds for
any state. I believe that the total
flea fauna of most northeastern
states would probably be close
to or exceed 50 species. Yet the
only species that the average
person is familiar with are the
two species that are ectoparasites of their pets. Very little
work has been done on the nonpest fleas of most areas except
for a simple listing of those present.
If there are rats or house mice in
or near some human dwellings
two or three other species of
fleas could be present and one
could be a potentially very serious co-inhabitant of the owner’s
property, Xenopsylla cheopis, the
plague flea. There are very few
records of this species from
New England. This species was
collected from Springfield, Vt: taken off a cat on 22
June 1944, by Robert MacArthur (J. NY Ent. Soc., 1964,
F.Osgood). It was verified by one of the top flea experts in the world, Robert Traub. I don’t think there is
any doubt about the veracity of the record. The flea
almost certainly moved from a rat to the cat. It would
be interesting to know if the usual host of the plague
flea, the black or roof rat, Rattus rattus, was present in
Springfield at that time or for that matter, if it still is.
This rat has been reported from Vermont and probably still resides here. I bet a check of abandoned buildings in some of the larger cities would turn-up this potentially very important species of health concern.
Fleas are laterally compressed, a feature that ostensibly
allows them to move quite easily through the laby(Continued on page 11)
VES News - Spring 2008
All About Fleas
(Continued from page 10)
rinth of the hairs and feathers of their hosts. All have
well developed hind legs. Those few that have had
their jumps measured can leap up to 200 times their
body length, an incredible feat that relatively speaking
will never be approached by even the best of all Olympic champions in, say, the broad jump. A glance under
a scope will reveal that fleas are very spiny, that is they
are extremely setose, resembling miniature but partially plucked porcupines. (I have had a vicarious
thought that fleas could be described by the acronym,
ppp’s). The setae or spines may be single or combined
into groups of large very dark flat spines called ctenidial combs. Many fleas have either or both a genal ctendium and a pronotal ctendium; some have neither. All
fleas have a sensory structure unique to the group
called the sensilium. This is located on the dorsal surface of one of the distal abdominal segments or tergites. Some species of fleas have no eyes, others do. A
minority of female fleas has two seminal receptacles
and others have only one. In other words, even
though this is a relatively small group, there is quite a
bit of morphological diversity represented within the
order. They are certainly regarded as being very specialized for their ectoparasitic mode of life and more or
less all the same morphologically. Clearly, this is not
the case.
Fleas have no wings, not even a vestige in the adult of
any species of which I am aware, which to me is a little
puzzling. They have complete metamorphosis, that is,
with a pupal stage. The larva goes through three very
similar instar stages.
The larvae
are very
small,
white and
thus difficult to see.
The larvae
are usually
found on
the substrate, be it
a dirty carpet or on the ground in the den or nest of its
host. In fact, the latter may be one reason why so
many carnivores that give birth to their young in underground dens often move their young several times
between dens as the young go through their lengthy
ontogeny to becoming full adults. A professional
friend I know has described white flakes of dust falVES News - Spring 2008
ling through the cracks
of a ceiling from an upper room to a lower
room. The flakes were
flea larvae! The adult
flea of at least some species can live for months
without a meal. The
plague flea can live for
at least a year without
© David Maddison
feeding. Hence, when an empty
house is re-occupied the vibrations of the footfalls, as
well as the onset of higher carbon dioxide concentrations, trigger a feeding frenzy and the carbon dioxide
gradient is used by the adult flea to find the host. The
new human tenants quickly become aware that their
new quarters are already occupied and their welcoming committee quickly takes advantage of their presence. I’m not completely sure but I think vibrations
may also trigger some of the pupae of some species to
eclose from their cocoons.
Fleas are more closely related to the Mecoptera, the
scorpion flies, and not to the Diptera as previously
thought. The consensus is that they first “invaded” as
ectoparasites the mammal niche and then shifted on to
birds. In fact bird fleas are notoriously difficult to separate to species; often identifications are made somewhat vicariously based on the bird from which the flea
was taken.
Many bird fleas or perhaps all are inhabitants of nests,
and I believe almost all in the nests of hole-nesting
species such as swallows and woodpeckers. I have
never collected a flea from a robin’s nest despite having examined several well after the young had
fledged. I put the nests in a plastic bag in hopes that
any larvae that might be present would develop into
adults. I have always thought that the muddy robin
nests with all the excrement from the young, feather
fragments, etc., would be an ideal site for the larvae of
fleas but this doesn’t seem to be the case. I have also
peered into the entrances of the active nest sites of
bank swallows and seen many adult fleas more or less
lined up at the entrance eager, I suppose, waiting for
their avian hosts to return from their foraging surveys
so they could feed.
Strangely, when I have checked some of these same
sites almost immediately after the swallows have left
their nesting colonies, I have never seen the adult fleas.
Either they leave on their hosts that have left the colonies or the timing to change to the next state, the egg,
is precise. That is, the adults die almost immediately
(Continued on page 14)
Page 11
Wanted:
Derodontids and Adelgids
By Allison Kanoti
n February I attended the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid
Symposium in Hartford Connecticut. Among the
speakers was Nathan Havill. Nathan is a postdoctoral
fellow at Yale University and a visiting scientist with the
USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station. Nathan’s doctoral work helped uncover
the origin of the hemlock woolly adelgid in our neighborhood as well as
illuminate relationships within the
adelgid and conifer family trees. At
the symposium he was presenting
some of his work on the molecular
ecology of hemlock woolly adelgid, its
hosts and natural enemies. During
the course of his talk Nathan mentioned that he is looking for Laricobius
spp. from as many locations as possible for population genetic analysis. If
you are interested in collecting material to submit to Nathan this is what
he’s looking for:
I
♦ Members of the family Derodonti-
ments by dropping from the trees.
If you do collect Laricobius, collect the adelgid hosts in a
separate vial. Nathan will use the material to verify the
host and to continue work on adelgid systematics. He
would appreciate adelgid samples, even if you don’t find
any Laricobius. He says, “Adelgids can be placed in ethanol while still attached to host material, e.g. bark pieces, branch tips, etc.”
Nathan also mentioned that Derodontus spp. adults are often found in the
fall on the fruiting bodies of their fungal hosts—mostly Pleurotus and Hericium.
So, you say, how do I know if I have a
Derodontid? And what the heck does
a Pleurotus or Hericium look like?
Here is some background information to help answer those questions:
The Insects
(Unless otherwise noted information
is from Triplehorn and Johnson 2005.)
Derodontids (tooth-necked fungus
beetles) are small (3-6 mm) brownish
♦ Members of the family Adelgidae
beetles, with a pair of ocelli adjacent
to the inner margin of the compound
Nathan would prefer that samples be
eyes. Their elytra completely cover
stored in 95-100% ethanol for shipthe abdomen and have rows of
ment to him, but can also accept samsquare punctures or polished spots.
Laricobius rubidus
ples stored in isopropyl alcohol.
These beetles tend to be most active in cooler months of
the year (Bright 1991).
He says: “To the best of my knowledge, the best way to
collect Laricobius adults is to beat trees infested with adel- Laricobius species are predators on adelgid; all other gengids. There are several potential hosts - Pineus strobi and era are fungus feeders (Bright 1991). The Maine Forest
P. pinifoliae on white pine, P. pini (=boerneri) on red and
Service has released two species of Laricobius for adelgid
Scots pine, Adelges laricis on larch, A. piceae on fir, and of
control. L. erichsonii was released in Bradley, Carabasett
course hemlock woolly adelgid, Adelges tsugae. Also scan Valley, Woolwich and Chelsea as a biological control
bark colonies which can't be beaten for beetles.”
agent of balsam woolly adelgid (Adelges piceae) between
dae, especially any Laricobius.
Clark and Brown (1960) found that L. rubidus adults first
appeared in New Brunswick when tree wells formed in
the snow around white pines. Beetle activity peaked between April 14th and May 12th and ceased in late June.
They found adults on all sizes of infested pines in areas
where their prey, P. strobi, were most abundant (at the
bases of branches, below whorls and in smooth-barked
areas). They also mentioned that the adults of L. rubidus
and L. erichsonii respond to disturbance or rapid movePage 12
1959 and 1963 (Dearborn and Donahue 1993). L. nigrinus
has been released in the last two years in Kittery and York
for hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae) management.
The native L. rubidus has also been collected in Maine
(UNH Collection). Nathan would be interested in the native and the balsam woolly adelgid biocontrol (Note:
There are no L. rubidus in the Maine Forest Service collection and we would welcome specimens as well.)
(Continued on page 13)
VES News - Spring 2008
Derodontids and Adelgids
(Continued from page 12)
The other genus that has been reported from our area is
Derodontus. Members of the genus have the toothed
“neck” that gives this family part of its common name,
and they feed on fungus. Leschen (1994) describes them
as slow moving tan beetles with “small (2.0 mm to 3.0
mm) tank-like bodies.” The two species that have been
found in the region are D. maculatus, with backward
pointing teeth on the pronotum and D. esotericus, with
laterally projecting teeth on the pronotum.
Adelgids are in the Aphidoidea superfamily. They often
are covered with wool-like waxy tufts, or waxy threads.
They feed only on conifers, and often have two conifer
hosts. Winged forms hold their wings roof-like over their
bodies.
The Fungi
(Information from Tom Volk’s Fungi Web pages
http://tomvolkfungi.net/, and Arora 1986)
ily recognized. Images and more details on identification
are found on Tom Volk’s fungus of the month page:
http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/jan2003.html.
My suggestion is, grab a friendly mycophagist and head
into the woods for a derodontid, adelgid, and fungal fall
foray. You may come out of the field day with supper
ingredients and a contribution to the expansion of entomological knowledge.
If you have questions or samples for Nathan you can
reach him at:
Nathan Havill
USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station
51 Mill Pond Rd.
Hamden, CT 06514
Office: 203-230-4320
Email: nathan.havill@yale.edu or nathanhavill@fs.fed.us
References:
Pleurotus spp., oyster mushrooms, are found in shelf-like Arora, D. 1986. Mushrooms Demystified, 2nd Ed. Tenformations on hardwood boles and stumps or downed
Speed Press, Berkley, CA. 959pp.
logs. They are a white to off-white mushroom with a
Bright, D.E. 1991. Family Derodontidae (Tooth-necked
white spore print. The gills are attached to the stem or
fungus beetles) in Bousquet, Y. Checklist of beetles of
run down it (decurrent). There may not be a stem at all, if
Canada and Alaska. Research Branch, Agriculture
there is it is often off center. The cap is smooth. In a study
Canada. Publication 1861/E., Ottawa. 430pp (On-line
in the southeastern United States, Leschen (1994) found
Version)
Clark, R.C. and N.R. Brown. Studies of Predators of the
Balsam Woolly Aphid, Adelges piceae (Ratz.)
(Homoptera: Adelgidae) VII. Laricobius rubidus Lec.
(Coleoptera: Derodontidae), a Predator of Pineus strobi
(Htg.) (Homoptera: Adelgidae). The Canadian Entomologist. 92(3): 237-240.
© Thomas J. Volk
Dearborn, R.G. and C.P. Donahue. 1993. The Forest Insect
Survey of Maine - Order Coleoptera (Beetles). Maine
Forest Service, Insect and Disease Division Technical
Report No. 32. Augusta, ME. 101 pp.
Leschen, R.A.B. 1994. Fungal Host Use in Two Species of
Derodontus Leconte (Coleoptera: Derodontidae). The
Coleopterists Bulletin. 48: 126-130.
Pleurotus ostreatus, the Oyster mushroom
that Derodontus maculatus fed almost exclusively on P.
ostreatus.
Triplehorn, C.A. and N.F. Johnson. Borror and Delong’s
Introduction to the Study of the Insects, 7th ed.
Thompson Brooks/Cole, Belmont, CA. 864 pp.
Volk, T. 1995-2008. Tom Volk’s Fungi.
http://tomvolkfungi.net/. University of Wisconsin.
Accessed April 3, 2008.
Hericium spp. white to off-white fruiting bodies are also
found on hardwoods. Spore-bearing spines, somewhat
Allison Kanoti is a forest entomologist for Maine Forest Serresembling a minute hollow icicle, hang off the main body vice, where she works, among other things, on hemlock
of the fungus. Once you have seen one, this genus is eas- woolly adelgid and other quarantined insects.
VES News - Spring 2008
Page 13
rium that causes bubonic plague (formerly called Pasteurella pestis, now known as Yersinia pestis). The most
efficient vector is the plague flea Xenopsylla cheopis. As
(Continued from page 11)
mentioned, the primary rodent host of the plague flea
after the young swallows are fledged. I don’t know of is the roof or black rat. The brown rat is also a suitable
any flea records from the generally absolutely filthy
host. There are over twenty other species of fleas that
nest of kingfishers but I suspect they are there. One has may be vectors of the plague organism in the United
to look? Recently a flea new to the fauna of the W.
States including Polygenis gwyni, a parasite of the cotton
rat of the southeastern U.S. This species of flea is one of
the most efficient vectors of the plague organism
among N. American rodent fleas. So far as I know, no
outbreaks of plague have ever been attributed to this
flea in the southeastern U.S. However, this does not
mean that surveillance for the plague bacillus in this
flea would not be a prudent research objective. As any
even casual student of history knows, almost one-third
of the total population of Europe was wiped out by the
plague-not once but several times- during the so-called
Middle Ages. Less well documented are epidemics of
bubonic plague in China and other parts of the world.
Many outbreaks of plague have occurred even as recently as the 19th and the 20th century.
All About Fleas
Fleas are also intermediate hosts for the dog tapeworm.
Small children can become infected with this worm by
ingesting the whole dog flea. Fleas are vectors of a
virulent form of murine typhus and other organisms,
including some that are thought to be responsible for
“emerging” diseases such as Bartonella henselae, which
causes a type of fever in cats and is transmitted by the
cat flea. Fortunately, so far as I know the live AIDS virus is not transmitted between humans by fleas. However, I’m not aware that this has ever been carefully
Hemisphere was found in the nest of a woodpecker in investigated. I know that mosquitoes have been studied to see if the AIDS virus can survive in their gut and
Canada. I personally have never heard of a flea taken
off a bird that was caught in a mist net. High mortality I understand that the virus cannot survive long enough
of the young of the eastern bluebird has been attributed to be a possible threat by cross-transmission of the live
virus between humans (Dr. Jon Day, personal commuin some situations to the maggot of a fly that feeds on
the young bluebirds. I have never read that the larvae nication, U.Fl, Mosquito Res. Ctr.). The bites of fleas
of fleas have deleterious effects on any bird. This seems are of course always a nuisance to humans and in some
puzzling to me. Various species of mites are known to cases particularly sensitive humans have severe allergic
responses.
be harmful to the barn swallow, thus it would also
seem that the nestlings of the bank and cliff swallow
A very similar-if not identical-disease to bubonic
would be negatively impacted by the larvae of fleas
plague known as sylvatic plague occurs in ground
feeding on them, especially if the nests are heavily insquirrels all over the world wherever the appropriate
fested. It is becoming more and more evident from the hosts are present. Humans can contract a deadly form
ornithological literature that the so-called parasitic load of bubonic plague from being bitten by infected fleas of
may be a significant negative factor to the health of
other species that normally are found as ectoparasites
avian hosts. Clearly, more research on this topic of
on ground squirrels. Whole colonies of prairie dogs
parasitic load with respect to the influence of fleas on
have been wiped out by sylvatic plague. The prudent
the biology of their hosts is needed.
naturalist or mammalogists who is working in the
Fleas are vectors of several disease organisms or parasites of man. Among the most infamous is the bactePage 14
western states soon learns to be very wary about pick-
(Continued on page 15)
VES News - Spring 2008
one country. A few colleagues I knew were working on
fleas while in the U.S. Army and I suspect they weren’t
ing-up dead ground squirrels unless they have been
doing that because the military was just interested in
flattened on a road by a vehicle. (Between 1900 and
pure research. This is another testimony to the gener1957 there were 527 cases of plague reported in the U.S. ally accepted high level of the virulence of plague to
Of these, 342 people died. These were in 38 counties in humans. Only modern medicine with its various anti13 states). The take home message is that plague is a
biotics and other tools keeps plague from being the abvery virulent disease and any suspected cases should
solute killer it once was to millions of people centuries
be treated with great medical dispatch. Often the
ago in Europe and elsewhere. However, given the prosymptoms are similar to severe pneumonia and unfor- pensity of many disease organisms to become resistant
tunately over-looked for what the symptoms really
to the various chemicals that are used to reduce or
mean until it is too late for recovery (CDC, USDA,
eliminate their medical effects, plague remains a very
1958). (I don’t have later statistics on incidence and
serious potential threat anywhere that the causative
mortality in this country) However, I think the above agent occurs.
suffices to give some idea of the potential threat of a
plague epidemic even in a country supposedly as ad- Editors Note: Part 2 of this article will appear in our
vanced in public health care as the U.S. When roughly next issue of VES News.
3/5 of the diagnosed cases resulted in death as reported above, it is obvious that the diagnosis of plague Don Miller, retired from the science department at Lyndon
State College, now spends as much time as possible in the
can be quite ominous.
field and working up data from more than three decades of
(Continued from page 14)
Bubonic plague has been very seriously considered as a field observations.
potential element of biological warfare by more than
VES Flea Market
This is a new section of VES News suggested by Laurie DiCesare . If you have entomology-related items or ideas to
sell or trade, here’s the place to let fellow members know.
Lepidoptera for exchange / sell. Hi! I have some butterflies and moths from eastern Canada and USA. These are interesting species from the boreal region of Quebec. My e-mail address is erfeq@live.ca. Ask for my list!
Writing / editing; technical assistance; site inventory assistance. Do you need help with an entomology project? I
have a basic natural history / lab technician background and could easily be trained to assist you . $10 per hour.
Please call Laurie at 893-1845 or e-mail: lauied@sover.net.
Website dedicated to butterfly conservation. Bill Benner, President of the Massachusetts Butterfly Club, suggests
checking their website to find (1) a list of things individuals can do to promote butterfly conservation, including a gardening handout that can be printed out; (2) mowing guidelines for fields and grasslands, which can also be printed
out and distributed to anyone; and (3) a list of articles and resources on habitat needs of particular species, many available right on the page as pdf files. The page and files can be accessed via a link from the left hand column on our
home page, or you can go directly there at: http://www.naba.org/chapters/nabambc/butterfly-conservation.asp
Illustrated Key to the Longhorned Woodboring Beetles of the United States by Steven W. Lingafelter. This is the
third in a series of special publications by the Coleopterists Society. 208 pages, spiral bound. Price = US $65.00, includes US shipping. This is a fully illustrated key with over 800 habitus and character photographs (most in color)
presented to allow easy identification of eastern U.S. Cerambycidae. Of the 400 species of Cerambycidae that occur
west of the Rocky Mountains (but excluding southern and western Texas), 377 species are treated in the key. To order, visit the Coleopterists Society website at http://www.coleopsoc.org/default.asp?Action=Show_Pubs&ID=Special3
VES News - Spring 2008
Page 15
Vermont Entomological Society
c/o Steve Trombulak
Department of Biology
Middlebury College
Middlebury, VT 05753
Sugar maple borer