Systematics and distribution of the winter stonefly genus Capnia (Plecoptera:Capniidae) in North America

The genus Capnia in North America is reviewed and compared to other genera in the family. The genus is divided into 10 species groups. A key to the 51 species of Capnia in North America is given along with a listing of type localities, type repositories, diagnoses, and distributions. New illustrations of structures bearing characters important for identification and classification are presented. An annotation of the list of Capnia of North America given by Stark, Szczytko, and Baumann (1986) reflecting current generic placement of species is produced. From this list Capnia bakeri and sugluka are moved to Mesocapnia . Capnia barbata Frison is placed in synonymy under Capnia decepta . The movement of cygna (synonym of venosa ), elevata, fibula, manitoba, venosa , and wanica to Capnura (Nelson and Baumann, 1987b) is noted. Capnia disala and ensicala are placed in Paracapnia .     

Diets of nesting Northern Goshawks in the Warner Mountains, California

Diets of Northern Goshawks ( Accipiter gentilis ) in western and eastern North America show regional differences. This variation may be explained by the opportunistic feeding behavior of Northern Goshawks and the greater number of potential prey species in western North America. We predicted that a population of Northern Goshawks in the Warner Mountains of California would take significantly more mammals than birds as prey. Goshawk diet in the Warner Mountains was determined by pellet analysis and prey remains. A total of 33 samples from 23 nest sites was collected and analyzed. Diets were quantified by determining the minimum number of individuals per sample at each nest site. As predicted, Warner Mountain Goshawks preyed more heavily on mammalian than avian prey species. Of the 221 individuals identified, 126 (57%) were mammals, while 95 (43%) were birds. These results are in accord with the suggestion that there are potentially more mammalian prey species in western North America than in eastern North America.     

Stick nests on a building and transmission towers used for nesting by large falcons in Utah

Large falcons (genus Falco ) do not build their own nests and, in North America at least, usually nest on high cliffs. Occasionally they nest in abandoned stick nests built by another large bird on the cliff. In Asia and particularly South Africa, they sometimes nest in stick nests on electrical transmission towers. This use of electric transmission towers was recently (1980) reported for the Prairie Falcon ( Falco mexicanus ) in North America but is unknown, except for 1 anocdotically documented use of an ""electric-power pole"" at the turn of century in California, for the Peregrine Falcon ( Falco peregrines ) in North America. Here we report such nesting of the peregrine in North America and additional tower nestings of the Prairie Falcon.     

Camel spider (Solifugae) use of praire dog colonies

Solifugids (camel spiders) are widespread throughout arid regions of western North America and are thought to be important in structuring desert arthropod communities. Despite the ubiquity of camel spiders, little is known about their ecology. Black-tailed prairie dogs ( Cynomys ludovicianus ) are also widespread in western North America and are important ecosystem engineers, but they have been reduced in extent because of human activity. Here we report significantly greater numbers of camel spiders on black-tailed prairie dog colonies in southern New Mexico. The difference in vegetation structure created by prairie dog activity is likely the reason for the increased prevalence of camel spiders on colonies. Because camel spiders are important predators and prey, the observation that colonies support higher numbers of these animals provides a mechanism explaining differences in arthropod communities on and off colonies and explaining the preferential foraging behavior of vertebrates associated with prairie dog colonies.     

Mushroom consumption (mycophagy) by North American cervids

Native mushrooms play an important, though often underestimated, role in deer, elk, and caribou diets in North America. Mushrooms are often noted as an unusual or anomalous food in the diets of cervids; yet they often dominate diets in the late summer and fall in forested areas of western North America and throughout the year in the southeastern U.S. Mushrooms are particularly high in protein (16-19%), phosphorus (average 0.75%), and potassium (average 2%). Also, mushroom production is generally greatest in fall. Therefore, they are a highly nutritious food in late season when other native forages may marginally meet basal nutrient requirements of ungulates.     

Introduced and exported American Scolytidae (Coleoptera)

Fourteen North, Central, and South American Scolytidae have reached areas outside of America, namely Hawaii (5), Australia (3), Southeast Asia (2), Africa (7), Europe (1), and worldwide (1). The 44 species introduced into North and Central America have originated in South America (10), Southeast Asia (15), Africa (14), or Europe (7). Four North and Central American species have extended their ranges into new territory within this region. Most of the species that breed in the bole or roots of their host were imported more than a half century ago; those imported since 1950 breed mostly in seeds, pods, dry fruits, or small branches. Forty - five of the 62 species apparently can reproduce by means of facultative arrhenotokic parthenogenesis.     

New distribution record for the social parasitic ant Anergates atratulus (Schenck, 1852) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): an ICUN red-listed species

The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources red-lists a number of ant species. One species is Anergates atratulus (Schenck, 1852), a rarely collected social parasite introduced from Europe. The known distribution in North America is along the Atlantic seaboard. This note reports a huge range expansion in North America, to include Colorado. This finding is important because it provides useful information about the conservation and dispersal patterns of a rare, introduced, socially parasitic ant species.     

Vegetation and flora of Pine Butte Fen, Teton County, Montana

The Pine Butte Fen, situated east of the Rocky Mountains in north central Montana, is a boreal, patterned peatland occurring in a relatively dry climatic region. It is one of the southernmost mires of its kind in North America. The vegetation communities present in the fen are described, and possible causes of vegetation patterning are discussed. The Pine Butte Fen is a minerotrophic fen with 93 species of vascular plants represented in an area of approximately 450 ha. Floristic similarities between the Pine Butte Fen and 11 other peatlands in North America reported in the literature are low. Similarity of this fen to other peatlands tends to decrease with increasing distance between the sites and decreasing pH of surface water at other sites. Possible causes for these trends and the floristic uniqueness of the Pine Butte Fen are discussed.      

Description of a new species of Phyllotrox infesting seeds of Acer grandidentatum, with new synonymy and a note on Euclyptus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Erirhininae)

A new species of weevil, Phyllotrox canyonaceris Warner, is described, new synonomy, and distribution records of eight species of the genus Phyllotrox in North America are given.     

New species of oribatids from western Colorado (Acarina: Cryptostigmata, Suctobelbidae)

A new species of Suctobelba, S. tumulata, and a new genus and species, Parisuctobelba septenia, are described from collections of oribatids taken in coal strip-mining spoil banks near Hayden, Colorado. The new species are compared with members of the family from North America and Europe. The new genus is differentiated by a smooth, narrowed sensillum and seven pairs of genital setae. Taxonomic and ecological data are also discussed.     

A revision of the Nearctic species of Clinohelea Kieffer (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae)

The seven species of Clinohelea known to inhabit North America are described and illustrated, and a key is provided for identification. Two species groups are recognized: the unimaculata group and the bimaculata group. Clinohelea longitheca and C. pseudonubifera are new. Clino - helea nebulosa (Malloch) is a synonym of C. curriei (Coquillett) NEW SYNONOMY.     

The austrina group of the genus Microvelia (Hemiptera: Veliidae)

Six new species of Microvelia are described from North and Central America: depressus, glabrosulcata, leavipleura, paura, psilonota, and reflexus. These species are compared to Microvelia austrina Bueno, and the austrina group is designated to hold them. The habitats and phoresy of the group are discussed.     

Distributional records for the Colorado flora

Nine new records of vascular plants indigenous to western North America, six new records of adventive taxa, and six significant range extensions are reported for the flora of Colorado.     

New Nearctic Chloroperlidae (Plecoptera)

Alloperla furcula, A. hamata, A. roberti and Triznaka spinosa are described from North America. A new genus, Bisancora, based on the new species B. rutriformis, is described and includes B. pastina (Jewett). Alloperla quadrata is synonymized with A. leonarda Ricker.     

Aquatic Oligochaeta (Annelida: Lumbriculidae, Haplotaxidae, Naididae, Tubificidae) of Utah

Thirty-six species of aquatic Oligochaeta (Lumbriculidae, Haplotaxidae, Naididae, Tubificidae) are now known form Utah. Aquatic habitats in 27 counties were sampled, with 32 oligochaete species identified. An additional 4 species were added from other published investigations. The majority of species are cosmopolitan and occur in other areas of North America. Nais barbata, N. alpina, and N. pardalis are reported from the western United States for the first time. Ilyodrilus frantzi was found to be a major component of the oliogochaete fauna in the Great Basin lentic environment. The North American distribution of Telmatodrilus vejdovskyi is extended significantly eastward. Tow undetermined species of Tubificidae are discussed.     

Two new Mastigodiaptomus (Copepoda,Diaptomidae) from southeastern Mexico,with a key for the identification of the known species of the genus

Two new species of the freshwater planktonic copepod genusMastigodiaptomus—M. maya and M. reidae—are described from material collected in southeastern Mexico. This neotropical genus is known to be distributed mainly in the southern part of the United States, Mexico and Central America, and now embraces eight species. Of these, six occur in Mexico. Both new species seem to be closely related to M. texensis and M. albuquerquensis. It is probable that this group of Mexican species represents a northwards radiation from the Proto-Antilles-Central America region into the continent, eventually reaching North America. A key for the identification of the known species of the genus is provided.     

Pseudocrossidium obtusulum (Pottiaceae, Bryopsida) new to Montana with a key to North American apecies in the genus

The moss species Pseudocrossidium obtusulum (Lindb.) Crum & Anderson is reported for the state of Montana. Recent systematic of the genus Pseudocrossidium in North America is discussed.     

Systematics and biology of the Rhinocolinae (Homoptera: Psylloidea)

Based on a cladistic analysis, the subfamily Rhinocolinae is redefined to comprise 13 genera and 39 species, of which two genera and eight species remain unnamed. Four new genera and 14 new species are described; one subfamily and one genus are synonymized, and two species are recombined; one lectotype is designated. The subfamily is divided into two groups, one with a Gondwanan distribution comprising four genera in Australia, New Zealand, South America and Africa, and another with Laurasian distribution in the Palaeotropics, the Western Palaerctic and North America comprising nine genera. Twenty-one species develop on host plants in the Rutales, three on Asteraceae, three on Cistaceae and one on Zygophyllaceae. The genus Pistacia (Anacardiaceae) in particular hosts six species whose biology is discussed.