Introduced Purple Loosestrife as Host of Native Saturniidae (Lepidoptera)

Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria,Lythraceae) arrived in North America nearly 200 years ago. In 1969 we first found larvae of the native Cecropia (Hyalophora cecropia) and Polyphemus (Antheraea polyphemus) moths (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) on loosestrife in the Hudson River Valley, New York, and we have since found Io (Automeris io) on this plant. A census of 4th and 5th instar saturniids in four 0.25 ha plots in purple loosestrife-gray dogwood (Cornus racemosa) wet meadows near Saugerties in 1984 indicated that Polyphemus and Cecropia larvae occurred much more frequently on loosestrife than on dogwood, a native host. The switch from native woody hosts to an introduced herb may have been facilitated by the dense shrub- like habit, high productivity, and high tannin content of loosestrife

State Records and Habitat of Clam Shrimp, Caenestheriella gynecia (Crustacea: Conchostraca), in New York and New Jersey

We report new records of the Clam Shrimp, Caenestheriella gynecia Mattox 1950, from three localities in the Hudson Valley of New York and one locality in northeastern New Jersey. All of our specimens were collected in puddles on dirt roads. The New Jersey specimens have meristics that are well within the range of Caenestheriella Daday 1915; however, the eastern New York specimens resemble those reported from Massachusetts with meristics that are closer to Cyzicus Audouin 1837. We hypothesize that C. gynecia was established as a parthenogenetic species due to an unlikely dispersal event in the western part of its range and has migrated eastward since the last glacial maximum. Dispersal of this species may occur by wind, in the gut of birds, or stuck to animal feet or fur, or to vehicles. We recommend that C. gynecia be treated as rare and vulnerable to extinction throughout its range unless demonstrated otherwise

Introduced Purple Loosestrife as Host of Native Saturniidae (Lepidoptera)

Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria,Lythraceae) arrived in North America nearly 200 years ago. In 1969 we first found larvae of the native Cecropia (Hyalophora cecropia) and Polyphemus (Antheraea polyphemus) moths (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) on loosestrife in the Hudson River Valley, New York, and we have since found Io (Automeris io) on this plant. A census of 4th and 5th instar saturniids in four 0.25 ha plots in purple loosestrife-gray dogwood (Cornus racemosa) wet meadows near Saugerties in 1984 indicated that Polyphemus and Cecropia larvae occurred much more frequently on loosestrife than on dogwood, a native host. The switch from native woody hosts to an introduced herb may have been facilitated by the dense shrub- like habit, high productivity, and high tannin content of loosestrife

Biological control of invasive Phragmites australis will be detrimental to native P. australis

Phragmites australis biological control is intended to address a major invasion in North America and is likely to change the ecology of vast areas of coastal and inland wetlands. However, the real risks to the native North American genotypes of P. australis (as indicated by recent research summarized above) may not have been fully considered, particularly the extirpation of native populations or the eventual extinction of the native North American lineage altogether. The concerns we raise need to be considered in the process of developing and approving the release of biological control agents and the entire approval process would benefit from greater transparency and wider input from Phragmites researchers globally

Response to Blossey and Casagrande: ecological and evolutionary processes make host specificity at the subspecies level exceedingly unlikely

We agree with Blossey and Casagrande (2016) that absolute host-specificity is a necessity for successful biological control of invasive plants without unintended consequences for native species. However, inclusion of non-target native species in the diet of a biological control agent is a relatively common phenomenon with native congeners of the target plant species at greatest risk (Pemberton 2000)

A History of Discrete Event Simulation Programming Languages

The history of simulation programming languages is organized as a progression in periods of similar developments. The five periods, spanning 1955-1986, are labeled: The Period of Search (1955-1960); The Advent (1961-1965); The Formative Period (1966-1970); The Expansional Period (1971-1978); and The Period of Consolidation and Regeneration (1979-1986). The focus is on recognizing the people and places that have made important contributions in addition to the nature of the contribution. A balance between comprehensive and in-depth treatment has been reached by providing more detailed description of those languages which have or have had major use. Over 30 languages are mentioned, and numerous variations are described in the major contributors. A concluding summary notes the concepts and techniques either originating with simulation programming languages or given significant visibility by them

Organisms using Phragmites australis are diverse and similar on three continents

Kiviat, Erik (2019): Organisms using Phragmites australis are diverse and similar on three continents. Journal of Natural History 53 (31): 1975-2010, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2019.167647