Discovery of Two Moth Species New to Michigan (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae, Tortricidae)

Rhizedra lutosa (Noctuidae) and Argyrotaenia cockerellana (Tortricidae), are reported from Michigan for the first time, from remnant patches of mesic lakeplain prairie in Sumpter Township, Wayne Co. Rhizedra lutosa is a Eurasian species that is rapidly establishing populations across the United States. Argyrotaenia cockerellana is primarily known from the western United States, with eastern records from Nebraska and Ontario, Canada

Ecological Traits Fail to Consistently Predict Moth Species Persistance in Managed Forest Stands

Species traits have been used as predictors of species extinction and colonization probabilities in fragmented landscapes. Thus far, trait-based analytical frameworks have been less commonly employed as predictive tools for species persistence following a disturbance. I tested whether life history traits, dietary traits, and functional traits were correlated with moth species persistence probabilities in forest stands subjected to varying levels of timber harvest. Three harvest treatments were used: control stands (unharvested since 1960), shelterwood cut stands (15% canopy removed), and patch cut stands (80% standing bole removed). Logistic regression models were built to assess whether species persistence probabilities were a function of species traits; separate models were constructed for each level of timber harvest treatment. Species persistence probabilities were mainly a function of pre-harvest abundances. Species traits had idiosyncratic effects on species persistence depending on the level of timber harvest employed. These results suggest that species traits may indirectly influence how moth species assemblages change as a result of forest management by determining pre-harvest abundance rather than persistence per se. The absence of significant trait effects on persistence probabilities may also reflect prior reduction in species trait space. That is, the range of species trait combinations sampled in this study was much lower than observed in historically unlogged eastern deciduous forest systems. Thus, the lack of significant trait-persistence correlations observed here might indicate historic extinctions of species from prior logging events that have not been offset by post-harvest recovery of original species assemblages

Great Diversity of Insect Floral Associates May Partially Explain Ecological Success of Poison Ivy (\u3ci\u3eToxicodendron Radicans\u3c/i\u3e Subsp. \u3ci\u3eNegundo\u3c/i\u3e [Greene] Gillis, Anacardiaceae)

Little is known about insect floral associates of poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans, Anacardiaceae), despite the species’ ubiquity and importance in nature and society. Poison ivy’s pollination syndrome and results from prior studies suggest that the plant is not specialized for any particular pollinator type; however, a systematic survey exploring this hypothesis has been lacking. For this study, insect floral associates of Toxicodendron radicans subsp. negundo from a central Iowa site were observed during the flowering season of 2005. Thirty- seven distinct insect floral associates were observed: 8 coleopterans (beetles), 7 dipterans (flies), 2 hemipterans (true bugs), 19 hymenopterans (ants, bees, wasps), and 1 lepidopteran (butterfly). Hymenopterans appeared to be the most important contributors to poison ivy pollination on a per species basis; however, coleopterans and dipterans were also frequent associates. Poison ivy’s ability to utilize a diverse assemblage of insect pollinators may partially explain its ecological success in varied habitats

Habitat Characterization of Five Rare Insects in Michigan (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae, Riodinidae, Satyridae; Homoptera: Cercopidae)

Over 80 species of insects are listed as endangered, threatened, or special concern under Michigan\u27s endangered species act. For the majority of these species, detailed habitat information is scant or difficult to interpret. We describe the habitat of five insect species that are considered rare in Michigan: Lepyronia angulifera (Cercopidae), Prosapia ignipectus (Cercopidae), Oarisma poweshiek (Hesperiidae), Calephelis mutica (Riodinidae), and Neonympha mitchellii mitchellii (Satyridae). Populations of each species were only found within a fraction of the plant communities deemed suitable based upon previous literature. Furthermore, individuals of each species were observed to be closely affiliated with just a few vegetation associations within larger plant communities. Restriction of these species to particular microhabitats was determined to be, in part, due to ecological or behavioral specialization of each insect species. We believe that the most holistic man­agement and conservation practices for these rare insects in Michigan should focus on protecting the integrity of both the plant community and the micro- habitat upon which these species depend

The Species Richness of Lepidoptera in a Fragmented Landscape: A Supplement to the Checklist of Moths of Butler County, Ohio

Land conversion for agriculture or urban expansion has fragmented the midwestern landscape and isolated native biotas in remnant habitat patches. Identification of priority renmants to be targeted for conservation, however, requires an understanding of the species diversity and distributions in such fragmented landscapes. During a 3-year inventory, we estimated the species richness of Lepidoptera in forests and old fields within an agricultural region of southwest Ohio, Butler County. A combination of casual collecting (butterflies) and a systematic field study (moths) were used to sample lepidopteran species at several sites from 1998-2000. Our inventory added 207 new species to the checklist of the Lepidoptera of Butler County, bringing the total described species richness of the region to 599 species (including Peoria tetradella (Pyralidae), a state record). The species accumulation curve produced from our 1999 moth inventory did not reach saturation, suggesting that additional species remain to be recorded. These results indicate that even highly modified landscapes can support a substantial species diversity of Lepidoptera if there are sufficient areas of native habitat. Since short-term insect inventories tend to be biased toward common, well-known species, rapid diversity assessments may miss important elements of conservation interest. Checklists should remain an important data source for species occurrences and biogeography. Without a well-established knowledge of species geography, critical areas of conservation interest may be overlooked or left unprotected

Discovery of Two Moth Species New to Michigan (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae, Tortricidae)

Rhizedra lutosa (Noctuidae) and Argyrotaenia cockerellana (Tortricidae), are reported from Michigan for the first time, from remnant patches of mesic lakeplain prairie in Sumpter Township, Wayne Co. Rhizedra lutosa is a Eurasian species that is rapidly establishing populations across the United States. Argyrotaenia cockerellana is primarily known from the western United States, with eastern records from Nebraska and Ontario, Canada

Does Low-Density Grazing Affect Butterfly (Lepidoptera) Colonization of a Previously Flooded Tallgrass Prairie Reconstruction?

Conservation of wildlife in managed landscapes can be facilitated by partnering with livestock producers to introduce grazing disturbances. The effects of grazing in grassland systems, however, are often a function of other disturbances that may occur simultaneously. The goal of this study was to determine how grazing and flooding disturbances interacted to affect butterfly communities on wetland reserve program easements. We sampled butterflies from 2008-2011 in two large grassland habitats, one exposed to low density cow-calf grazing and one maintained as a control. Both grassland habitats were severely flooded in 2008. Repeated-measures ANOVA suggested that time since flooding and the interaction between flooding and grazing were important predictors of butterfly richness at these sites. Grazing may have delayed the post-flood recolonization by butterflies, but by 2011, the grazed system contained a slightly higher species richness of butterflies than the ungrazed system. The grazed and ungrazed grasslands converged in butterfly species composition over the course of four years. Our results suggest that grazing may be a useful tool for managing wetland reserve program easement habitats and that both flood- ing and grazing did not appear to have lasting negative impacts on butterfly communities at our sites

Great Diversity of Insect Floral Associates May Partially Explain Ecological Success of Poison Ivy (\u3ci\u3eToxicodendron Radicans\u3c/i\u3e Subsp. \u3ci\u3eNegundo\u3c/i\u3e [Greene] Gillis, Anacardiaceae)

Little is known about insect floral associates of poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans, Anacardiaceae), despite the species’ ubiquity and importance in nature and society. Poison ivy’s pollination syndrome and results from prior studies suggest that the plant is not specialized for any particular pollinator type; however, a systematic survey exploring this hypothesis has been lacking. For this study, insect floral associates of Toxicodendron radicans subsp. negundo from a central Iowa site were observed during the flowering season of 2005. Thirty- seven distinct insect floral associates were observed: 8 coleopterans (beetles), 7 dipterans (flies), 2 hemipterans (true bugs), 19 hymenopterans (ants, bees, wasps), and 1 lepidopteran (butterfly). Hymenopterans appeared to be the most important contributors to poison ivy pollination on a per species basis; however, coleopterans and dipterans were also frequent associates. Poison ivy’s ability to utilize a diverse assemblage of insect pollinators may partially explain its ecological success in varied habitats

The Species Richness of Lepidoptera in a Fragmented Landscape: A Supplement to the Checklist of Moths of Butler County, Ohio

Land conversion for agriculture or urban expansion has fragmented the midwestern landscape and isolated native biotas in remnant habitat patches. Identification of priority renmants to be targeted for conservation, however, requires an understanding of the species diversity and distributions in such fragmented landscapes. During a 3-year inventory, we estimated the species richness of Lepidoptera in forests and old fields within an agricultural region of southwest Ohio, Butler County. A combination of casual collecting (butterflies) and a systematic field study (moths) were used to sample lepidopteran species at several sites from 1998-2000. Our inventory added 207 new species to the checklist of the Lepidoptera of Butler County, bringing the total described species richness of the region to 599 species (including Peoria tetradella (Pyralidae), a state record). The species accumulation curve produced from our 1999 moth inventory did not reach saturation, suggesting that additional species remain to be recorded. These results indicate that even highly modified landscapes can support a substantial species diversity of Lepidoptera if there are sufficient areas of native habitat. Since short-term insect inventories tend to be biased toward common, well-known species, rapid diversity assessments may miss important elements of conservation interest. Checklists should remain an important data source for species occurrences and biogeography. Without a well-established knowledge of species geography, critical areas of conservation interest may be overlooked or left unprotected