Mycterus youngi was described from Wisconsin and “L.S” (presumed to indicate along Lake Superior). All but one of the specimens in the type series were collected between 1947 and 1949. Herein, three females of M. youngi are reported from Michigan, between 1910 and 1940. A discussion of possible implications of the few, and largely old collection dates is provided

Young, Daniel K.

English

ValpoScholar

The Great Lakes Entomologist 
Volume 52 
Numbers 3 & 4 - Fall/Winter 2019 Numbers 3 & 
4 - Fall/Winter 2019 
Article 13 
February 2020 
New state record and range extension for Mycterus youngi 
Pollock (Coleoptera: Mycteridae) – but is it really rare? 
Daniel K. Young 
University of Wisconsin, young@entomology.wisc.edu 
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle 
 Part of the Entomology Commons 
Recommended Citation 
Young, Daniel K. 2020. "New state record and range extension for Mycterus youngi Pollock (Coleoptera: 
Mycteridae) – but is it really rare?," The Great Lakes Entomologist, vol 52 (2) 
Available at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol52/iss2/13 
This Scientific Note is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Biology at ValpoScholar. It has 
been accepted for inclusion in The Great Lakes Entomologist by an authorized administrator of ValpoScholar. For 
more information, please contact a ValpoScholar staff member at scholar@valpo.edu. 
176 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST Vol. 52, Nos. 3–4
Pollock (2012) described Mycterus 
youngi based on seven Wisconsin specimens 
and two individuals labeled “L.S” only. The 
latter two specimens, one male and one fe-
male, were presumed to have been collected 
along Lake Superior but had no specific 
location data and were not provided with 
collection dates. All but one of the dated 
specimens in the type series were collected 
between 1947 and 1949.
While examining undetermined myc-
terids from the Great Lakes region, two 
females of M. youngi from the Albert J. 
Cook Collection (Michigan State University: 
MSUC) and a single female from the Museum 
of Zoology (University of Michigan: UMMZ) 
were discovered. These three females are 
the first Michigan records for this presum-
ably rare species, and by extension the first 
distributional data points outside Wisconsin 
(Fig. 1). One specimen was collected from 
Sanilac County, 4 July [19]28 (MSUC). The 
second specimen is labeled Atlanta, [Mont-
morency Co.] MI, 7 July 1940 (MSUC). The 
third new state record is labeled Mershon 
Ex.[pedition], Charity Is., Mich. [Arenac 
County] 17–30 June 1910 (UMMZ).
Ruthven (1911) provided a brief over-
view of the Mershon Expedition made by the 
University of Michigan, Museum of Zoology 
to the Charity Islands and listed A. W. An-
drews as the survey member largely respon-
sible for Coleoptera. In addition to Ruthven’s 
summary, notes and an overview map of the 
islands in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron were 
also provided by Wood (1911) and an ecolog-
ical overview and preliminary account of the 
Coleoptera survey were provided by Andrews 
(1911). Andrews also stated that his actual 
June visitation dates were 19–26 June (label 
indicates 17–30 June).
None of the known M. youngi specimens 
aside from a single “flight-intercept trap in 
sandy barrens” record in the original descrip-
tion (see below) provide any indication of how 
the specimens were collected and very few 
plant associations have been provided for any 
adult Mycterus species from North America. 
Hopping (1935) and Pollock (2002) recorded 
the western species from flowers of Ceanothus 
(Rhamnaceae) and Yucca (Asparagaceae); 
Pollock (2002) added Daucus (Apiaceae), 
presumably the naturalized and widespread 
Queen Anne’s lace, Daucus carota Linnaeus, 
on which I have collected Mycterus scaber 
Haldeman in the northern lower peninsula 
of Michigan. I also have a specimen of M. 
scaber taken on flowers of Spirea (Rosaceae) 
in Quebec, Canada. Adult flight intervals per 
available collection event label data, exclud-
ing the interval associated with the flight in-
tercept trap record (see comments below) and 
the interval indicated for the “Charity Island” 
specimen, range from 4 July to 4 August, with 
mid- to late July being the most common. The 
collection dates are certainly congruent with 
the flowering of D. carota and several species 
of Spirea in the Great Lakes region.
Even less is known about the microhab-
itat and food resource requirements of myc-
terid larvae. Not a single larval association 
has been confirmed for any North American 
Mycterus species. Larvae presumed to be 
those of the largely European Mycterus cur-
culionoides (Fabricius) were collected beneath 
bark of Pinus sp. (Crowson and Viedma 1964) 
and this subcortical behavior is consistent 
with what little is known about larvae of the 
New State Record and Range Extension for Mycterus youngi Pollock 
(Coleoptera: Mycteridae)—But Is It Really Rare?
Daniel K. Young
Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin,Madison, Wisconsin 53706, U.S.A.
(e-mail: young@entomology.wisc.edu)
ORCID 0000-0002-5711-2519
Abstract
Mycterus youngi Pollock (Coleoptera: Mycteridae) was described from Wisconsin 
and “L.S” (presumed to indicate along Lake Superior). All but one of the specimens in the 
type series were collected between 1947 and 1949. Herein, three females of M. youngi are 
reported from Michigan, between 1910 and 1940. A discussion of possible implications of 
the few, and largely old collection dates is provided.
Keywords: Mycterus youngi, Michigan, state record, rarity
1
Young: New state record for Mycterus youngi
Published by ValpoScholar, 2020
2019 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST 177
related Lacconotus species (Lawrence 1991; 
personal observations) as well as other euryp-
ine Mycteridae (Pollock 2010).
It is immediately striking that 11 of the 
12 known specimens of M. youngi came from 
the 39-year interval between 1910 and 1949. 
The single outlier is a paratype male1 recov-
ered from a flight intercept trap 18 years ago 
(23 June–1 July 2001). These observations 
beg fundamental questions regarding rarity, 
vulnerability and extinction risk. Fattorini et 
al. (2013) provided an overview of “measur-
ing insect rarity” and its contribution to con-
servation and management. Unfortunately, 
many of the putatively critical traits they 
discussed relative to extinction risk (mobil-
ity, trophic level, food resource specificity of 
larvae and adults, other behavioral factors) 
are virtually unknown for M. youngi.
Considering the new Michigan records, 
the gross geographical range of M. youngi 
would not appear to support a claim of rarity. 
1  I should, for sake of clarity, also note a ty-
pographical error (Pollock 2012, p. 25) in the 
reported locality data. “USA: WI: Iowa Co. Area 
Pines-Sand Barrens SNA” should read: USA: WI: 
Iowa Co. Arena Pines-Sand Barrens SNA [The 
village of Arena is located just south-southeast 
of the state natural area].
Figure 1. Distribution of Mycterus youngi Pollock: previous (WI: black dots) and new (MI: red dots) 
records.
2
The Great Lakes Entomologist, Vol. 52, No. 2 [2020], Art. 13
https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol52/iss2/13
178 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST Vol. 52, Nos. 3–4
From what little is known about resource 
requirements, it is likely that larvae are sap-
roxylic on coarse woody debris. While such 
microhabitats would seem to be abundant 
and not contributing to a case in support of 
rarity for M. youngi, shrinking undisturbed 
forests and intense forest management pro-
vide some cause for concern (Grove 2002, 
Milberg et al. 2014). Evidence suggests that 
adults are pollenivorous. Daucus, Spirea and 
other mid- to late summer cantharophilous 
flowers are not at all uncommon in the Great 
Lakes region, thus precluding adult feeding 
and potential pre-mating aggregation sites 
from consideration with respect to possible 
rarity.
Is M. youngi really “rare”? Natural 
history collections hold the planet’s accu-
mulated historical knowledge relating to 
biological diversity (Lane 1996, Kemp 2015). 
Our best regional entomological collections 
indicate that, if nothing else, M. youngi has 
been rarely collected. But is it rare—is it 
vulnerable—is it threatened? Perhaps this is 
merely a case of sampling bias. Then again, 
there is a plethora of collection records for 
insects associated with flowers. Pollock 
(2002) indicated that adults of Mycterus, 
“can be very abundant” on flowers. Perhaps 
this is another case of being in just the right 
place at just the right time? An invitation—a 
challenge.
Acknowledgments
I am grateful to Gary Parsons (A. 
J. Cook Arthropod Research Collection, 
Michigan State University) and Mark 
O’Brien (University of Michigan Museum 
of Zoology) for the loans of specimens under 
their care.
Literature Cited
Andrews, A. W. 1911. The Results of the Mer-
shon Expedition to the Charity Islands, Lake 
Huron, p. 168-170. In 13th Report of the 
Michigan Academy of Science (G. D. Shaefer, 
Ed.), Wynkoop Hallenbeck Crawford Co., 
Lansing, MI, 293 p.
Crowson, R. A. and Viedma, M. 1964. Obser-
vations on the relationships of the genera 
Circaeus Yablok. and Mycterus Clairv. with a 
description of the presumed larva of Mycterus 
(Col. Heteromera). Eos 40: 99–107.
Fattorini S., A. Di Giulio, and L. Dapporto. 
2013. Measuring insect rarity: practical is-
sues, pragmatic approaches. Journal of Insect 
Biodiversity 1: 1–21.
Grove, S. J. 2002. Saproxylic insect ecology 
and the sustainable management of forests. 
Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 
33: 1–23.
Hopping, R. 1935. Revision of the genus Mycterus 
Clairv. (Coleoptera, Pythidae). The Pan-Pa-
cific Entomologist 11(2): 75-78.
Kemp, C. 2015. The endangered dead. Nature 
518: 292–294.
Lane, M. 1996. Roles of natural history col-
lections. Annals of the Missouri Botanical 
Garden 83: 536–545.
Lawrence, J. F. 1991. Mycteridae (Tenebrion-
oidea) (including Hemipeplidae), p. 535–537. 
In: Immature Insects. Volume 2. (F. W. Stehr, 
Ed). Kendall/Hunt, Dubuque, Iowa, 975 p.
Milberg, P., K-O. Bergman, H. Johansson, and 
N. Jansson. 2014. Low host-tree preferences 
among saproxylic beetles: a comparison of 
four deciduous species. Insect Conservation 
and Diversity 7: 508–522.
Pollock, D. A. 2002. 112. Mycteridae Blanchard 
1845, p. 530–533. In: American Beetles. 
Volume 2. Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through 
Curculionoidea (R. H. Arnett, Jr., M. C. 
Thomas, P. E. Skelley, and J. H. Frank, Eds). 
CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 861 p.
Pollock D. A. 2010. Mycteridae Blanchard, 1845, 
p. 693–699. In: Handbuch der Zoologie. Insec-
ta: Coleoptera, Beetles. Morphology and Sys-
tematics. Volume 2. (R. G. Beutel, R. Leschen 
Eds). W. de Gruyter Inc, Berlin, 786 p.
Pollock, D. A. 2012. Mycterus youngi Pollock 
(Coleoptera: Mycteridae), a new species from 
the Great Lakes Region, with a revised key to 
species of North America. The Coleopterist’s 
Bulletin 66: 23–26.
Ruthven, A. G. 1911. The Mershon Expedition 
to the Charity Islands, Lake Huron. Science 
33: 208–209.
Wood, N. A. 1911. The Results of the Mershon 
Expedition to the Charity Islands, Lake 
Huron. Birds. The Wilson Bulletin No. 75; 
23: 78–112.
3
Young: New state record for Mycterus youngi
Published by ValpoScholar, 2020


New state record and range extension for Mycterus youngi Pollock (Coleoptera: Mycteridae) – but is it really rare?

Valparaiso University

The Great Lakes Entomologist Volume 52 Numbers 3 & 4 - Fall/Winter 2019 Numbers 3 & 4 - Fall/Winter 2019 Article 13 February 2020 New state record and range extension for Mycterus youngi Pollock (Coleoptera: Mycteridae) – but is it really rare? Daniel K. Young University of Wisconsin, young@entomology.wisc.edu Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle  Part of the Entomology Commons Recommended Citation Young, Daniel K. 2020. "New state record and range extension for Mycterus youngi Pollock (Coleoptera: Mycteridae) – but is it really rare?," The Great Lakes Entomologist, vol 52 (2) Available at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol52/iss2/13 This Scientific Note is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Biology at ValpoScholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Great Lakes Entomologist by an authorized administrator of ValpoScholar. For more information, please contact a ValpoScholar staff member at scholar@valpo.edu. 176 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST Vol. 52, Nos. 3–4Pollock (2012) described Mycterus youngi based on seven Wisconsin specimens and two individuals labeled “L.S” only. The latter two specimens, one male and one fe-male, were presumed to have been collected along Lake Superior but had no specific location data and were not provided with collection dates. All but one of the dated specimens in the type series were collected between 1947 and 1949.While examining undetermined myc-terids from the Great Lakes region, two females of M. youngi from the Albert J. Cook Collection (Michigan State University: MSUC) and a single female from the Museum of Zoology (University of Michigan: UMMZ) were discovered. These three females are the first Michigan records for this presum-ably rare species, and by extension the first distributional data points outside Wisconsin (Fig. 1). One specimen was collected from Sanilac County, 4 July [19]28 (MSUC). The second specimen is labeled Atlanta, [Mont-morency Co.] MI, 7 July 1940 (MSUC). The third new state record is labeled Mershon Ex.[pedition], Charity Is., Mich. [Arenac County] 17–30 June 1910 (UMMZ).Ruthven (1911) provided a brief over-view of the Mershon Expedition made by the University of Michigan, Museum of Zoology to the Charity Islands and listed A. W. An-drews as the survey member largely respon-sible for Coleoptera. In addition to Ruthven’s summary, notes and an overview map of the islands in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron were also provided by Wood (1911) and an ecolog-ical overview and preliminary account of the Coleoptera survey were provided by Andrews (1911). Andrews also stated that his actual June visitation dates were 19–26 June (label indicates 17–30 June).None of the known M. youngi specimens aside from a single “flight-intercept trap in sandy barrens” record in the original descrip-tion (see below) provide any indication of how the specimens were collected and very few plant associations have been provided for any adult Mycterus species from North America. Hopping (1935) and Pollock (2002) recorded the western species from flowers of Ceanothus (Rhamnaceae) and Yucca (Asparagaceae); Pollock (2002) added Daucus (Apiaceae), presumably the naturalized and widespread Queen Anne’s lace, Daucus carota Linnaeus, on which I have collected Mycterus scaber Haldeman in the northern lower peninsula of Michigan. I also have a specimen of M. scaber taken on flowers of Spirea (Rosaceae) in Quebec, Canada. Adult flight intervals per available collection event label data, exclud-ing the interval associated with the flight in-tercept trap record (see comments below) and the interval indicated for the “Charity Island” specimen, range from 4 July to 4 August, with mid- to late July being the most common. The collection dates are certainly congruent with the flowering of D. carota and several species of Spirea in the Great Lakes region.Even less is known about the microhab-itat and food resource requirements of myc-terid larvae. Not a single larval association has been confirmed for any North American Mycterus species. Larvae presumed to be those of the largely European Mycterus cur-culionoides (Fabricius) were collected beneath bark of Pinus sp. (Crowson and Viedma 1964) and this subcortical behavior is consistent with what little is known about larvae of the New State Record and Range Extension for Mycterus youngi Pollock (Coleoptera: Mycteridae)—But Is It Really Rare?Daniel K. YoungDepartment of Entomology, University of Wisconsin,Madison, Wisconsin 53706, U.S.A.(e-mail: young@entomology.wisc.edu)ORCID 0000-0002-5711-2519AbstractMycterus youngi Pollock (Coleoptera: Mycteridae) was described from Wisconsin and “L.S” (presumed to indicate along Lake Superior). All but one of the specimens in the type series were collected between 1947 and 1949. Herein, three females of M. youngi are reported from Michigan, between 1910 and 1940. A discussion of possible implications of the few, and largely old collection dates is provided.Keywords: Mycterus youngi, Michigan, state record, rarity1Young: New state record for Mycterus youngiPublished by ValpoScholar, 20202019 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST 177related Lacconotus species (Lawrence 1991; personal observations) as well as other euryp-ine Mycteridae (Pollock 2010).It is immediately striking that 11 of the 12 known specimens of M. youngi came from the 39-year interval between 1910 and 1949. The single outlier is a paratype male1 recov-ered from a flight intercept trap 18 years ago (23 June–1 July 2001). These observations beg fundamental questions regarding rarity, vulnerability and extinction risk. Fattorini et al. (2013) provided an overview of “measur-ing insect rarity” and its contribution to con-servation and management. Unfortunately, many of the putatively critical traits they discussed relative to extinction risk (mobil-ity, trophic level, food resource specificity of larvae and adults, other behavioral factors) are virtually unknown for M. youngi.Considering the new Michigan records, the gross geographical range of M. youngi would not appear to support a claim of rarity. 1  I should, for sake of clarity, also note a ty-pographical error (Pollock 2012, p. 25) in the reported locality data. “USA: WI: Iowa Co. Area Pines-Sand Barrens SNA” should read: USA: WI: Iowa Co. Arena Pines-Sand Barrens SNA [The village of Arena is located just south-southeast of the state natural area].Figure 1. Distribution of Mycterus youngi Pollock: previous (WI: black dots) and new (MI: red dots) records.2The Great Lakes Entomologist, Vol. 52, No. 2 [2020], Art. 13https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol52/iss2/13178 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST Vol. 52, Nos. 3–4From what little is known about resource requirements, it is likely that larvae are sap-roxylic on coarse woody debris. While such microhabitats would seem to be abundant and not contributing to a case in support of rarity for M. youngi, shrinking undisturbed forests and intense forest management pro-vide some cause for concern (Grove 2002, Milberg et al. 2014). Evidence suggests that adults are pollenivorous. Daucus, Spirea and other mid- to late summer cantharophilous flowers are not at all uncommon in the Great Lakes region, thus precluding adult feeding and potential pre-mating aggregation sites from consideration with respect to possible rarity.Is M. youngi really “rare”? Natural history collections hold the planet’s accu-mulated historical knowledge relating to biological diversity (Lane 1996, Kemp 2015). Our best regional entomological collections indicate that, if nothing else, M. youngi has been rarely collected. But is it rare—is it vulnerable—is it threatened? Perhaps this is merely a case of sampling bias. Then again, there is a plethora of collection records for insects associated with flowers. Pollock (2002) indicated that adults of Mycterus, “can be very abundant” on flowers. Perhaps this is another case of being in just the right place at just the right time? An invitation—a challenge.AcknowledgmentsI am grateful to Gary Parsons (A. J. Cook Arthropod Research Collection, Michigan State University) and Mark O’Brien (University of Michigan Museum of Zoology) for the loans of specimens under their care.Literature CitedAndrews, A. W. 1911. The Results of the Mer-shon Expedition to the Charity Islands, Lake Huron, p. 168-170. In 13th Report of the Michigan Academy of Science (G. D. Shaefer, Ed.), Wynkoop Hallenbeck Crawford Co., Lansing, MI, 293 p.Crowson, R. A. and Viedma, M. 1964. Obser-vations on the relationships of the genera Circaeus Yablok. and Mycterus Clairv. with a description of the presumed larva of Mycterus (Col. Heteromera). Eos 40: 99–107.Fattorini S., A. Di Giulio, and L. Dapporto. 2013. Measuring insect rarity: practical is-sues, pragmatic approaches. Journal of Insect Biodiversity 1: 1–21.Grove, S. J. 2002. Saproxylic insect ecology and the sustainable management of forests. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 33: 1–23.Hopping, R. 1935. Revision of the genus Mycterus Clairv. (Coleoptera, Pythidae). The Pan-Pa-cific Entomologist 11(2): 75-78.Kemp, C. 2015. The endangered dead. Nature 518: 292–294.Lane, M. 1996. Roles of natural history col-lections. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 83: 536–545.Lawrence, J. F. 1991. Mycteridae (Tenebrion-oidea) (including Hemipeplidae), p. 535–537. In: Immature Insects. Volume 2. (F. W. Stehr, Ed). Kendall/Hunt, Dubuque, Iowa, 975 p.Milberg, P., K-O. Bergman, H. Johansson, and N. Jansson. 2014. Low host-tree preferences among saproxylic beetles: a comparison of four deciduous species. Insect Conservation and Diversity 7: 508–522.Pollock, D. A. 2002. 112. Mycteridae Blanchard 1845, p. 530–533. In: American Beetles. Volume 2. Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through Curculionoidea (R. H. Arnett, Jr., M. C. Thomas, P. E. Skelley, and J. H. Frank, Eds). CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 861 p.Pollock D. A. 2010. Mycteridae Blanchard, 1845, p. 693–699. In: Handbuch der Zoologie. Insec-ta: Coleoptera, Beetles. Morphology and Sys-tematics. Volume 2. (R. G. Beutel, R. Leschen Eds). W. de Gruyter Inc, Berlin, 786 p.Pollock, D. A. 2012. Mycterus youngi Pollock (Coleoptera: Mycteridae), a new species from the Great Lakes Region, with a revised key to species of North America. The Coleopterist’s Bulletin 66: 23–26.Ruthven, A. G. 1911. The Mershon Expedition to the Charity Islands, Lake Huron. Science 33: 208–209.Wood, N. A. 1911. The Results of the Mershon Expedition to the Charity Islands, Lake Huron. Birds. The Wilson Bulletin No. 75; 23: 78–112.3Young: New state record for Mycterus youngiPublished by ValpoScholar, 2020

Daniel K. Young

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New state record and range extension for Mycterus youngi Pollock (Coleoptera: Mycteridae) – but is it really rare?

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