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Nearly 100 new taxa added to BFS Invert List!

Jun 17th, 2010 by

Although I normally write a news post for any new additions to the BFS Biota Lists, your busy arthropod researchers – primarily Hartmut Wisch, Harsi Parker, and Jonathan Wright – have gotten ahead of me! Since March we have documented nearly 100 new taxa for the BFS Invertebrate List and added many new photos. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be adding posts that feature some of these new additions, but in the meantime, please peruse the list and the linked photos and enjoy this little Dr. Seuss-inspired sample:

From there to here, from here to there,
Funny things are everywhere

The face of a Robber Fly, Lestomyia sp. © 2010 Harsi Parker.

Some are old…

This pollen wasp, Pseudomasaris coquilletti (shown on on Phacelia distans), had been on our list, but the photograph is new. ©2010 Hartmut Wisch.

And some are new…

This snakefly, Agulla sp., not only represents a new genus, but a whole new order added to our list. ©2010 Harsi Parker.

Some are red…

A Six-spotted Orbweaver, Araniella displicata, on Toyon (Heteromeles arbuitfolia). © 2010 Harsi Parker.

And some are blue…

A Marine Blue butterfly, Leptotes marina, on Yerba Santa (Eriodyction trichocalyx).

Not one of them is like the other…

A female Digger Bee, Anthophora pacifica. The little holes you may have noticed in the island in pHake Lake are their nests. ©2010 Hartmut Wisch.


A little male Mellitid Bee, Hesperapis sp., sleeping in a Blue Dicks (Dichelostemma capitatum) on a cool, cloudy day. ©2010 Hartmut Wisch.

We don’t know why, go ask your mother!

Or better yet, please peruse our list and the informational links.

A little scarab beetle, Dichelonyx truncata, on Pine-Bush, Ericameria pinifolia.

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A lurking lizard picking off bees

Apr 12th, 2010 by

While on a photography expedition last Saturday, Jonathan Wright, Harsi Parker, and I spotted a Red Admiral, Vanessa atalanta, flitting by a Holly-leafed Cherry (Prunus ilicifolia) in full bloom on the south shore of pHake Lake. Just as I was getting the butterfly in focus, something lunged out of shrub at the butterfly — a Western Fence Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis)! The butterfly escaped, but we realized the lizard was just lurking up there among the blossoms picking off honeybees!

The lurking Sceloporus occidentalis in the Prunus ilicifolia. ©Nancy Hamlett.

Now how can a Sceloporus eat bees without being stung? Is it resistant to bee venom? A quick search in the scientific literature failed to provide an answer, but I found this fascinating account in Gleanings in Bee Culture, Vol. 32 (1904), entitled “Do California lizards kill bees?”:

While eating at my luncheon in the shack at the apiary I noticed, when I commenced, several bees buzzing on the window; also that a lizard was scurrying about inside the shade. In the course of a short time I observed that there was but one bee left, and came to the conclusion that the various scurries I had heard had meant that each denoted the end of a bee, so I determined to pay particular attention to what became of this last one. After a short wait I heard another scramble, and the buzz of the last bee had ceased. Gently raising and looking under the shade I saw the lizard with the bee in its mouth. It was holding the head and body, up to the thorax, in its mouth, with the abdomen out, under side up, the bee vainly thrusting its sting in the air. While watching, it began a series of quick side rubs on the curtain until it eventually severed the abdomen, which fell to the floor, while it swallowed the portion held in its mouth.

The author, E.W. Moore, of Los Angeles, also notes that inside a hive he found a dead lizard with many stings in its body, and he concludes that lizards are susceptible to bee venom.

So it appears that lizards avoid bee stings by cunning, not chemistry!

Update: On reading this post, Harsi Parker realized that she had a photo of a Sceloporus with a bee in its mouth with the abdomen out, just as described by Moore!

Sceloporus occidentalis with a bee in its mouth. ©Harsi S. Parker.

Although this lizard may be smart about bees, it seems it failed to avoid some predator, who got the lizard’s tail.

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And a third new bug!

Mar 25th, 2010 by

Spotted last Sunday on Amsinckia in the East Field, the plant bug Plagiognathus moerens:

amsinckia-bug2_032110

Plagiognathus moerens on Amsinckia.

Plagiognathus moerens is a specialist feeder of Amsinckia and other Boraginaceae. It’s very little studied — the only references in the scientific literature are to the taxonomic description. So far as we can tell, our photos from the BFS are the only ones available on the internet. Many thanks to WonGun Kim at BugGuide.net for the identification!

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Two bugs added to BFS invert list

Mar 24th, 2010 by

During Spring Break Jonathan Wright, Harsi Parker, and I spent an afternoon at the BFS documenting and photographing arthropods. It will take a while to figure out the identity of all the interesting insects we found, but we’ve now idenitified the first two and added them to the BFS Invert List:

  1. Zelus renardii – Leafhopper Assassin Bug
    Zelus-renardii_031610HP

    Zelus renardii, Leafhopper Assassin Bug, on Yerba Santa at the BFS. Photo ©2010 Harsi S. Parker.

    The aptly named Leafhopper Assassin Bug often waits in hiding and ambushes its prey. It then pierces the prey with its ‘beak’ (as seen in the photo below) and pumps immobilizing substances and digestive enzymes into the hapless victim. The enzymes dissolve the prey’s internal tissues, and the Leafhopper Assassin Bug sucks up the liquified innards. Yummy!

    Zelus_renardii_032610JW

    Zelus renardii, Leafhopper Assassin Bug, piercing a beetle. Photo ©2010 Jonathan Wright.

    The Leafhopper Assassin Bug preys not only on Leafhoppers, but on a broad range of insects. The one shown above is dining on some sort of beetle. Because Leafhopper Assassin Bugs destroy insects that eat plants, they are considered beneficial in the garden. They, can however, give a nasty ‘bite’ to humans, piercing the skin with their beak. Although they don’t produce a toxin per se, the digestive enzymes will kill a small area of cells near the site of injection.

  2. Bagrada hilaris – Bagrada Bug
    bagada-hilaris

    Bagrada hilaris on a Eucalyptus stump near the classroom. Photo ©2010 Jonthan Wright.

    The Bagrada Bug, also called the Harlequin Bug, is sometimes mistaken for a ladybug, but it’s anything but! This invasive African native was only introduced into the U.S. in 2008, when it was found in Pasadena. By 2009, the Bagrada Bug had spread widely throughout Los Angles and Orange Counties and been found in San Diego County (see map), and as of March 2010, the Bagrada Bug has spread to Ventura and Imperial counties as well as Yuma County, Arizona. Bagrada Bug is a major pest of crop plants in the Brassicaceae, and the levels of damage have been seen in organically-grown fields, community gardens, and residential gardens. No biological controls are known — so far, only chemical pesticides have been found to be effective. I guess we can only hope it will preferentially eat up our invasive mustards.

Sources and more information:

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Baja California Treefrog spotted at the BFS

Mar 9th, 2010 by

Although it’s seemed likely that treefrogs would be present at the BFS, we haven’t had any confirmed sightings until now. While monitoring the ‘new’ toad pond at the BFS, Joint Science students Erin Baumler and Maya Higgins and their faculty advisor Marion Preest spotted this Baja California Treefrog, Pseudacris hypochondriaca (formerly Pseudacris regilla), in the pond.

Female Pacific Treefrog, <em>Pseudacris hypochondriaca</em>, from the 'new' BFS toad pond.

Female Pacific Treefrog, Pseudacris hypochondriaca, from the 'new' BFS toad pond.

After a brief visit to Joint Science for species confirmation and a photo op, this gravid female was returned to the toad pond.

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Wooly Darkling Beetle Added to BFS Invert List

Mar 7th, 2010 by

We have another new addition to the BFS Invertebrate List — the Wooly Darkling Beetle, Eleodes osculans. This species was found by Dr. Paul Stapp’s Cal State Fulllerton Mammalogy class, who collected it in their rodent traps. Prof. Stapp adds, “like other tenebrionids, they seem to really like the peanut butter and oats we bait our traps with! I suspect they are quite common but an attractive beetle nonetheless.”

<em>Eleodes osculans</em>, Wooly Darkling Beetle, in Webb Canyon. Photo by Harsi Parker.

Eleodes osculans, Wooly Darkling Beetle, in Webb Canyon. Photo ©2008 Harsi S. Parker.

This “wooly” beetle can be identified by the erect, reddish-brown hair on the elytra (the hardened forewings of beetles that protect the flight posterior wings). Many thanks to Harsi Parker for allowing us to use her photo!

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New Butterfly and Bug added to Inverts List

Mar 2nd, 2010 by

We have two new additions to the BFS Inverts list:

  1. The Pipevine Swallowtail, Battus philenor. The larvae of this striking black and blue iridescent butterfly feed exclusively on Aristolochia species, including “Pipevine” or “Dutchman’s Pipe.” The adults sip nectar from a number of different flowers — this one was seen on Golden Current, Ribes aureum. The Pipevine Swallowtail flutters its wings incessantly while nectaring, as you can see from the blur in these photos:
    Pipevine Swallowtail.

    Pipevine Swallowtail on Ribes aureum

    Pipevine Swallowail - underside of wings

    Pipevine Swallowail - underside of wings

    pipevine-swallowtail_022810b

    Pipevine Swallowail on the fence between BFS and the RSABG

    No pipevines grow at the BFS, but one (Aristolochia californica) does grow at the adjacent Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, and this butterfly was spotted along the fence between BFS and the Garden. The larvae take up toxic compounds from the pipevine host, and both the adults and older larvae are toxic to predators.

    The butterfly seen at the BFS is the Arizona subspecies. The northern California subspecies’ range only extends south to San Luis Obispo.

  2. Cactus Coreid, Chelinidea vittiger. Resembling the more familiar squash bug, the Cactus Coreid is common on Prickly Pear cactuses through most of the US and into northern Mexico. Cactus Coreids pierce the cactus pads and suck up sap. They may inject digestive enzymes or possibly microbes and usually leave a gray-brown, dime-size scar.

    Update: Here are some photos of Chelinidea vittiger:

    Chelinidea_vittiger-20090617-4011

    Chelinidea_vittiger-20090617-4001

    These nymphs were photographed by Harsi Parker at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden on June 17, 2009. They were inhabiting a patch of Opuntia cactus in the desert garden area near the entrance.

    Cactus Coreids have been investigated as possible biocontrol agents in Australia, where exotic prickly pear cacti rendered 30,000,000 acres of pasture land unusable; however, it was not found to be effective for prickly pear control. It’s thought that in areas where prickly pear occurs naturally it’s kept under control by a complex of many insects.

Many thanks to folks at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, especially Bob Allen, Michael Wall, and Joan McGuir, for information about the Pipevine Swallowtail and Aristolochia, to Paul Stapp, Cal State Fullerton for spotting the Cactus Coreid, and to Harsi Parker for the Cactus Coreid photos.

References and More Information:

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Shepherd’s Purse added to BFS Plant List

Feb 14th, 2010 by

…on finding a root of shepherd’s purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris) open a seed-vessel. If the seed is yellow you will be rich, but if green you will be poor.

Yorkshire Folklore

BFS Manager Stephen Dreher has spotted a new addition for the BFS Plant List: Shepherd’s Purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris). Shepherd’s Purse, which originated in the Middle East, tends to grow in disturbed ground and spread widely with the rise of agriculture. It’s now found on all continents and appears to thrive everywhere except the humid tropics.

<em>Capsella bursa-pastoris</em> flowers and seed pods.

Capsella bursa-pastoris flowers and seed pods.

Capsella bursa-pastoris is a member of the Brassicaceae (Mustard Family), and has a basal rosette of leaves from which a flowering stalk emerges. The stalk can be up to the 2 ft, but the plants seen at the BFS are only a few inches tall. Capsella bursa-pastoris has been used as model organism particularly for evolution of floral development, where it can be compared to its close relative Arabidopsis thaliana.

<em>Capsella bursa-pastoris</em> plant with basal rosette of leaves and flowering stalk.

Capsella bursa-pastoris plant with basal rosette of leaves and flowering stalk.

Like other mustards, Shepherd’s Purse is edible, and the leaves are reported to be milder than other mustards. Shepherd’s Purse has been used in traditional medicine to control bleeding, but no studies of this use are reported in the scientific literature. The plant is named ‘Shepherd’s Purse’ because the heart-shaped seed pods are supposed to resemble purses once carried by shepherds.

The 'purse'-shaped seed pods of Shepherd's Purse (<em>Capsella bursa-pastoris</em>).

The 'purse'-shaped seed pods of Shepherd's Purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris).

References:

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New lichen species discovered at BFS!

Dec 7th, 2009 by

Kerry Knudsen, Curator of Lichens at the University of California Riverside Herbarium, has discovered a new species of lichen at the BFS. The new lichen, Lecanora munzii, grows on dead wood of Chaparral and Coastal Sage Scrub plants, especially California Sagebrush (Artemisia californica). This inconspicuous brown lichen produces an unusual chemical – gyrophoric acid – that is being investigated for its potential to fight bacterial infections, promote wound healing, and treat Type II diabetes.

Lecanora munzii growing on dead wood at the BFS.

Lecanora munzii growing on dead wood at the BFS. Photo by Nancy Hamlett.

Lecanora

Close-up view of Lecanora munzii. Photo by James Lendemer, The New York Botanical Garden.

Because L. munzii grows on dead wood, it occurs only in old-growth Chaparral or Coastal Sage Scrub that has not burned frequently, but more frequent fires throughout southern California has made this type of habitat increasingly rare. L. munzii is, however, abundant in old-growth Sage Scrub at the BFS, especially in the ‘Neck’, and the BFS which has been designated as the ‘type locality’. L. munzii has so far been found in only five other sites – all in southern California.

Home of L. munzii -- an area at the top of the 'Neck" with L. munzii growing on dead wood. Photo by Tad Beckman.

Home of L. munzii — an area at the top of the ‘Neck’ with L. munzii growing on dead wood. Photo by Tad Beckman.

L. munzii is named in honor of the great California botanist Philip A. Munz of Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, who was also Professor of Botany and Dean at Pomona College. Munz wrote A Flora of Southern California, which introduced Kerry to the beauty and value of taxonomic description
and inspired his love of California’s biodiversity.

Kerry Knudsen collecting a voucher specimen of L. munzii.

Kerry Knudsen collecting a voucher specimen of L. munzii.

The description of the new species is published in the December 8th issue of Opuscula Philolichenum:

You can see more photos of Lecanora munzii on its BFS biota page.

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Virginia Rail added to BFS Bird List

Nov 16th, 2009 by

We have a new addition to the BFS Bird List! On Saturday, November 14, and Monday, November 16, a Virginia Rail (Rallus limicola) was seen among the cattails on the south side of pHake Lake. This small, chicken-like shore bird frequents freshwater marshes, where it most often remains hidden in dense vegetation. In spite of its name, the Virginia Rail is common in California, although destruction of marshes has reduced its numbers. Virginia Rails migrate through this area at this time of year.

Thanks to Nell Baldwin of the Pomona Vertebrate Biology class for confirming the identification.

Update: Got a photo on December 19:

Virginia Rail foraging west of the boat ramp at pHake Lake.

Virginia Rail foraging west of the boat ramp at pHake Lake.

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