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--Apple-Mail-87--230512686 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=WINDOWS-1252; delsp=yes; format=flowed Hi Bernard, On 17-Jun-07, at 8:40 AM, Bernard Burke wrote: > My sister Rita and her husband Mike just sent me some great photos =20 > of a Bald Eagle and a White-tailed Deer they took in Cape Breton, =20 > and also a Lady Bug type beetle that was hitching a ride on their =20 > vehicle near New Glasgow. Following those three pics, I've added a =20 > Spotted Sandpiper and a younger Eagle that I took but didn't =20 > include in my last posting. Here is Mike's photo of the Eagle, =20 > #165, and continue on through to #169: > http://bernieb.smugmug.com/gallery/916397/10/110598075/Medium > Excellent photo(s). The beetle, however, is not a lady beetle, but a =20 member of the leaf beetle family (Chrysomelidae) in the genus =20 Calligrapha. These are large showy beetles (8 species are found in =20 Nova Scotia) most of which are closely associated with different =20 species of deciduous trees or shrubs. This photograph is of Calligrapha confluens Schaeffer, which feeds on =20= alder. Other species are associated with birch, dogwood, elm, =20 basswood, hazel, etc., although one common species here (C. =20 californica) is found on Coreopsis, Bidens, and Ambrosia. Indeed, =20 some species can only be reliably identified if ones knows the host =20 plant. Calligrapha confluens is one of the commonest species in the =20 province having been recorded in every county in the province save =20 Shelburne and Yarmouth. I'll note, parenthetically, that this genus of beetles is a very =20 interesting one which has been the subject of considerable recent =20 genetic research. Most of the species in the genus are normal, =20 diploid, bisexual species, however, there are four species in the =20 group which are tetraploid, unisexual (female only) species that =20 reproduce parthenogenetically. Unisexuality in beetles is a =20 comparatively rare phenomenon. Recent research has established that =20 these tetraploid species have resulted from hybridization between two =20= species and using nuclear and mitochondrial DNA the maternal and =20 paternal "parents" of these species have been established. They are: Maternal Lineage --> Tetraploid Species = <-- Paternal Lineage Calligrapha philadelphica --> Calligrapha alnicola = <-- Calligrapha =20 confluens Calligrapha rowena --> Calligrapha apicalis = <-- Calligrapha =20 confluens Calligrapha philadelphica --> Calligrapha suturella = <-- Calligrapha =20 multipunctata Calligrapha scalaris --> Calligrapha vicina = <-- Calligrapha =20 philadelphica You can see from this table that C. confluens (from the paternal end =20 of things) has contributed to the creation of two tetraploid species, =20= C. alnicola (also associated with alder, and recorded from =20 Colchester, Victoria, Halifax, and Annapolis counties) and C. =20 apicalis (also found on alder, but not found in the Maritimes). Its =20 interesting that in both instances that maternal species are =20 associated with Cornus (dogwood) but the hybrid species are found on =20 the host (Alnus) which are eaten by the paternal species. This is =20 also true of C. suturella and C. vicina, so it would seem to be that =20 in matters of taste, it is paternal preferences that matter =96 an =20 interesting observation on Father's Day ... ;-> Most of these species (philadelphica, alnicola, confluens, rowena, =20 multipunctata, & scalaris) are found in the Maritimes, so this region =20= is a very interesting laboratory of the development and evolution of =20 this species-rich genus (37 species are found in North America, and =20 there are many more in neotropical areas). Cheers! Chris _._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._.=20= _. Christopher Majka - Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History 1747 Summer Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 3A6 (902) 424-6435 Email <c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca> _._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._.=20= _. --Apple-Mail-87--230512686 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset=WINDOWS-1252 <HTML><BODY style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; = -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; ">Hi Bernard,<DIV><BR><DIV><DIV>On = 17-Jun-07, at 8:40 AM, Bernard Burke wrote:</DIV><BR = class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type=3D"cite"><SPAN = class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"border-collapse: separate; = border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Times New = Roman; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; = font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; = text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: = 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; = white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><DIV><FONT = face=3D"Arial" size=3D"2"><SPAN class=3D"Apple-style-span" = style=3D"font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; ">My sister Rita and her = husband Mike just sent me some great photos of a Bald Eagle and a = White-tailed Deer they took in Cape Breton, and also a Lady Bug type = beetle that was hitching a ride on their vehicle near New Glasgow. = Following those three pics, I've added a Spotted Sandpiper and a younger = Eagle that I took but didn't include in my last posting. Here is Mike's = photo of the Eagle, #165, and continue on through to = #169:</SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT face=3D"Arial" size=3D"2"><A = href=3D"http://bernieb.smugmug.com/gallery/916397/10/110598075/Medium"><SP= AN class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"color: rgb(0, 0, 238); = font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: = underline; = ">http://bernieb.smugmug.com/gallery/916397/10/110598075/Medium</SPAN></A>= </FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT face=3D"Arial" = size=3D"2"></FONT>=A0</DIV></SPAN></BLOCKQUOTE><BR></DIV><DIV><SPAN = class=3D"Apple-style-span">Excellent photo(s). The beetle, however, is = not a lady beetle, but a member of the leaf beetle family = (Chrysomelidae) in the genus <I>Calligrapha</I>. These are large showy = beetles (8 species are found in Nova Scotia) most of which are = closely=A0associated with different species of deciduous trees or = shrubs.</SPAN></DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>This photograph is = of=A0<I>Calligrapha confluens</I> Schaeffer, which feeds on alder. Other = species are=A0associated with birch, dogwood, elm, basswood, hazel, = etc., although one common species here (<I>C. californica</I>) is found = on <I>Coreopsis</I>, <I>Bidens</I>, and=A0<I>Ambrosia</I>. Indeed, some = species can only be reliably identified if ones knows the host plant. = =A0<I>Calligraph