[NatureNS] Calligrapha leaf beetles and Father's Day

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From: c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca
Date: Sun, 17 Jun 2007 10:40:33 -0300
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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=

_.


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<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